Budweiser Man of the Match: Arjen ROBBEN (NED)

16 June 2006

Arjen Robben was named Budweiser Man of the Match for his spirited attacking play in Netherlands' 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire on Friday, making him the second player to receive the honour twice at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™.

Robben ran tirelessly throughout the match, combining well with Ruud van Nistelrooij and Robin van Persie and becoming even more dangerous late in the match as the Ivorians began to tire. Robben's biggest contribution came in the 27th minute, when he played a wonderful reverse ball to send Van Nistelrooij in for Netherlands' second goal.

"Every time he has the ball, he is a threat for the opponent, he always creates fear," said FIFA Technical Study Group member Kim Chon Lim. "His pass for the second Dutch goal that Van Nistelrooij scored was just intuitive. He is definitely one of the key figures in the Dutch team."