Robin van Persie
Personal information
Full name	Robin van Persie
Date of birth	August 6, 1983 (1983-08-06) (age 24)
Place of birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands 88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Playing position	Winger, Striker
Club information
Current club	Arsenal
Number	11
Youth clubs
	Excelsior Feyenoord
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
2001-2004 2004-	Feyenoord Arsenal	61 (14) 87 (28)
National team2
2003 2005-	Netherlands U21 Netherlands	01 0(0) 25 0(7)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of April 13, 2008. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules. Strikers, also known as forwards and attackers, are the players on a team in Association football (soccer in the row nearest to the opposing SBV Excelsior is a professional football club from Rotterdam, in the Kralingen-Crooswijk district Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. The Netherlands national football team is the national under-21 team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association. The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association 2 National team caps and goals correct as of June 9, 2008. * Appearances (Goals)

Robin van Persie (born August 6, 1983 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch footballer. Events 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Rotterdam (pronounced) is the 2nd-largest City by population in the Netherlands, located in the province of The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered He grew up in the Kralingen area of east Rotterdam, beginning his football career at Dutch side Excelsior as a youth player. SBV Excelsior is a professional football club from Rotterdam, in the Kralingen-Crooswijk district In 2002 he was signed by Feyenoord, where he made a name for himself as a talented young striker. Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Following disciplinary problems at his new club, he then signed for English club Arsenal in 2004 for an estimated fee of £3 million. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland In 2005, he was called up to the Netherlands national squad, with whom he has scored 7 goals in 23 matches. The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association He is currently contracted with Arsenal until 2011.

Biography

Early life

Robin van Persie was born to Dutch parents in the working-class neighborhood Kralingen in Rotterdam. Kralingen is a former village in the Dutch province of South Holland, now a neighbourhood of Rotterdam. His mother, José Ras, was a painter, and he was raised by his father, Bob, a sculptor. ^[1] He grew up with his two sisters, Lily and Kiki. ^[2] As a result of his creative parents, he was frequently encouraged to use his hands creatively as a child. However, it soon became apparent that he had more skill with his feet as he played football on the streets. ^[1] Growing up, Van Persie also had disciplinary problems at his school in Rotterdam. He was frequently sent out of the classroom as punishment for misbehavior. Spending much time outside of the classroom, he became a close friend with 40-year-old Sietje Moush, the school's caretaker. Aged 14, Van Persie was advised by Moush to concentrate on his studies rather than going out to nightclubs. ^[1] Moush's advice eventually led to Van Persie changing his behavior and subsequently starting his professional football career.

Early career

Van Persie joined Dutch side Excelsior as a youth player; though after clashing with the coaches at the club,^[3] he signed for Feyenoord in 2001, again as a youth player. SBV Excelsior is a professional football club from Rotterdam, in the Kralingen-Crooswijk district Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. He was quickly drafted into the first team due to injury problems with the rest of the squad, and made his début for the club aged 17, going on to make 15 first team appearances. Following impressive form, most notably his performance in the 3–2 UEFA Cup final victory over Borussia Dortmund on May 8, 2002, he was awarded the prestigious Best Young Talent award given by the KNVB for the 2001–02 season. Route to the final Both Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund started off their European campaigns in the UEFA Champions League 2001&ndash02 and entered the UEFA Cup 2001&ndash02 BV Borussia Dortmund is a German football club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia and one of the most successful clubs Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar.

During the summer of 2002, Van Persie suffered a serious back injury. ^[4] He recovered quickly though, and was fit in time for the ensuing 2002—03 season. At the beginning of the season, he signed a professional three-and-a-half year deal with Feyenoord, aged 18. Despite this fact coupled with his previous season's good form, he again fell out with the club manager Bert van Marwijk, after the pair clashed. Lambertus "Bert" van Marwijk (born 19 May, 1952 in Deventer, Overijssel) is a Dutch football coach Van Persie was subsequently relegated to the reserve team. During this time, in the spring of 2003, aged 19, Van Persie played in a notable match between Feyenoord reserves and Ajax reserves. During the game, a group of football hooligans invaded the pitch, and beat up several Feyenoord players, including Van Persie, who suffered several punches and kicks. ^[3] Despite this, he was not seriously injured. In spite of his difficulties at club level, he earnt several caps for the Netherlands under 19 and under 21 teams. A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports Van Persie's stay in the reserve team was temporary, however, as he went on to play 28 times in the league for the first team, ending the season with eight goals to his name. The Eredivisie ( English: Honorary Division) is the highest football league in the Netherlands. Feyenoord finished runners-up in the Dutch Cup, and Van Persie also made two appearances in the Champions League. However, on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid in Monaco, Van Persie was sent home by his strict disciplinarian manager. The European Super Cup ( UEFA Super Cup) is at stake in an annual football game between the reigning champions of the UEFA Cup and the Champions For other uses see Monaco (disambiguation Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco ( French: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque Van Marwijk was reported to have been unhappy with Van Persie's body language after being asked to warm up for a recent game. ^[1]

