Dutch soccer star Robben announces retirement

THE HAGUE -- Arjen Robben put an end to his career, the 35-year-old Dutch soccer star announced in a statement on Thursday.

"I have been thinking about it a lot in the past weeks and decided to quit my professional career," Robben stated. "As everybody knows I took my time to take this decision after I quit Bayern. Without a doubt it was the hardest decision of my career."

Robben started his career at FC Groningen in the Netherlands and continued at PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and since 2009 for Bayern Munich. He won eight German league titles with Bayern and led the German giants to the 2013 Champions League with the winning goal in the final against Borussia Dortmund. Due to injuries the left-footed dribbler also missed a lot of matches during his career.

In October 2017 Robben already announced his retirement from the Dutch national team. In total he played 96 matches for 'Oranje', in which he scored 37 goals.

Robben made his debut for the Dutch team on April 30, 2003, against Portugal at the age of 19. He participated in three European Championships (2004, 2008, 2012) and three World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014). He finished second with the Dutch at the World Cup in 2010 and third in 2014.