“I do not support Van Persie today. If any player had to behave, it was him.” Wenger exclaimed after Robin was needlessly sent off against Southampton in the 2004/05 season. “21 going on nine” the Dutchman was described as by Telegraph sportswriter Clive White. Robin Van Persie was subsequently benched for the rest of the season.
Fast forward 7 years and Robin Van Persie has just become the 17th member of the Arsenal 100 club. The matured captain has become Arsenal’s best player and most reliable asset. It’s been a mesmeric rise for Van Persie as he’s put disciplinary, personal and injury problems all behind him.
The potential of the Dutchman was never in doubt as he showed clear signs throughout his career that he had the talent to be one of the best players in the world. There always appeared to be something in the way, however.
The red card against Southampton epitomised Robin’s fiery nature and sparky attitude which did not fit well in Arsene Wenger’s good books. Robin learned to curb his aggression and used it to develop a never-say-die mentality that became a hallmark, scoring many late winners and equalisers in his time at Arsenal.
Van Persie faced rape allegations in June 2005 after overcoming a difficult first season at the club. Robin was proved to be innocent but this was another step in maturing that the Dutchman took. He resolved his personal problems and, since, has formed a very quiet and honest life with his wife, Bouchra Elbali. Facing adversity Robin came out the other side as a stronger person.
Despite overcoming these difficulties it wasn’t until 2011 that the deadly Dutchman finally overcame his injury scarred past. Robin was titled as one of the most injury prone players in the game and it’s understandable why.
In the 2005/06 season he only managed 21 starts in all competitions as he faced several niggling injuries, including a broken toe against Cardiff. In 2006/07, Robin managed just 25 starts before breaking his metatarsal in January and missing the rest of the season. In 2007/08, the former Feyenoord man first missed two months from October to December with a knee problem and struggled to regain full fitness after that. In 2008/09, Robin finally stayed healthy and had appeared to overcome his injury problems. Unfortunately that was not the case. In 2009/10, Van Persie ruptured his ankle ligaments in an international friendly and missed 6 months of the season. And finally, in 2010/11, Van Persie lasted just 2 and a half games before damaging his ankle and missing ten weeks of football. This time he came back a different man, however.
Determined not to let an injury set back yet another season of his, Van Persie returned to the Arsenal set-up in sparkling form for the Gunners. Displacing Chamakh as the main striker almost immediately, Van Persie shot straight to form and scored an incredible 22 goals in 26 starts. No one has ever scored more Premier League goals from January 1st to the end of the season or come close to as many subsequent away goals as Robin did in 2011.
This marked the overcoming of yet another problem Van Persie had faced in his Arsenal career and so far this season his sparkling form has continued, with 5 goals in 8 starts so far. Including the crucial 100th strike against Bolton.
A quick breakdown of his 100 goals for the club shows that, while labelled as one footed, Robin is confident on either foot. Of the 100 goals; 71 have been scored with his left foot, 23 with his right foot and 6 with his head. Robin is also known for his powerful shooting from outside of the box. However, as he’s aged, we’ve seen less of this as he’s become a more traditional target man, increasing his goal tally in the process. Of the 100 goals; 88 have been scored inside the box and 12 outside with 12 being penalties.
I hope you enjoy my video displaying all of Robin’s 100 goals for Arsenal FC and here’s to many more in the red and white of Arsenal!
Outstanding video and write up !
Fantastic Video!! Quick question – whats the music track you used? I know the song but i cant remember the title… :/
Poppiholla by Chicane.
your videos are fantastic!!
greetings from Chile
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Hey, Really great video and article, thank you so much!
Can you possibly let us know the music that you used on this video ? It’s really nice and fits the video so well, great job.