During the summer of 2003 which followed, Feyenoord made attempts to extend Van Persie's contract beyond 2005. Contract negotiations failed, and this fact combined with his deteriorating relationship with van Marwijk led to Van Persie being snubbed at Feyenoord for parts of the 2003—04 season. Despite this, he still managed 6 league goals in 28 appearances. It was also during the 2003—04 season that Feyenoord agreed to listen to offers for the unsettled forward. Despite such a low asking price for such a talented player, few clubs showed interest in the player due to his bad disciplinary reputation. Werder Bremen, Sevilla,^[4] Valencia, PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal^[3] were the only teams who made attempts to sign the player. Arsenal scout Steve Rowley conducted research to find out whether the Dutch rebel was really worth signing, and he concluded that Van Persie was just a misunderstood character, which led to Arsenal making a move to sign Van Persie during the January transfer window of 2004. Despite this, the two clubs were unable to agree to a deal. Arsenal's persistence eventually paid off though during the following summer, as they won the race to sign the player.

Arsenal

On May 17, 2004, Van Persie moved to Arsenal for a fee believed to be in the range of £3 million. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " He signed a deal which would keep him at The Gunners for four years. ^[5] Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said of Van Persie, "He can play on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers or as a target man". Arsène Wenger OBE (born October 22, 1949 in Strasbourg) is a French football manager, in charge of Arsenal ^[4] He was also touted by many as a long-term replacement of Dennis Bergkamp. Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (born May 10, 1969 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch Professional footballer At club level ^[3] Arsenal had recently signed another young forward, in the way of Spanish striker José Antonio Reyes,^[6] which led to hot competition for places. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. José Antonio Reyes Calderón (born September 1, 1983 in Utrera, Seville) is a Spanish footballer who plays for portuguese Despite this, the young Dutchman immediately made his debut as a substitute for the team in the 3–1 FA Community Shield victory over Manchester United on August 8, 2004. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " ^[7]

Van Persie with Thierry Henry.

Van Persie spent most of his time on the bench during earlier parts of the 2004—05 season, though quickly he earned his competitive debut against Manchester City in the League Cup. The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup, is an English football competition On October 27, he scored Arsenal's opening goal in the game to secure a 2—1 win. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. ^[8] After a run in the first team, February saw his season take a turn for the worse, as he was sent off against Southampton which consequently cost Arsenal two points, and caused Wenger to display uncharacteristic anger in public with a player. Southampton Football Club is a professional English football team, nicknamed The Saints and based in the city of Southampton. ^[9] It looked as if Van Persie had cemented his place on the bench. However, Van Persie redoubled his efforts in training during his subsequent suspension, and was reintroduced in to the team when injuries to Thierry Henry forced Wenger's hand. Thierry Daniel Henry ( born 17 August 1977 His return to the first team saw him score numerous goals, including two important goals in the FA Cup semi-final against Blackburn Rovers to secure victory for Arsenal. The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. He also scored the vital breakthrough goal against West Bromwich Albion to help Arsenal secure second place in the Premiership after the Albion defence had proved difficult to break down. West Bromwich Albion Football Club (also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or WBA) are Continuing to enjoy good form, his season was interrupted again as he suffered an injury. Despite this, he managed to score 10 goals in 40 appearances in his first season with Arsenal. ^[10]

Van Persie playing for the Netherlands.

The summer which followed saw Robin van Persie receive his first full international Dutch cap^[11] against Romania on June 4, 2005. The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Van Persie was subbed on during the second half of the game, helping Holland to a 2—0 win. ^[12] Four days later, Van Persie played for Holland against Finland. Again, he was used as a second half substitute, but he also managed Holland's fourth goal of the game, sealing a 4—0 victory for his country. ^[13]

Van Persie against Chelsea in 2008.

