Former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben has sent a message of thanks to Blues fans following his departure for Real Madrid this summer.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben finally left Chelsea for Real Madrid in the summer after months of speculation over his future.

The 23-year-old didn't come cheap and cost Real Madrid a massive £24.5million, coming to Chelsea for a mere £12.1million in 2004.

In his time with the club Robben made a total of 97 appearances, scoring 19 times, although throughout his Stamford Bridge career fans recognised that if the winger stayed fit, his figures would reflect his talent.

Nevertheless, Robben has today sent a message to Chelsea fans, thanking them for their support, a courteous gesture in today's self-indulgent football industry.

“It was difficult to leave because I had a great time in my three years at Chelsea and I think I made a lot of friends as well,” he told Chelsea TV.

“It was difficult because there was no time to say goodbye, because the deal was closed on Wednesday at ten o'clock in the evening and the following morning I had to fly so there was no time to say goodbye.

“If I have time I would want to come back and say goodbye to everybody because I think it is important. To the fans I owe a big thank you because they were always good to me, I always had great support off them and I had a good relationship with them as well.

“I want to thank them for all the great support they gave me, it must have been frustrating for them to see me injured so many times. But every time I came back I always got a great reception and a warm welcome, so I want to thank them very much and I really enjoyed playing in front of them every time.”