‘Secret robbery’ heralded Robben’s return to FC Groningen | Football

sport">“Since I left Groningen I have always kept in touch with the club. First with Hans Nijland and then with these young men ”, Robben referred to general manager Wouter Gudde and technical director Mark-Jan Fledderus. “The bond has always been there. I noticed a lot of ambition among the men and that really appealed to me. ”

sport">Fledderus said that at the end of May he and Gudde had made an ‘secret’ appointment with Robben’s wife Bernadien in Germany. “We just hadn’t taken into account the corona measures and had ‘forgotten’ that we couldn’t just walk into a German gas station,” Fledderus laughed. “For example, we did not have mouth masks with us, but with a hoodie that I had in the car, we eventually succeeded.”

sport">Robben was surprised by the visit from Groningen and his conspiracy wife, but of course received the visit warmly. “We had a good, nice conversation, and then we came to the conclusion that I could still have the most value for the club on the field,” said Robben. “I thought about it for a week and then made the decision that I would do it.”

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