Arjen Robben’s entry into his former home of the Santiago Bernabeu on May 22nd will remind Madridistas of what could have been. He became one of the casualties in Florentino Perez’s abuse of power when the Real chairman assembled his second version of extravagantly priced global stars.
Robben’s return to his old abode is also a moment of vindication because if impact could be measured then he just rubbed the collective noses of all that star power in some serious hog dropping.
His goal against Man Utd in the CL quarter-finals, is just one reason alone why his first season at Bayern is so much more momentous than Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, and Karim Benzema in theirs at Real. And there are many more. His knack for big goals seem effortless when compared to the contrived efforts of Ronaldo. And his protean creativity was Kaka’s trademark not so long ago. The Brazilian has been a whisper of himself in his new club.
And it could well be Wesley Sneijder returning to his old stomping grounds, if Inter get to the final. Another Dutchman who in his first season stamped his imprint inextricably on a team held back for a long time without a creative playmaker of calibre. At Real however, Sneijder was overlooked by the autocratic Jorge Valdano.
“They have treated me very badly but I prefer not to talk about it. I’m going to give everything there (Inter). Life and football move on.”
Sweet comebacks for a pair of players who were swept away in that mindless, gluttonous deluge.