The Bayern Munich legend may have flown under the radar, but he bows out of the game as one of the best
July 4 is known as Independence Day in America and for Arjen Robben in 2019 the date marked the perfect time to announce his split from the beautiful game.
After playing over 500 matches for club and country, the Dutch winger has decided the time is right to fly away into retirement at the age of 35.
And with a trophy haul that includes league titles across England, Germany, Netherlands and Spain - who can blame him?
While Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have battled it out publicly over the past decade for the crown of world's best, Robben has operated eloquently in the shadows with his impressive achievements that show he is more than deserving of a place alongside this generation's greatest.
Inevitably wherever the Dutchman has gone in his career, success has always followed.
Starting out in the Eredivisie with Groningen in 2000 as a 16-year-old, Robben ended his first season with the club as their player of the year.
Sealing a move to PSV two years later, he hit the ground running, scoring 12 goals from 33 matches to taste league success for the first of what would be many times.
After attracting interest from Manchester United, the pacey attacker moved to Chelsea in 2004 and despite a number of injuries, still managed to strike seven times as the Blues picked up the Premier League title - something they'd also replicate the following season.
Robben's three years in England ended with him claiming two league titles, two League Cups, one FA Cup and one FA Community Shield - a haul any foreign player today could only dream of.
Real Madrid was the winger's next stop where he once again experienced immediate success as he ended his first season in Spain with a La Liga title.
Only one more campaign in Madrid would follow for Robben however with the arrival of Ronaldo among others leaving the Dutchman on the outer.
"It was not just Ronaldo. Perez returned as the club's president. He then bought Ronaldo but also Kaka, Benzema and Xabi Alonso," Robben told Goal in May.
"Real spent so much money and we were told that they needed to make a bit of money back on outgoing transfers."