Profile RVP

Personal information

Full name : Robin van Persie

Date of birth : 6 August 1983

Place of birth : Rotterdam, Netherlands

Height : 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)

Playing position : Striker

Current club : Arsenal

Number : 10

Youth career :

Excelsior

Feyenoord

Senior career :

Feyenoord

Arsenal

National team :

Netherlands

Club career Feyenoord Van Persie joined Dutch side SBV Excelsior's youth squad at the age of 4, but left at the age of 16 due to conflicts with the coaching staff and signed for Feyenoord. He was quickly promoted into the first team due to injury problems among the squad, and made his debut for the club at seventeen, which was the first of 15 total starts. He received the KNVB Best Young Talent award at the end of the 2001–02 season. He signed a professional three-and-a-half year deal with Feyenoord at the start of the next season, and scored five goals in a 6–1 Amstel Cup thrashing of AGOVV on 6 February 2003.However, clashes with manager Bert van Marwijk saw Van Persie demoted to the reserve squad, and an irate Van Marwijk told reporters, "His behaviour made it impossible for him to remain in the squad any longer so he will join the reserve side for the time being." During a match featuring the Feyenoord and Ajax reserves, he was one of several Feyenoord players assaulted by hooligans who had invaded the pitch. Van Persie's rift with Van Marwijk continued when he was sent home on the eve of the 2002 UEFA Super Cup final against Real Madrid after the coach was reportedly displeased with Van Persie's body language upon his being asked to warm up for a recent league game.[3] Van Persie finished his tumultuous debut season on the first team, making a total of 28 appearances and scoring eight goals, in addition to finishing runner-up in the KNVB Cup. Feyenoord unsuccessfully attempted to extend Van Persie's contract during the offseason, and his deteriorating relationship with Van Marwijk led to his spending most of 2003–04 on the bench. He again played 28 matches, but finished with two fewer goals than the previous season. Feyenoord shopped him at the end of the campaign but found few takers due to Van Persie's past disciplinary issues. During the January transfer window, the Eredivisie club opened negotiations with Arsenal, who were seeking a long-term replacement for aging veteran Dennis Bergkamp. Both parties could not agree to terms, and five months later, a deal was finalized and Van Persie was sold to Arsenal for £2.75 million, just over half of Feyenoord's original asking price of £5 million. Arsenal On 17 May 2004, Van Persie signed a four-year deal with Arsenal.[9] Manager Arsène Wenger, who planned to convert Van Persie from a left winger to a center forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry

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Robin van Persie

Van Persie with Arsenal
Personal information
Full name	Robin van Persie[1]
Date of birth	6 August 1983 (age 27)[1]
Place of birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) [2]
Playing position	Striker/Second striker
Club information
Current club	Arsenal
Number	10
Youth career
1998–1999	Excelsior
1999–2001	Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2004	Feyenoord	59	(15)
2004–	Arsenal	147	(59)
National team‡
2004–	Netherlands	53	(20)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 02:41, 20 March 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 02:41, 20 March 2011 (UTC)

Van Persie Vroommmmmmm

Arsenal Doing Better

• 
  

Robin van Persie says he does not like it when players constantly talk to the referee to influence decisions. Photograph: Alex Morton/Action Images

Robin van Persie is confident Arsenal can finish the season as thePremier League champions but he feels the club have proved a point to their "big mouth" rivals, Manchester City and Chelsea.

"I still strongly believe in my club's philosophy," Van Persie said. "A club like Manchester City change their philosophy every year and Chelsea spent about €80m this season ... two clubs who had a big mouth before the season, thinking that Arsenal wouldn't play a role in the title race but we are still ahead of them. And just by playing our own game, through our own philosophy."

Arsenal's philosophy of living within their means has conflicted with the approach at City and Chelsea, where big-money outlays in the transfer market have accelerated progress. Chelsea spent £71m in January on Fernando Torres and David Luiz to signal their intent to compete over the second half of the season and return stronger in 2011-12.

