Robbie Thomas Kruse (/ˈkruːs/ KROOSS; German: ; born 5 October 1988) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a forward for VfL Bochum and the Australian national team. He played his junior football with Albany Creek in the Pine Rivers district to the near north of Brisbane and began his professional career with A-League side Brisbane Roar and later Melbourne Victory before moving to Germany in 2011.
Recruited in 2006 by Miron Bleiberg, Kruse was injured during an otherwise successful A-League pre-season during training. He scored on his debut against Wellington Phoenix on 5 October 2007, his nineteenth birthday, with what was to be the winning goal for that game.
On 19 October 2007, Kruse struck against the Newcastle Jets for his second goal of his A-League career. On 16 November, he got his third with an excellent curling effort to the far post as Brisbane beat Melbourne 1–0.