Chukwueze: How Arjen Robben’s style influenced my game
Nigeria and Villareal winger Samuel Chukwueze has revealed how watching Dutch legend Arjen Robben play has influenced his game.
Like Robben, Chukwueze plays with the left foot and has admitted to learning some qualities possessed by the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich star.
In a detailed interview with El Pais, the 24-year old said “What I learned from Robben is that even though all the defenders knew what he was going to do, whenever he received the ball, he went inside.”
“He hooked to his left and fired. It was fantastic. So fast! The defenders thought, ‘I know what he does, but maybe not today.’ And he did it again! Defences have blood in their veins too, they feel the need to move, and that leads them to deception,” the winger explained.
This season, the Super Eagle has been more prolific in front of goal, a unique feature of now retired Arjen Robben.
In one of his best games of the season, Chukwueze mesmerized Real Madrid defenders to score a brace on a ground Robben once flourished on – the Santiago Bernabeu .
The Villareal winger also spoke about his future at the Spanish Club this summer. For him, speculations linking him with a move away from the club was just “noise”.