Wingers have always held a fascination for me.
From Charlie Cooke to Pat Nevin to Jesper Gronkjaer to Arjen Robben, nothing beats a good old-fashioned winger taking the defender on and either getting a cross in or getting a shot away.
I`ve always had a soft spot for Arjen Robben, I can remember the electrifying goal he scored against Everton, when he skipped past a challenge or two then scored from a very acute angle.
The day he was sold to Real Madrid was a sad day in our history, but then again you couldn`t really blame the Dutchman for wanting to better himself and since moving back to the continent, the Dutchman has, between bouts of injury, endured a very successful career.
Last night, Arjen announced his retirement from international football. It came just moments after the Dutch had beaten Sweden, in a World Cup Group game.
The Dutch needed to inflict a heavy defeat upon the Swedes to stand a chance of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup Finals, in Russia.
As it turned out, they could only win 2-0 with both goals scored by Arjen, the first from the penalty spot and the second a typical stunning solo effort.
Arjen made his international debut for the Dutch in April 1993 and has won 97 caps and scored 37 times for his country.
Those 37 goals put Arjen fourth on the all-time Netherlands` goal-scoring list level with Dennis Bergkamp.
Talking about his reasons for retiring from international football, Arjen remarked,
‘It hasn’t been an easy decision but I am 33 and now must give my full focus to my club.’
The international stage will miss you Arjen, just as we did at Chelsea when you left.
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