Yet Van Persie's distaste with Chelsea runs deeper. The striker collected a second yellow card in the second leg of Arsenal's Champions League last-16 defeat to Barcelona for shooting after the whistle had gone and he accused the Spanish team's players of putting unfair pressure on the referee Massimo Busacca. It is a tactic that he has come to associate with Chelsea.

"What frustrated me very much," Van Persie said, "was that the Barcelona players were trying to influence the referee from the first minute. They were talking and complaining all the time, without being punished. I don't like that kind of acting. It has nothing to do with fair play. The referee was clearly influenced by that. He lost the plot completely.

"Of course, every team tries to take some advantage by talking to the referee at crucial moments in the game ... you have to be smart in some way. But not all the time, over and over again. In England, Chelsea have the same kind of behaviour towards the referee. They talk and they talk. Over and over. On every decision. It's getting annoying sometimes."

Arsenal are under intense pressure to win the title to end a six-year wait for silverware, after losing in each of the three cup competitions that they were involved in over the past month or so. Samir Nasri, the Arsenal midfielder, said recently that it was "now or never" for his club to win the championship while Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham Hotspur manager, said that Arsenal were "the only team with a clear run at it ... you'd have to think they've got the best chance they're ever going to have".

It feels as if despite their free-flowing football, Arsenal will be judged at the end of May on whether they have ended the trophy drought. They remain in control of their title-winning destiny and would overhaul Manchester United to be crowned as champions if they could win their remaining nine matches, which includes a trip to Tottenham and the game with United at the Emirates Stadium.

Van Persie, will not allow the background noise, the burning desire or the near misses to blur his focus. "Winning trophies is a big thing for me," he said. "It is very frustrating but it's not in my head all the time. It might influence other players but, for me, it's not an obsession. I did win prizes in my career, I know how to do it. It's about keeping focus, about just playing your game. If you keep playing your game, you'll get rewarded some time.

"The Carling Cup final [defeat to Birmingham City] was really frustrating and it did influence our game in the weeks after. The game was bizarre ... it really showed that every game has its own story. But I still strongly believe in our title chances. We have a great team, with great focus. Everyone within the club is really positive about our chances."

Robin van Persie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

He signed a professional three-and-a-half year contract with Feyenoord in the following season, and scored five goals in a 6–1 Amstel Cup thrashing of AGOVV on 6 February 2003.^[35]However, clashes with manager Bert van Marwijk saw van Persie demoted to the reserve squad, and an irate van Marwijk told reporters, "His behaviour made it impossible for him to remain in the squad any longer so he will join the reserve side for the time being."^[36] During a match featuring the Feyenoord and Ajax reserves, he was one of several Feyenoord players assaulted by hooligans who had invaded the pitch.^[34][edit]

Early life

Van Persie was raised in the Kralingen section of east Rotterdam. His mother, José Ras, was a painter, and his father, Bob, a sculptor.^[32] He has two sisters, Lilly and Kiki.^[33] He was frequently encouraged to become involved in the arts like his parents, but he gravitated towards football instead.^[16] Before choosing his career as a professional footballer van Persie discovered that he was good at other sports such as Table Tennis and Darts.^[16]

[edit]

Club career

[edit]

Feyenoord

Van Persie joined Dutch side SBV Excelsior's youth squad at the age of four, but left at the age of 16 due to the relationship with the coaching staff and thus signed for Feyenoord.^[34] He was quickly promoted into the first team due to injury problems among the squad, and made his debut for the club at 17, which was the first of 15 total starts. He received the KNVB Best Young Talent award at the end of the 2001–02 season.

Van Persie's rift with van Marwijk continued when he was sent home on the eve of the 2002 UEFA Super Cup final against Real Madrid after the coach was displeased with van Persie's body language after being asked to warm up for a Champions League qualifier.^[32] Van Persie finished his tumultuous debut season on the first team, making a total of 28 appearances and scoring eight goals, in addition to finishing runner-up in the KNVB Cup.

