Arjen Robben joined Chelsea in the summer of 2004 after being so close to signing for Manchester United.
The talented winger, who is now at Bayern Munich, claims he has no regrets over his decision.
“I sensed there was some disappointment when Bayern were drawn to play United, but I can see good omens for me in this game,” said Robben. “My memories of matches against United are all good because I always used to do well against them during my time with Chelsea and there are a couple of obvious reasons for this. First of all, I get fired up for the big games and every match against United is in that category. Also, they have always an open style of play that suits me as they give you a chance to play if you have the ability and confidence to attack them. This team have always had great players and generally win matches because they have more ability than their opponents and they are not a team who like to come and shut an opponent down, so I like this style of game. It is open and gives me some space. My motivation has nothing to do with the fact that United tried to sign me once as I have great respect for Sir Alex, but I am happy with the choice I made. I won lots of trophies and had great times with Chelsea, so I see a game against this opponent as an exciting challenge, not one to be frightened by. When I play, it’s always been according to my intuition and, since I have been at Bayern, it has not let me down.”
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The Story of Robben, United and Chelsea
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