Van Persie scored in the first game of the 2005—06 season and he continued to show good form, winning the prestigious Player of the Month award in November after scoring six goals in just four starts. The Player of the Month award is a prize recognising the best Premier League player each month of the Association football season ^[1] He suffered from a brief knee injury over the Christmas period,^[14] but on January 4, 2006, his good form was rewarded in the form of a five-year contract extension until 2011. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[15] He finished the season having played in 38 games, and despite largely being used as a substitute, he scored 11 goals. Van Persie became known as a rare player who could make a goal out of nothing. ^[10]

Van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy in training prior to Euro 2008. Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij (commonly spelled as van Nistelrooy; born 1 July 1976 in Oss, North Brabant) is a Dutch footballer

Despite not being an automatic first choice to start for Arsenal, Van Persie was selected as one of the Netherlands' forwards for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by national coach Marco Van Basten. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament Marcel "Marco" van Basten ( 31 October 1964 in Oog in Al, Utrecht) is a Dutch football manager currently Though Holland were eliminated after four games in the tournament, Van Persie played in each match, ^[16] even managing a goal in the group match against Côte d'Ivoire,^[17] a free kick in the 23rd minute. The Côte d'Ivoire national football team (sometimes written " Ivory Coast " in English nicknamed Les Éléphants (The Elephants, is the national team of

Van Persie begun the 2006—07 season in great form. Among numerous goals, he scored an outstanding airborne volley against Charlton Athletic,^[18] which turned out to be BBC's Goal of the Month. Charlton Athletic Football Club (also known as The Addicks) is a professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of The Goal of the Month is a monthly segment on BBC's Match of the Day Television programme in honour of the best goal scored each month ^[19] Another notable contribution was made during the 2—1 loss to Fulham FC, in which Van Persie scored a powerful free kick from 30 yards. His good form continued for Holland during the Euro 2008 qualifiers too, as he helped his country to a 1—0 win against Luxembourg on September 2. The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football Events 44 BC - Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion. ^[20] He also scored Holland's first goal during their 2—1 win against Albania on October 11. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed ^[21] These impressive performances led to Van Persie being named Rotterdam Sportsman of the year for 2006. The Rotterdam Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year is an annual election organised by the city's division for topsport named Rotterdam Topsport. Van Persie continued to illustrate his importance to Arsenal after an impressive run during the Christmas period, in which he scored five goals in four games. However, his season was soon ended by injury. In a match against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on 21 January 2007, Van Persie came on as a substitute and scored the equalizer in the 84th minute. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Though in doing so, he fractured his fifth metatarsal in his right foot while celebrating; an injury that kept him out for the remainder the end of the season. The metatarsus consists of the five long Bones of the Foot, which are numbered from the medial side ( ossa metatarsalia I Despite this, he finished as Arsenal's top scorer for the season with 13 goals in 30 appearances. ^[22]

Following the departure of Arsenal star striker Thierry Henry prior to the 2007—08 season, Van Persie was expected to assume the role as the main striker of the club. He showed good form in the pre-season Emirates Cup, scoring the winning goal in Arsenal's 2–1 victory over Internazionale, a goal described by one journalist as "of sublime execution". The Emirates Cup is an annual two-day pre-season football tournament held at Arsenal 's Emirates Stadium in London, England. Football Club Internazionale Milano, most commonly referred to as simply Internazionale, or Inter, is an Italian professional football club ^[23] He also scored the winning goal against Ajax in the Amsterdam Tournament. Arsenal won 1-0 and lifted the Amsterdam Cup. Following this, he scored in a flurry of games, quickly becoming Arsenal's most important player. In the opening game of the season, Van Persie scored a late penalty to equalize the score against Fulham. In their next premier league match versus Blackburn rovers he scored another goal . He also snatched a goal in Arsenals 1-0 victory over Steau. After scoring a perfect header at Upton Park he broke Arsenal's deadlock against West Ham. He later went on to score two against Sunderland. One of them was a sublime freekick. He later 7 goals in 10 games, he was again struck by another knee injury after falling awkwardly while on international duty with Holland. ^[24] The injury kept him out for two months, and he eventually made his comeback against Steaua Bucharest on December 12, 2007, setting up Arsenal's second in the process. FC Steaua Bucureşti is a Romanian professional football club from Ghenceasouth-west Bucharest. Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[25] He then came on in the next game against Chelsea F.C. and had a goal disallowed. It was then confirmed that he would be out for a few more weeks. He made yet another come back in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur but it was clear he was not match fit, and was substituted at half-time. Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. He returned to first team action against Wigan Athletic on March 9, 2008, coming on in the second half for Nicklas Bendtner. Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional football team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Nicklas Bendtner (born 16 January 1988) is a Danish professional footballer, who plays as a Striker for English club After the injury, van Persie finally scored a goal from the penalty spot against Bolton Wanderers F.C. at the Reebok Stadium. The penalty area (colloquiallly also known as the 18-yard box, penalty box or simply the box) is an area of an Association football pitch Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater The Reebok Stadium is the home Stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park The match ended with Arsenal winning 3–2. He then scored another goal at Pride Park against Derby County. Pride Park Stadium is a Football (soccer Stadium in the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. Derby County Football Club is a professional football club based at Pride Park Stadium in Derby England. The match ended with Arsenal winning 6-2.

