There are those who just can’t resist the charm of the challenges, even after having concluded a professional career studded with incredible successes. It is the case of Arjen Robben, who at 39 managed to close an account with himself that he had since last year. The former Bayern Munich star completed the Rotterdam Marathon under three hours and thus achieving a goal that he had set for himself. The Dutch he crossed the line as after 2 hours 58 minutes and 33 seconds. “I’m really exhausted but I made it,” Robben said after completing the 42.195-kilometer race. For a sprinter like me, such a distance is very long. But I like sport and challenges”. The race was won by the Belgian Bashir Abdi in 2:03:47 hours.
Goal achieved on second attempt
Robben had previously tried to complete the same marathon in under three hours last year, but he didn’t succeed, crossing the finish line with a time of 3:13:40. “I’m not a top athlete anymore, but I can say: I think it’s class if you can run a marathon in under three hours.”Robben said. Robben ended his professional football career at his youth club, FC Groningen, in 2021. In his career he has played, among others, for Chelsea (winning two Premier Leagues), Real (winning a Liga) and especially with Bayern from 2009 to 2019, winning, among other things, one Champions League and eight Bundesliga titles.
