Robin van Persie
Robin van Persie is born 6 August 1983 is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester 
United and is the captain of the Netherlands national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord.
[3]
 Having 
joinedArsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011, one year before he 
joined rivals Manchester United.
[4][5]
 He is recognized as one of the best strikers in the world.
[6][7]
 His 
playing style and ability have drawn comparison to Dutch legend Marco van Basten.
[8][9]
 
The son of two artists, Van Persie was encouraged to follow in his parents' footsteps,
[10]
 but he instead 
preferred football and joined SBV Excelsior's youth squad. He made his breakthrough at another 
hometown club Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons and won the 2002 UEFA Cup.
[11]
 He was 
named the Dutch Football Talent of the Year for the 200102 season. Disagreements with manager Bert 
van Marwijk culminated in a change of club and Van Persie moved to Premier League side Arsenal for 
2.75 million in 2004 as a long-term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp.
[12][13]
 He won the FA Community 
Shield and the FA Cup in his first season with the London club but did not win another major trophy for 
the rest of his eight-year spell at Arsenal. Van Persie has been named Premier League Player of the 
Month five times. In 2013, he was ranked 11th in The Guardian newspaper's 100 Best Footballers in the 
world.
[14]
 
Van Persie was a Dutch youth international, having represented the Netherlands under-17, under-19 and 
under-21 sides. He made his senior international debut in 2005 in a friendly match against Romania. One 
month later, he netted his first senior international goal in a 40 win over Finland. Van Persie has 
78 caps so far and has scored 41 goals for the Netherlands, making him their top scorer.
[15][16]
 He 
represented his country in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 
and UEFA Euro 2012. 
Personal information 
Full name  Robin van Persie[1] 
Date of birth 
6 August 1983 (age 30)[1]
Place of birth 
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height 
1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Playing position 
Striker
Club information 
Current club  Manchester United
Number  20 
Youth career 
19971999  Excelsior
19982001  Feyenoord
Senior career* 
Years  Team  Apps
  (Gls)
 
20012004  Feyenoord
61  -15 
20042012  Arsenal
194  -96 
2012  Manchester United
56  -37 
National team
 
2000  Netherlands U17
6  0 
2001  Netherlands U19
6  0 
20022005  Netherlands U21
12  -1 
2005  Netherlands
82  (41