The Netherlands midfielder says the Bayern star is without a doubt among the five best players in the world
Hamburg skipper Rafael van der Vaart admits Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben will take some stopping when the two sides meet at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Van der Vaart has hailed his compatriot’s mental strength and feels his former Real Madrid team-mate is one of the best players in the world at present.
“Robben is a machine. We have to hope Arjen has a bad day on Saturday,” Van der Vaart was quoted as saying by TZ.
“Arjen is among the five best players in the world at the moment in my opinion.
“He has gone through difficult moments in the past, like when he missed the penalty against [Borussia] Dortmund in 2011-12, but he is incredibly strong mentally.
“We face one hell of a tough task to stop him.”
Robben has been a key figure for Bayern so far in 2014-15, netting 14 goals in 21 appearances in all competitions.
The attacker sits second in the Bundesliga goalscoring charts with 12 goals, trailing leader Alexander Meier by two.