Robin van Persie (Part 1)

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2 Apr 2024

Robin van Persie (Part 1)

Robin van Persie, born on August 6, 1983, is a Dutch football coach and former professional player renowned for his role as a striker. His skill set included exceptional technique, ball control, intelligent positioning, and vision, earning him recognition as one of the premier strikers of his generation. Van Persie holds the distinction of being the all-time leading goal scorer for the Netherlands national team. Currently, he serves as an assistant manager at his childhood club Feyenoord, marking his debut in a managerial role.
Van Persie initiated his career as a winger, making his senior debut for Feyenoord during the 2001–02 season, which concluded with a triumph in the 2002 UEFA Cup final. Additionally, he was honored as the Dutch Football Talent of the Year. Following a five-year tenure with Feyenoord, Van Persie's relationship with manager Bert van Marwijk deteriorated, leading him to join English club Arsenal in 2004, envisioned as a long-term successor to fellow Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp.

Under the tutelage of manager Arsene Wenger, Van Persie underwent a positional transition to become a prolific striker for Arsenal, achieving a club-record of 35 goals in 2011. He also assumed the captaincy for the 2011–12 season before transferring to Manchester United in July 2012. In his debut campaign with United, he secured the Premier League title and claimed his second consecutive Premier League Golden Boot.
However, injuries marred Van Persie's subsequent seasons at Manchester United, resulting in diminished playing time and a subsequent transfer to Fenerbahçe in July 2015. His stint in Turkey saw initial success, although it was curtailed by injuries in the ensuing seasons. In January 2018, both the player and the club mutually agreed to a buyout, following which Van Persie rejoined Feyenoord on a free transfer. By the season's conclusion, he contributed to Feyenoord's victory in the Dutch Cup, marking his first trophy since the 2013 FA Community Shield.

Internationally, Van Persie represented the Netherlands at various youth levels before earning his senior debut in 2005 against Romania. He netted his maiden senior international goal in a match against Finland later that year. Over the course of his international career, Van Persie amassed over 100 caps and scored 50 goals for the Netherlands. He served as the team's captain from 2013 to 2015 and participated in multiple FIFA World Cups and UEFA European Championships, including reaching the final in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and finishing third in the 2014 edition.

Born and raised in Rotterdam, Robin van Persie began his football journey at the age of five, joining the youth squad of local club SBV Excelsior. However, his time at Excelsior was short-lived due to conflicts with the coaching staff over his perceived "petulant" attitude. At the age of 16, Van Persie made the switch to Feyenoord, another Rotterdam-based club.
Van Persie quickly rose through the ranks at Feyenoord, propelled by an injury crisis that saw him promoted to the first team at a young age. He made his debut for Feyenoord at just 17 years old and went on to start in 15 matches during the 2001–02 season. His breakthrough performance came in the UEFA Cup final, where Feyenoord emerged victorious. Van Persie's promising talent was duly recognized when he received the KNVB Best Young Talent award.

In the subsequent season, Van Persie signed a professional contract with Feyenoord and showcased his goal-scoring prowess by netting five goals in a single match against AGOVV Apeldoorn in the KNVB Cup. However, clashes with manager Bert van Marwijk led to Van Persie being demoted to the reserve squad. Moreover, he was involved in a disturbing incident when he and several other Feyenoord players were assaulted by hooligans during a match against Ajax reserves.
The strained relationship between Van Persie and Van Marwijk worsened, resulting in the former being sent home on the eve of the 2002 UEFA Super Cup final against Real Madrid. Despite the challenges, Van Persie concluded his first full season with the first team with eight goals in 28 appearances, finishing as the runner-up in the KNVB Cup.

However, tensions continued to escalate, leading Feyenoord to attempt to extend Van Persie's contract without success. As a result, he spent much of the 2003–04 season on the bench. Feyenoord's efforts to offload him faced obstacles due to his disciplinary issues. Eventually, negotiations with Arsenal began during the January transfer window, although no agreement was reached at that time.

Robin van Persie completed a move to Arsenal, signing a four-year contract for a fee of £2.75 million, a figure negotiated down from Feyenoord's initial asking price of £5 million. Arsenal's manager at the time, Arsene Wenger, had ambitious plans to convert Van Persie from a left winger to a central forward, similar to the successful transition he had orchestrated for Thierry Henry.
Van Persie's versatility was highlighted by Wenger, who envisioned him playing on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers, or as a target man. His arrival at Arsenal coincided with the signing of Spanish forward José Antonio Reyes in January, setting up a competition between the two for playing time.

Making his debut for Arsenal in the 2004 FA Community Shield against Manchester United, Van Persie came on as a substitute and contributed to the team's 3–1 victory. Despite spending a significant amount of time on the bench in the early stages of the 2004–05 season, he made an impact when given the opportunity, scoring his first goal for Arsenal in a League Cup win over Manchester City.
However, Van Persie's promising start was marred by a red card in a league match against Southampton in February 2005, following a reckless challenge on Graeme Le Saux. Wenger publicly criticized Van Persie's conduct, leading to a period of benching for the young player. He returned to the starting lineup in the absence of Thierry Henry, scoring crucial goals in the FA Cup semi final against Blackburn Rovers and converting a penalty in the final shootout victory over Manchester United. Despite disruptions due to injury towards the end of the season, Van Persie finished his debut campaign at Arsenal with ten goals in 41 appearances across all competitions.

Robin van Persie's impressive performances at the beginning of the 2005–06 season led to him being named the Premier League Player of the Month for November 2005, having scored eight goals in eight starts. His contributions were duly recognized by Arsenal, and on 4 January, he signed a lucrative five-year contract extension, committing his future to the club until 2011.
However, Van Persie's fortunes took a turn for the worse just two days after signing his contract extension. During an FA Cup match against Cardiff, he suffered a broken toe when an opponent stepped on his foot. Despite the injury, Van Persie continued to play in the next three matches, with a hole cut into his shoe to alleviate the pain. Eventually, he was rested for Arsenal's Premier League fixture against West Ham United on 1 February.