By Stefan Coerts
Arjen Robben may be widely regarded today as one of the greatest players on the planet, but just over two years ago the Dutchman's career was at an all-time low.
At the start of April in 2012, Bayern Munich were in the running to achieve a historic treble as they prepared for a final assault on the Bundesliga, DFB-LigaPokal and Champions League. They ended up finishing that season empty-handed after a disastrous end to the campaign - and the scapegoat for this failure was Robben.
The winger missed a crucial penalty in the Bundesliga defeat to Borussia Dortmund to effectively hand BVB the title. He then failed from 12 yards again in extra time of the Champions League final against Chelsea as Bayern were eventually defeated on home soil after spot-kicks.
When Robben took part in a friendly game between Bayern and Netherlands at the Allianz Arena a few days later, he was booed and jeered every time he touched the ball. A summer transfer away from Bavaria seemed inevitable.
But the former PSV, Chelsea and Real Madrid star refused to give in and was determined to win back the Bayern fans. He did just that the following season, proving instrumental as Bayern eventually romped to the treble.
In total, in the last two seasons, he has won consecutive Bundesliga titles, two DFB Pokals, the Uefa Super Cup, the Fifa Club World Cup and the Champions League - with the Dutchman netting the winner in the final victory over Dortmund at Wembley.
“What happened to me is part of football. The most important thing is that you keep believing in yourself and stay positive. I know that's easy to say in hindsight, but that's the way it is,” the Dutchman tellsGoal.
“You always have to fight and work hard. It was a very frustrating season [in 2011-12], but life goes on and we all saw that we achieved some great things after that season.
“I don't think the whole experience changed me, at least not as a person. The football world can be very opportunistic. When you're on a good run and win titles, everything is great again all of a sudden.”
Bayern stood by the Dutchman during the difficult times, and club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge insists that they have a very strong relationship with the 30-year-old.
“What happened in that friendly really annoyed the club," Rummenigge tells Goal.
"We never left him out in the dark, though, and always supported him. This is part of what Bayern are about. We all support each other. We have always had a good relationship with Arjen, but that incident only further strengthened it."
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