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Real Madrid has to find a way to stop Robben's tricky move

Xinhua, April 11, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Champions League quarterfinal between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are likely to be decided by little details, and striker Arjen Robben is tipped to be the lethal weapon for Bayern Munich with his trademark "Robben Move".

While both teams are full of world class players, the Dutchman is expected to be the deciding factor in the two-legged clash of giants, with the first on coming Wednesday.

Robben's "trick" is well-known for both fans and defenders alike. Football journalists around the world even created a new definition of "world class" - opponents know what is about to happen but can't do anything to prevent it.

Robben, 33, has been playing football for decades. He developed his trademark move in his second year at Real Madrid in the 2008/2009 season. In his early years, the Dutchman played in the center and down the left flank. In a recent Xinhua interview, Robben spoke about former Real coach Juande Ramos who made the move possible by moving him to the right.

"As long as it works, it is fine," Robben told Xinhua.

The latest Robben move goals were presented in the Champions League game against Arsenal and in the German Bundesliga duel against Borussia Dortmund.

For Robben, the duel against Real is "the first important game" and he is hoping for "at least five more to come" - culminating in the final Cardiff, Wales on June 3. "It is that kind of a fifty-fifty-game, where everything has to work like clockwork," Robben said.

As many of his teammates are beyond their thirties, like next to him Philipp Lahm (33), Xabi Alonso (35) and Franck Ribery (34), and the average age of the 2016 German champions is 30.1 years, this season's Champions League campaign is regarded as their last chance to win a major trophy.

For the last three years, the club from south Germany has been defeated in the semifinal three times in a row. And Robben was out injured in two of them, which was seen as a reason why Bayern failed to reach the final.

And now Robben is fit and in top form, and home fans are crying for his tricks to help Bayern Munich to win something at last. Endit