Arjen Robben blames Florentino Pérez for his Real Madrid exit | OneFootball

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OneFootball

Dan Burke·25 May 2019

Arjen Robben blames Florentino Pérez for his Real Madrid exit

Article image:Arjen Robben blames Florentino Pérez for his Real Madrid exit

Arjen Robben says it was internal “politics” which forced him to leave Real Madrid for Bayern Munich in 2009.

Robben spent two seasons in the Spanish capital before leaving to make way for the €94m signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.


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And as the 35-year-old prepares to play his final match for Bayern in the DFB-Pokal final on Saturday, he says his Bernabéu exit ended up being a blessing in disguise.

“Florentino Pérez returned as president and then bought Ronaldo and Kaka, Benzema and Xabi Alonso,” the Dutchman told Diario AS.

“They spent so much money and told us they needed to make some money with sales.

“For me it was a shame because I had a very good relationship with [former coach] Manuel Pellegrini, and maybe I had the best pre-season of my career.

“I found it difficult because of the change of president in Madrid – I really felt very comfortable there and played very well, but when politics comes into play and you don’t have a real chance, you must decide if you want to keep fighting or continue your career elsewhere.”

Robben has since spent the last decade in Bavaria, during which time he has won eight league titles and the 2013 Champions League.

“I wanted to prove I was good enough and my move to Bayern was the best decision of my career,” he added.