Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid might be our last chance to watch ‘Robbery’ together in Champions League

Since 2009, there’s been a force at Bayern Munich. Now, Bayern have long been a force in and of themselves just by being Bayern.

But once they made a certain signing, there was a force in their attack. When they signed Arjen Robben to join up with Franck Ribery, they created something that’s been truly special in the sport for nearly a decade now — they created “Robbery.”

Two of the best wingers in the world at the time that they were paired up, Ribery and Robben became a dynamic, fast-paced lethal attacking force that changed the game for Bayern in a big way. Together, Ribery and Robben have caused dozens of goalkeepers and hundreds of defenders to collectively panic as they try to keep them at bay. Ribery had already been doing well at Bayern for two years before Robben showed up, but as a collective pair, they brought out the best in each other and became more than the sum of their parts.

More than that, though, Ribery and Robben have helped bring massive amounts of success to Bayern Munich. Already the most successful club in Germany, Robben and Ribery have led Bayern to five more Bundesliga titles — with a firm-looking grasp on a sixth this season — four more DFB-Pokal cup wins, and Bayern’s first Champions League title since 2001. That’s an incredible amount of success that Ribery and Robben helped Bayern find, and they’re rightfully seen as legends at the club because of it.

Plus, and as fans of the game this is the most important part of all, watching Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery play is just so much fun.

Unfortunately, no one is immune to the ravages of time, even the oft-dubbed Robbery duo. Ribery just turned 34 years old earlier in February, and Robben turned 33 in January. More than that, they’ve both had significant injury issues in their careers, adding a lot of wear and tear on top of the many miles they’ve run together.

Simply put, both players aren’t just on the downward slopes of their respective careers — they’re nearing the end of them and are right on the edge of no longer being elite players.

But this season has been a moment of resurrection for both Robben and Ribery, with each aging star seeming to find one last reserve of energy and quality to draw from before that gasp of their careers begins. They’ve both already played more matches than they did a season ago, and with much better results — Robben has scored nine goals in the Bundesliga with five assists and has added three more goals in Champions League action.

Ribery has yet to score on the continent this season, and his four goals scored are well off his normal career pace. But he’s already put in nine assists in playing time that’s been more sporadic than Robben’s, albeit already nearly double what he played a year ago.

The resurgent quality of the lethal duo was on full display this past weekend when both Ribery and Robben started in Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. Both stalwart wingers scored in the 4-1 win for Bayern, with Ribery scoring the fourth-minute opening goal and then assisting on Robben’s dagger four minutes into the second half that made it 3-1 and put the match away.

It was a classic performance from both players, rampaging up and down the wings, cutting in and wreaking havoc all over the final third, and forcing Dortmund’s defense to do things they didn’t want to do to deal with them.

Maybe that match was their last ride as two of the best wingers on the planet. Maybe it wasn’t. This season is probably going to be the last time we see them together at this level, though, and the day that they’re no longer together and no longer as good as they are now is going to be a sad one.

We’ve gotten to enjoy seven years of one of the best duos of wingers that the game has ever seen — but maybe they’ve got one last big Champions League robbery left in them before they ride off into the sunset.