Alaba: Robben has earned his triumph

The 20-year-old believes his team-mate has earned his recent accolades for his hard work in improving all aspects of his game

Bayern Munich left-back David Alaba has praised team-mate Arjen Robben, insisting he deserves his recent accolades for his tremendous work-rate off the pitch.

Robben banished the ghost of last season's penalty miss against Chelsea by scoring the winner in Bayern's 2-1 Champions League final victory over Borussia Dortmund, and his Roten team-mate believes the Dutchman fully deserved his moment of redemption.

"Robben has earned it so much because he works tremendously hard on his game," Alaba told Kurier.
The 20-year-old, who started Bayern's victorious clash against Dortmund at Wembley last Saturday, believes his side fully deserved their triumph and is eager to add more silverware to his collection.

"In the second half we were clearly superior, and that is why we deserved to win the game," he stated. "I simply cannot believe we have won it.

"Being German champions or winning the Champions League are beautiful moments. I want to experience that again and win the DFB Cup on Saturday."

Alaba has enjoyed an excellent season at full-back for Bayern after recovering from a broken foot last summer, but he insists his long-term goal is to play a more advanced role for the European champions.

"I try to stay calm in this respect, but it is a goal of mine to become a central midfield regular in Bavaria," he added.