'I don't see things the way my parents do,' he says. 'They can look at a tree and see something amazing, whereas I just see a tree. That's not to say I don't appreciate its beauty. When I watch the sea in somewhere like Sardinia, I see the beauty in that. 'But I think there is a creative connection with my parents. It's hard to explain in words, hard to put my finger on it. But I think football is where my creativity comes out.

Robin van Persie^[16]

Feyenoord unsuccessfully attempted to extend van Persie's contract during the offseason, and his deteriorating relationship with van Marwijk led to his spending most of 2003–04 on the bench. He again played 28 matches, but finished with two fewer goals than the previous season. Feyenoord shopped him at the end of the campaign but found few takers due to van Persie's past disciplinary issues. During the January transfer window, the Eredivisie club opened negotiations with Arsenal, who were seeking a long-term replacement for aging veteran Dennis Bergkamp. Both parties could not agree to terms, and five months later, a deal was finalized and van Persie was sold to Arsenal for £2.75 million, just over half of Feyenoord's original asking price of £5 million.^[34][37]

[edit]

Arsenal

[edit]

2004–05

On 17 May 2004, van Persie signed a four-year deal with Arsenal.^[38] Manager Arsène Wenger, who planned to convert van Persie from a left winger to a center forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry,^[39] said of his new acquisition, "He can play on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers or as a target man."^[5] Arsenal had further padded their stable of strikers in January by signing Spanish forward José Antonio Reyes,^[40] leaving the two to battle for playing time. Van Persie made his debut and won a trophy in the process, as he came on as a substitute in the 3–1 FA Community Shield victory over Manchester United on 8 August 2004. Van Persie spent most of his time on the bench during earlier parts of the 2004–05 season, and made his competitive debut on 27 October by scoring Arsenal's opening goal in a 2–1 League Cup win over Manchester City. He was sent off for the first time, however, in an Arsenal uniform on 26 February during a 1–1 road draw with Southampton, following a lunge at left back Graeme Le Saux, for which Wenger was seen yelling an obscenity at van Persie from the sidelines. He then later lambasted his charge in the press. "I do not support van Persie today, but he did not look out of control at half-time.

It was the goal of a lifetime. He's played for a long time and I'm not sure he's scored one like that. (Quote made regarding van Persie's goal againstCharlton Athletic in the 2006–07 Premier League)

Arsène Wenger^[41]

When the referee has sent off a home player, he is under pressure, so, if any player had to behave, it was him." Meanwhile, Telegraph sportswriter Clive White described van Persie in his match report as "21 going on nine."^[42]

Van Persie was consequently benched for a number of games, starting with Arsenal's upcoming FA Cup replay against Sheffield United,^[43] and he was reintroduced into the squad only after Henry was out with a calf injury, and his return to the first team saw him score twice in a FA Cup semi-final win over Blackburn Rovers. The rest of van Persie's season was cut short by injury, and he finished with ten goals in 41 appearances in all competitions.^[44]

[edit]

2005–06

Van Persie withThierry Henry

Van Persie's good form at the start of the 2005–06 season earned him the Player of the Month award for November 2005 after eight goals in eight starts,^[39] and he was rewarded with a five-year contract extension until 2011 on 4 January.^[45] Two days after signing the contract, however, van Persie was again hit by injury when an opponent stepped on his foot and broke his toe during an FA Cup match against Cardiff.^[46]

Van Persie played the next three matches with a hole cut into his shoe to alleviate the pain until he was finally rested for Arsenal's Premier League match against West Ham United on 1 February.^[32] He was an unused substitute in Arsenal's first Champions League final appearance, a 2–1 loss to FC Barcelona.^[47]

[edit]

2006–07

Van Persie andChelsea striker Didier Drogba in 2008

The beginning of the 2006–07 season included an airborne volley against Charlton Athletic that Wenger called "the goal of a lifetime"^[48]and was later named BBC Sport's Goal of the Month for September,^[49] and he capped off the calendar year by being named the 2006Rotterdam Sportsman of the Year. His season, however, ended early for the second time in his career on 21 January, when he fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot while celebrating his late equalizer in a match against Manchester United.^[50] Although van Persie was injured for a large part of the season he still managed to finish as Arsenal's top goalscorer with 13 goals in all competitions.

