Robben going for glory

Football owes Arjen Robben a break. Or several. Luck has evaded the dangerman in the most decisive moments of his career. He could have been the man who gave Holland a World Cup win, or the player who scored the goal to clinch Bayern its fifth Champions League title, but Casillas, Cech and bad luck all conspired against him. The Dutch footballer is this Saturday once again facing a big tournament final and, as always, will be one of the players to watch.

Robben has lost a World Cup final and two Champions League finals in the past three years, taking a central role in two of them, but for the wrong reasons. In the summer of 2010, in South Africa, Holland was playing Spain for the World Cup. With a 0-0 score in the second half, Robben went head to head with Casillas. The shot he hooked in with the inside of his left foot looked set to hit its mark, but the Spanish keeper's foot made the save and denied him the glory.