Arjen Robben’s comeback lasted 28 minutes as he was injured during Groningen’s 3-1 home defeat by PSV Eindhoven on the opening weekend of the Eredivisie season.
The 36-year-old Netherlands winger quit football in July 2019 after a hugely successful career, but came back this summer to rejoin the club where he started.
He was welcomed back by 6,049 excited fans for his first start since 2018, but pulled up with a first-half injury and had to be replaced.
Robben, who won 96 caps, won league titles with PSV, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – as well as the 2013 Champions League with the German club.
He made 19 appearances in an injury-hit 2018-19 with Bayern – with his last game coming as a substitute in their 3-0 German Cup final win over RB Leipzig – before announcing his retirement.
But this summer Groningen persuaded him to come back after showing him a montage of basketball legend Michael Jordan, who won three more NBA titles after coming out of retirement.