[edit]

2007–08

After Henry departed for Barcelona prior to the 2007–08 season, van Persie assumed the role as Arsenal's main striker. Following a streak of seven goals in ten regular-season games, van Persie was sidelined for two months with a knee injury suffered on international duty.^[51] He made his comeback in Arsenal's Champions League group stage win over Steaua Bucureşti on 12 December and made his Premier League return in the win against Chelsea over the weekend. He picked up, however, a recurrent injury that kept him sidelined until January when he played 45 minutes in a League Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur. He was withdrawn at half-time following another injury scare and featured sporadically throughout the rest of the campaign.Cite error: Closing </ref>missing for <ref> tag; see the help page On 29 October, he scored his fiftieth career Arsenal goal in a 4–4 home draw with North London derby rivals Tottenham, but was hit with his first red card of the season on 1 November after knocking down goalkeeper Thomas Sørensen with a shoulder charge in a 2–1 loss to Stoke City. Sørensen later admitted to "teasing" van Persie in an attempt to provoke a reaction.^[52] On 30 November, he scored a brace against Chelsea to help Arsenal come from behind and pick up a 2–1 victory.^[53] On 21 December 2008, he scored a spectacular goal against Liverpool, which became his second-career BBC Goal of the Month.^[54] With captain Cesc Fàbregas injured and regular stand-in skipper Manuel Almunia rested, van Persie captained Arsenal for the first time on 3 January 2009 for the club's 3–1 third-round FA Cup victory over Plymouth Argyle.^[55] Van Persie scored Arsenal's first and third goals, while the second was a result of his cross being deflected into the net by a Plymouth player for an own goal.^[56] In January 2009, every Arsenal goal that month was either scored or assisted by van Persie, which earned him the club's Player of the Month award.^[57] His most inspirational display being against Hull City, where he struck the post with a freekick, and provided three assists to his teammates; he later received the Man of the Match award. On 24 February, van Persie scored a crucial penalty that earned Arsenal a 1–0 win over Roma in the Champions League Round of 16 encounter, after he was fouled by defender Philippe Mexès.^[58] He followed it up with a fifth Champions League goal by converting another penalty against Villarreal in a 3–0 victory. On the final day of the Premier League, van Persie scored a brace against Stoke City, which guaranteed him for the second time in his career as Arsenal's top scorer. He had his best season overall for Arsenal as he scored 11 Premier League goals, along with a league-leading 11 assists and a career-best of 20 goals in all competitions. Van Persie was named the 2008–09 Arsenal.com Player of the Season.^[59]

"Robin van Persie's such an amazing footballer. He hardly needs any space or time to become dangerous

Bert van Marwijk^[60]

[edit]

2009–10

With only one year remaining of his contract, van Persie was in negotiations with Arsenal about an extension for several months in 2009. Finally, it was announced in July that he had signed a new long-term contract with his club, stating, "My heart is with Arsenal and I just can't picture myself in a different shirt."^[61] The departure of Emmanuel Adebayor also meant that the Dutchman was now the main striker in Wenger's 4–3–3 system. Van Persie started the 2009–10 season with two assists in the first match against Everton, which led to a 6–1 victory. As one of the first choice penalty and corner takers, he has set up many of Arsenal's goals, including Thomas Vermaelen's debut goal against Everton. He scored his first goal of the season in the 4–2 loss at Eastlands to Manchester City, where he later had his head stomped on by former teammate Adebayor (an act which the referee failed to notice, but the FA later charged Adebayor with violent conduct and served him with a three-game suspension).^[62] He then scored goals against Olympiacos, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City,West Ham United, and Tottenham. Van Persie's excellent form in October did not go unrecognised as he was named Barclays Player of the Month for October, his second such award.^[63] On 14 November, however, he injured his ankle in an international friendly and was initially expected to be out for six weeks,^[64] but further tests showed that he would be out for five months. Van Persie made his return on 14 April, in a 2–1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. He then scored a header against Blackburn Rovers in the 2–1 defeat, and a goal assisted byTheo Walcott in the 4–0 win over Fulham in the last league game of 2009–10 season.