Style of play

Van Persie can play as a striker like he normally does for Arsenal or on either wing, as he primarily does for the Netherlands. In certain sports such as football, Field hockey, Ice hockey, handball, Rugby union, and Rugby league, the term winger The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association He is also a free kick specialist. This was demonstrated in the 2006 World Cup group stages match for Netherlands in which he expertly curled a free kick around the Ivory Coast wall into the goal. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament His left foot is known for the ability to put mass power into the ball when struck and together with his dribbling skills he is considered a massive threat to defenders. While playing on he right flank he usually turns defenders inside out and usually left with the ball at his left foot with a strike at goal.

Outside football

Robin van Persie is married to Bouchra. They have one child together, a boy named Shaqueel, born on November 16, 2006. Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. They live in Enfield, North London. North London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes ^[3]

On June 13, 2005, while in Rotterdam with the Dutch national team for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, Van Persie was arrested on suspicion of rape by Dutch police. Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Rape, also referred to as Sexual assault, is an Assault by a person involving Sexual intercourse with or Sexual penetration of another person ^[26] Former Miss Nigeria Holland Sandra Krijgsman claimed she was attacked by Van Persie on Saturday June 11 in a hotel. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes. He was held for fourteen nights in prison while the police investigated the allegations made against him^[27] but was then released without charge, though he was still under suspicion. ^[28] In February 2006, the case against Van Persie was completely dismissed by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service after they completed their investigations. The prosecution stated, after a thorough investigation, that no sexual contact with coercion happened. ^[29] Van Persie spoke of his ordeal several months later, saying how degrading the experience was and how he was treated like a criminal despite the fact he was completely innocent. He revealed that conditions in the prison were so hot that they caused him to lose consciousness. It also emerged that over 200 Rotterdam police officers had attempted to view his case files, with the vast majority of them unauthorised to do so. ^[30]

Career statistics

(Club statistics correct as of 29 April 2008)

(International statistics correct as of March 26, 2008)

Career Honours

Feyenoord

• Winner
  • UEFA Cup 2002

Arsenal

• Winner
  • FA Cup 2005
  • FA Community Shield 2004
  • Amsterdam Tournament 2007
  • Emirates Cup 2007

• Runner-up
  • UEFA Champions League 2006

Personal

• FA Premier League Player of the Month - 1 - (2005-06 November)
• Goal of the Month (England) - 1 - (2006-07 September) Against Charlton Wonderful Volley in the 49th minute. Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam. Events 1429 - Joan of Arc arrives to relieve the Siege of Orleans. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Netherlands national football team is the national football team of the Netherlands and is controlled by the Royal Netherlands Football Association Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The UEFA Cup is a football competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA. The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Amsterdam Tournament is an annual Association football tournament played in the pre-season hosted by AFC Ajax. The Emirates Cup is an annual two-day pre-season football tournament held at Arsenal 's Emirates Stadium in London, England. See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club The Player of the Month award is a prize recognising the best Premier League player each month of the Association football season The Goal of the Month is a monthly segment on BBC's Match of the Day Television programme in honour of the best goal scored each month

References

External links

• Robin van Persie fan site
• Robin van Persie FIFA competition record
• Profile at Arsenal. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) com
• van Persie's Netherland stats at voetbalstats. nl (Dutch)
• Robin van Persie career stats at Soccerbase
• Profile at 4thegame. The Racing Post is a British daily Horse racing, Greyhound racing and Sports betting Newspaper. com

• Robin van Persie profile and stats at Wereld van Oranje (Dutch)

Awards
Preceded by Rafael van der Vaart	Dutch Football Talent of the Year 2001 – 2002	Succeeded by Arjen Robben
Preceded by Robert Doornbos	Rotterdam Sportsman of the Year 2006	Succeeded by Francisco Elson