Arjen Robben jokingly promised his return to Bayern before the Champions League duel with his “favorite opponent” Manchester City.
“Thomas Tuchel can call me at any time. No, joking aside, that’s no longer possible,” said the Dutch ex-professional in an interview with the German record champions’ club media.
Robben laced up his football boots for FC Bayern between 2009 and 2019 and had become a club icon during this time. He won six out of seven games against Man City in his career.
“This is definitely a top game that could also be the final. It will be very interesting and I’m looking forward to watching it,” said the 39-year-old about the premier class cracker in the quarterfinals between his former club on the one hand and the star ensemble around Erling Haaland on the other side. The first leg takes place in Manchester on Tuesday and the second leg in Munich eight days later.
FC Bayern functioned “very well as a team,” praised Robben. That’s why the team “deservedly progressed” in the round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.
FC Bayern: Arjen Robben raves about Pep Guardiola
City team manager Pep Guardiola, with whom the attacker worked at FC Bayern between 2013 and 2016, still enjoys a high opinion of Robben.
“He can adjust his team very well. I have a lot of respect for his work. It doesn’t matter where he works, you can see his handwriting,” Robben enthused about the Spanish star coach. “The three years with him were a special time for me. I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of great coaches and from a football point of view he was the best for me.”
With a view to the role of favorites in the current Champions League season, Robben named Italy’s leaders SSC Naples. “SSC are playing very, very well and are looking very good this season. They could be the surprise team.”