[edit]

2010–11

Van Persie in training with Gunners

Before the start of the 2010–11 season, van Persie changed his squad number to 10, previously worn by Arsenal and Netherlands legendDennis Bergkamp. He made his 200th appearance on 28 August^[65] but an ankle injury suffered in the same game placed him on the sidelines once again. He returned as a substitute for Arsenal's 0–1 defeat to Newcastle United on 7 November. On 1 January 2011, van Persie scored his first goal of the 2010–11 season in a 3-0 away win over Birmingham City from a deflected free-kick.^[66] On 15 January, Van Persie added two more goals to his tally in a comfortable 3–0 win over West Ham, his 50th and 51st in the Premier League. This made him only the fourth Dutchman to reach 50 goals in England's top division.^[15] Van Persie continued his goal-scoring return by scoring a header against Leeds United in a FA Cup match to help Arsenal qualify for the fourth round.^[67] Van Persie scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 22 January^[68] and two goals against Newcastle United in a 4-4 draw on 5 February.^[69] Continuing his fine form, he hit a brace the following week against Wolverhampton Wanderers scoring both Arsenal goals in a 2-0 win including a volley from inside the box.^[70] The ten goals he scored between 1 January and 12 February set a new Premier League record for most goals scored in the first two months of a calendar year.^{[citation needed]} Van Persie set the Emirates alight with a goal from a tight angle in Arsenal's fightback against Barcelona in theChampions League Round of 16 which ended 2-1 in favour of the Gunners.^[71] On 27 February 2011, Van Persie captained Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in the League Cup final, scoring the first half equalizer for the Gunners. It was his first goal at Wembley and his first in a cup final for Arsenal. However, he was later taken off in the second half with a knee injury he picked up while scoring the goal. On 1 March 2011 he was ruled out for 3 weeks which would see him miss the Champions League return leg with Barcelona. However, he recovered in time for the return leg at Camp Nou. During the game, he received a yellow card in the first half for a foul. In the second half, he was sent off after he received a second yellow card when the referee,Massimo Busacca, deemed him to be time-wasting by taking a shot at goal after the whistle was blown (one second earlier) for offside. Barcelona went on to score twice more and advanced to the quarter finals on a 4–3 aggregate result. Afterwards, Van Persie described the Busacca's decision as a "total joke", claiming that with the noise of the 95,000-strong crowd he could not hear the whistle. On 19th March 2011, he scored the equalizing goal in a 2-2 against West Bromich Albion at The Hawthorns. The match finished 2-2 with Arsenal still five points behind the current leaders, Manchester United.

[edit]

International career

[edit]Van Persie was a U-21 international and took part in the 2004 and 2006 European Championship qualifying. Van Persie was used in a wider role as a left wing due to the preference of the experienced Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the striker role.^[72] The Jong Oranje failed to qualify for the 2004 tournament and van Persie did not participate in the latter as he was already in the senior squad for the World Cup. He earned his first caps for the Netherlands in less than the span of a week, first in a 2–0 2006 World Cup qualifying win over Romania on 4 June 2005,^[73][74] and in another qualifier four days later against Finland, which saw him pick up his first international goal in a 4–0 victory.^[75]

