Biography

Robin Van Persie is a striker that plays for the English Premier League side Arsenal. The Dutchman began his career at Excelsior Rotterdam but did not stay long. Quickly spotted by recruiters, he will move to Feyenoord at the age of 13 years and will progress through all the youth teams.

His technique and his vision of the game allow him to integrate the professional staff as from the 2001-2002 season. He will have a lot of playing time which is quite remarkable for a young player and he will participate in the UEFA Cup while playing 10 games in the league. The next season is a real confirmation of the talent of Robin Van Persie who will play 23 games and score eight goals while playing as a left winger. The Champions League will help him to get the attraction of the whole world and also establish himself as one of the best upcoming talent for the Netherlands.

The rise of Robin Van Persie is irresistible and he will score another 7 goals in 27 league games. Many of the big clubs will come running but it will be Arsenal that will have the final words. Indeed the English club will be looking to sign a replacement for the aging Dennis Bergkamp and will see in Robin Van Persie a capable replacement. He will immediately adapt at Arsenal and manages to find his place in the group that will finish the Premier League as not only champion but also unbeaten.

In 2005, Robin Van Persie will relish a victory in the Cup final against Manchester United and also make his national team debut with Holland in a match against Romania. He will demonstrate the progress that he has made in the Premier League and in the Champions League. Indeed he will form a formidable partnership with another great Arsenal striker, Thierry Henry.

With the departure of Henry, he will be the main Arsenal striker for the 2007-2008 season and he will rightly assume his role. He will indeed score seven goals in ten games but will be sidelined for two months because of injury. In this season he will play sporadically and will fail to make an impact because of recurring injuries.

In the 2008-2009 season he will have one of his most successful season with Arsenal scoring 20 goals in all competitions. 11 of those goals will be in the Premier League and will finish as Arsenal’s top scorer in this season.

He started the 2009-2010 season really well and will score goals against Olympiacos, Fulham, Blackburn, Birmingham City, West Ham United and Tottenham around the month of October. This will allow his to be named Barclays Player of the Month for October. However he will again be injured and this time it was with his national team. This will put him out for five months and he will only return for the last games of the season. He will score against Blackburn Rovers and Fulham for the Gunners.