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Robben: For a footballer, this is the peak

"It's difficult to describe all the feelings [I] have at the moment," Arjen Robben told UEFA.com after his goal swung the final for FC Bayern München against Borussia Dortmund.

Robben: For a footballer, this is the peak
Robben: For a footballer, this is the peak ©UEFA.com

Man of the match Arjen Robben struggled to articulate his feelings after his late goal earned FC Bayern München their fifth European Champion Clubs' Cup triumph on Saturday. Robben's winner came as welcome redemption for the Dutch international, who missed a spot kick in extra time during last season's showpiece before Chelsea FC prevailed on penalties. Meanwhile, Franck Ribéry was relieved to finally get his hands on the trophy and Javi Martínez was left to reflect on an extraordinary first season in Munich.

Arjen Robben, Bayern forward
Unbelievable, [I'm] so happy. I think it's difficult to describe all the feelings [I] have at the moment, but I am very proud, proud to be part of this team. And yes, to finally win this Champions League, that's a dream come true. You can't describe it – so many emotions go through your head, especially because you know what it is like to lose. I think you can enjoy it even more when you win the title.

This is the perfect season, and we can finish it off next week. If we win the cup final, then [we] win the treble, and I think that's our target. But I think for everybody tonight was the most important one, and I think now we can celebrate.

It's a team sport and we do everything as a team, but for a footballer this is the peak, the greatest you can achieve. The whistle from the referee and you know that you're the Champions League winner – for a lot of us at Bayern, that's the only thing missing from our lives. After the disappointment of last year, and to a [lesser extent] 2010, and the World Cup for me – that's three finals and you don't want the stamp of a loser. At last we did it today, and we can forget about the other things a bit. It was a sense of 'finally'.

I always feel responsibility when I play football, but it's a team sport. We reached the final because we're a real team; we fight for each other, we run for each other. Defensively, we've been unbelievably strong this season and we have players who can make a difference. Tonight I scored the goal, but it's only thanks to the whole team. I'm proud to be part of this team.

Franck Ribéry with the trophy
Franck Ribéry with the trophy©Getty Images

Franck Ribéry, Bayern forward
There are so many words. We are very happy, very satisfied to have won this trophy, because we have waited for so long. We are very happy. It was very difficult in the first 30 minutes. Games against Dortmund are always difficult because they are a very good team. We are very happy. We believed, we didn't give up, and we deserve this trophy. For the future, yes [Bayern could dominate]. We must keep doing that.

Javi Martínez, Bayern midfielder
We can't really ask for more in my first year [at Bayern]. It's incredible, and we travel back with this gold medal. But now we have to focus on the German Cup final. You can think about it, but it's really very difficult. You dream of something like this in your wildest dreams; it's just incredible. When we have played the next final, then we can finally relax. We will continue with training next week, and then we have another final to play, so we have to get prepared for that.

We are now the best team in Europe, and we hope we can continue with this run in the coming years.