2006 World Cup

Despite not being a regular starter for Arsenal, van Persie was part of coach Marco van Basten's roster for the 2006 World Cup finals. He played in all four of the Netherlands' matches and scored his only goal in the group stage against Côte d'Ivoire via a free kick as Oranje were eliminated in the Round of 16.^[76][77]

Van Persie (right) with Arjen Robben

[edit]

Euro 2008

Van Persie scored a team-best four Euro 2008 qualifying goals,^[78][79] and was deployed as a winger behind lone striker Ruud van Nistelrooy during the tournament after van Basten decided to change to a 4–2–3–1 formation. As Wesley Sneijder andRafael van der Vaart were preferred in the midfield, van Persie was left to battle with Arjen Robben for the remaining spot on the wing. On 13 June, he scored as a 55th-minute substitute in a 4–1 Group C victory over 2006 World Cup finalists France, and started the next match against Romania, scoring off a pass from Demy de Zeeuw with an excellent volley into the back of the net. He finished with two goals as the Netherlands finished atop their group but again suffered a first knock-out round, second stage elimination.^[80]

[edit]

Post-Euro 2008

Van Persie scored in the friendlies played against Russia and Sweden, and also scored a header in a World Cup qualifying match against Scotland, which stirred debate whether he should be taking corners or receiving them. He was injured during that match and was substituted early in the second-half.

[edit]

2010 World Cup

Van Persie (right) withKlaas-Jan Huntelaar

Van Persie was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.^[81] On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijkannounced that he was in the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.^[82] Van Persie was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark.^[83] On 24 June, he scored the first goal against Cameroon in a 2–1 win to ensure that the Netherlands finished asgroup winners, and was officially named the man of the match.^[84] He started every match for the Oranje, though he did not increase his goal tally following the match. However The Oranje reached the 2010 World Cup Final, in which he was on the losing side thanks to Andrés Iniesta's extra time goal.

[edit]

Personal life

Van Persie's father brought him up as a single parent.^[34] He grew up in a rough neighbourhood of Rotterdam alongside its large immigrant population.^[34] Van Persie is married to Bouchra, a Dutch-Moroccan.^[85] The couple have a son named Shaqueel,^[86] and a daughter named Dina Layla.^[87][88] The family live in Hampstead, North London.^[16][85]

Contrary to common belief Van Persie is not a Muslim, instead he states that he has been raised "liberally" and that his belief is a matter of moral conviction. ^[89]

Van Persie was accused of raping a Dutch beauty queen in 2005.^[90][91][92] He was released without being charged^[93][94] and later said the two weeks imprisonment he experienced was degrading, claiming he was treated like a criminal despite his innocence. He said conditions in the prison were so hot they caused him to lose consciousness.^[16][93] Van Persie usesTwitter to communicate with his fans.^[95]

[edit]

Style of play

Van Persie started his senior club career as a left winger and possessed exceptional dribbling skills and was also a decent shooter of the ball.^[96] He was bought by Arsenal as a long term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp.^[97]

Manager Arsène Wenger planned to convert van Persie from a left winger to a centre forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry.^[98] He was at first mostly deployed as a second striker in League Cup and FA Cup matches. Due to the retirement of Dennis Bergkamp and departure of Freddie Ljungberg, van Persie was given a starting role to play alongside Henry as a second striker. ^[99] Van Persie impressed in this position, having many assists and goals to his name.

