The Dutchman has expressed his delight following his winning goal for Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on Saturday night and said it is the happiest moment of his career
Arjen Robben is relieved that he will no longer be branded as a “loser” following his last-ditch Champions League winner in Bayern’s Munich’s 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund.
Saturday’s game was wrapped up in the 89th minute by the winger, who acutely finished after a darting dribble into the box, finishing off a game that had seen Mario Mandzukic put the Bavarians into the lead before Ilkay Gundogan’s equaliser from the penalty spot.
“It was a special feeling,” Robben told reporters afterwards “I didn’t want to be remembered in my career as a loser.
“It’s harsh to say but every time in second place is not what you want. It was so important to win the trophy this time. We needed to do it and we deserved to do it.
“[Being a Champions League winner] is difficult to describe in words. There are so many emotions going through your head. It’s such a special feeling. I have waited so long and it means so much for the club. For the last four years we have been in the final three times and now we have the trophy. It’s amazing.”
The game looked to be heading towards extra time before Robben sent the red half of Wembley into rapture with his goal 90 seconds before the clock ran out and he confessed the close-call surprised, but delighted him.
“I didn’t even know what time it was when I scored the goal,” the former Real Madrid attacker admitted. “It went in and then I looked up and I saw it said 89 minutes and I thought ‘wow, it can be the end’. It was a great feeling I can tell you.
“I don’t know how many times I have dreamed about doing that. We all felt this was the night that we were going to do it. There’s no doubt that this is the best night of my career. Absolutely.”
Pep Guardiola will take over from Jupp Heynckes as the Allianz Arena head coach on June 26, but Robben was keen to savour the moment and save looking to the future for a less celebratory night.
“We just want to enjoy this moment now,” he continued. “Other people can speak about the future but we just want to enjoy the next few hours. I think they are going to be special!”
Victory in the DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart next weekend will see the Bavarians complete an unprecedented German treble.