It's been a long time since I've sat down and pulled up the blogging machine. Many reasons why, but mainly the boys have gotten so busy that there is no more down time. Also, it's known that I love the social media platform, but unlike 2005 when everyone still had a little time to read an article and express some thoughts on it, now we gif and meme and share are favorite moments with an emoji. That said, Arjen Robben is kind of like my blog. A little different, you have to understand him a little bit more, maybe let his playing style simmer and flavor for a bit before you take a nibble, but you remember the first time you sampled it (Celebrity Blog always got 500+ views, sorry I retired that sucker).
When Robben's name first entered my stratosphere of the soccer kingdom, I thought it was going to be a match made in heaven. He was a Dutch winger - similar to the fashion of Marc Overmars (My 1st favorite player to watch as a fan), he was young and brash and wasn't afraid to take on any defender. Naturally, like Alex Ferguson, I thought his future would lie at Old Trafford and the great United kingdom. And Robben, in Robben fashion, decided that Manchester United wasn't suitable for him. He didn't like our "arrogance". From that day forth, I was going to hate him for the rest of his career. Especially when he picked the Chelsea project. That was going to make it easy for me.
Except it didn't. Those runs down the left (This is the pre-Bayern days, believe it or not, Robben didn't always live on the right side of the field and cut in on his left) were exquisite and he left some delicious balls for the likes of Eidur Gudjohnsen, and Didier Drogba to finish. He made so many full backs look absolutely silly. He was a headache for Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho to deal with. His flopping made him difficult to deal with for the referees. His injuries were infuriating for the fans. But still, I couldn't get enough. I watched as Chelsea won Premier League titles. I cheered for the Netherlands to go on and win the 2004 Euros (Greece anyone?). I found a new favorite player who wanted to be at Manchester United and who would achieve the same if not more success than all the glory that Robben turned down. Yet, my feelings about Robben wouldn't seem to change.
Enter Real Madrid. Finally, I thought. The whole era of galacticos bothered me. United was big, but they were never going to bring in the Luis Figo's, Zidane's and Ronaldo's (fat) of the world. And when David Beckham left United for the white of Real Madrid, I finally felt like soccer had its greatest villain. So when Real started to sign the likes of Robben, Wesley Sneijder, and Rafael Van der Vaart, I thought it would kill two birds with one stone. First, I wouldn't like Robben anymore. (Didn't happen). Second, I wouldn't like the Netherlands anymore (It felt like I was cheating, since the rival Germans were the country that introduced me to this great sport). But I still did. When they lost to Arsenal in Champions League with this great group, I was really disappointed. And it bothered me that someone could transcend my feeling for sports. So when he finally left for Bayern, it created feelings in me that I never knew that I had.
Bayern. The team that I love to hate, often followed by the team that I love to cheer for when they play against: Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, and of course Liverpool. When I lived in Germany it was explained to me that Bayern was like the Yankees, but worse. They were like the Yankees, with the aurora of the Los Angeles Lakers with Shaq and Kobe. Hollywoodesque. It also didn't help that my year of exchange was spent right outside of Dortmund; a club that shares a hatred of all things Bayern Munich. Then, halfway through my exchange year, Die Toten Hosen released a song called, "Bayern". It was not meant as a tribute. So when Robben signed for the red and white of my least favorite German team, I thought my affection for him would come to an end. (I bought his Bayern jersey). When he scored the game winning goal of the Champions League Final against said Dortmund, I knew it was going to be time to hate his guts (I still wear the jersey). When he became known as the Dortmund killer, I just let my hatred out an a huff and applauded his goals (cutting in from the right, every time). And when he decided to hang up his boots after his 7th consectutive championship in the Bundesliga, I sat in my bedroom and cried.
Often I hear talk of players that people can't stand because of the teams that they play for. Steph Curry on the Warriors. Tom Brady on the Patriots. Derek Jeter on the Yankees. I used to be part of that talk too. It's amazing what one athlete can do for you. Bring excitement to the sport that you love. Make you work hard in your backyard to improve your skills so you can emulate them. Get you to fly around the country so you can see them live for the first time. Arjen Robben did none of these things. But he taught me how to love my enemy.
Enjoy retirement.