Van Persie is described by Arsene Wenger as Dennis Bergkamp with goals.^[100] The departure of Emmanuel Adebayor and Henry meant the Dutchman was now the main striker in Wenger's 4–3–3 system, though van Persie often drops in the midfield to use his vision and passing skills to create chances for other players.^[16]

Van Persie topped the goal assists leader board with 11 assists in the 2008–09 Premier League season.^[101] Van Persie is also a set piece specialist and a vast number of his assists come from both corners and freekicks. He is also a proven direct freekick taker scoring regularly for his club and country.^[102][103]

[edit]

International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 June 2005	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	0–4	0–4	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	16 June 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany	Côte d'Ivoire	1–0	2–1	2006 World Cup
3.	16 August 2006	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland	0–4	0–4	Friendly
4.	6 September 2006	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Belarus	1–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualification
5.	6 September 2006	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Belarus	2–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualification
6.	7 October 2006	Vasil Levski Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	1–1	1–1	Euro 2008 qualification
7.	11 October 2006	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Albania	1–0	2–1	Euro 2008 qualification
8.	13 June 2008	Stade de Suisse, Berne, Switzerland	France	2–0	4–1	Euro 2008
9.	17 June 2008	Stade de Suisse, Berne, Switzerland	Romania	2–0	2–0	Euro 2008
10.	20 August 2008	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Russia	0–1	1–1	Friendly
11.	19 November 2008	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Sweden	1–0	3–1	Friendly
12.	19 November 2008	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Sweden	2–0	3–1	Friendly
13.	28 March 2009	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Scotland	2–0	3–0	2010 World Cup qualification
14.	5 September 2009	Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands	Japan	1–0	3–0	Friendly
15.	26 May 2010	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Mexico	1–0	2–1	Friendly
16.	26 May 2010	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Mexico	2–0	2–1	Friendly
17.	1 June 2010	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Ghana	4–1	4–1	Friendly
18.	5 June 2010	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Hungary	1–1	6–1	Friendly
19.	24 June 2010	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa	Cameroon	1–0	2–1	2010 World Cup
20.	25 March 2011	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	0–4	0–4	Euro 2012 qualification

[edit]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

Club	Season	League			Cup			Europe			Total
		Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Feyenoord	2001–02	8	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0	15	0	0
	2002–03	23	10	0	1	5	0	2	0	0	26	15	0
	2003–04	28	6	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	31	6	0
Total		59	16	0	1	5	0	12	0	0	72	21	0
Arsenal	2004–05	26	5	1	9	4	0	6	1	0	41	10	1
	2005–06	24	5	0	6	3	0	4	2	0	34	11	1
	2006–07	22	11	7	1	0	0	8	2	1	31	13	8
	2007–08	15	7	3	1	0	0	7	2	2	23	9	5
	2008–09	28	11	10	6	4	1	10	5	2	44	20	13
	2009–10	16	9	7	0	0	0	4	1	1	20	10	8
	2010–11	16	11	5	5	2	0	3	2	0	24	15	5
Total		147	59	33	28	14	1	41	16	6	215	88	40
Career total		205	75	33	29	19	1	53	16	6	288	109	40

(Correct as of 13 March 2011)

[edit]

National team statistics

^[104]

Netherlands national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2005	6	1
2006	11	6
2007	4	0
2008	10	5
2009	10	2
2010	11	5
2011	1	1
Total	53	20

[edit]

Career highlights

[edit]

Club

Feyenoord

• UEFA Cup (1): 2001–02
  

  

  Robin van Persie taking a freekick

Arsenal F.C.

• FA Community Shield (1): 2004
• FA Cup (1): 2005
• FA Community Shield Runner Up : 2005
• Champions League Runner Up : 2005–06
• Football League Cup Runner Up : 2006-07
• Football League Cup Runner Up : 2010–11

[edit]

International

Netherlands

• FIFA World Cup Runner-up (1): 2010

[edit]

Individual

• KNVB Best Young Talent Award (1): 2000–01
• Dutch Football Talent of the Year (1): 2001–02
• FA Premier League Player of the Month (2): November 2005, October 2009^[105]
• Rotterdam Sportsman of the Year (1): 2006
• BBC Sport Goal of the Month (2): September 2006, December 2008
• Euro 2008 Bronze Boot (1)
• Premier League Top assist provider (1): 2008–09
• Arsenal Top Goalscorer (2): 2006–07, 2008–09
• Arsenal Player of The Season (1): 2008–09