The 37-year-old Dutch footballer Arjen Robben acknowledged this Friday that the recovery from the injury he suffered at the beginning of the season “is not going well” and suggested the possibility of hanging the boots permanently in the coming weeks.
“I wonder if it's still realistic to go ahead and get back on the pitch?”, said the extreme in an interview with the official channel of Groningen. “It's disappointing, I can't put it in a more beautiful way than it is. I have discomfort in the twins and right now it is difficult for me. We have to see if there are enough prospects for it to improve, “he added.
He assured that he is in a phase “in which things float a little in the middle” and he warned that he will soon have to “make a choice.”
Robben announced his retirement in July 2019, when he was playing for Bayern Munich, but he surprised the football world when he said last June that he was putting his boots back on to play for Groningen, the modest Dutch first division team in which he was formed.
After a hopeful preseason in which he even scored a goal, he had to retire injured in the 30th minute of the first game of the season against PSV Eindhoven. He was low in the next three games and reappeared against Utrecht in October, taking the field for the last 14 minutes, but has not been called up since.
“We have to do that evaluation in the next few weeks, there has to be enough perspective. It's a question of deliberation, but giving up is not in my dictionary, “said Robben, who is currently training alone.
Groningen are sixth in the Eredivisie and have a chance to sneak into the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.