Robben overtakes Van Persie as he makes long-awaited Eredivisie return

Arjen Robben was given the nod to break a record set by Robin van Persie as he was named in Groningen’s team for their Eredivisie clash with PSV.

Former Netherlands star Robben announced his retirement from football in 2019 after leaving Bayern Munich.

However, in an attempt to help Groningen recover from the impact of COVID-19, the veteran winger confirmed he would be returning to the club where he began his career for the 2020-21 season.

On Sunday, the 36-year-old was named in Groningen’s XI for their first league match of the campaign, which saw him overtake his old Oranje team-mate Van Persie in the Eredivisie record books.

Arjen Robben gaat zijn officiële rentree maken voor FC Groningen!

Onze mannen zijn begonnen aan de warming-up…#gropsv pic.twitter.com/QLf0eaWl4C

— FC Groningen (@fcgroningen) September 13, 2020

Robben’s Eredivisie comeback, against another of his former teams, comes after an absence of 16 years and 155 days from the Dutch league.

Van Persie spent 13 years and 267 days away from the Eredivisie between his two spells at Feyenoord, which was previously the longest time between appearances in the competition.

Groningen finished ninth in the Eredivisie last season, with the campaign cut short due to coronavirus.