Famously called the Flying Dutchman, Robin van Persie has incredible diving skills, which helped the Netherlands achieve a 5-1 win over World Cup Champions Spain. He is the captain of his national team and plays for Manchester United as a forward.
Named the Premier League Player of the Month five times, he was ranked 11th by the Guardian in their list of 100 best players in the world.
Born and raised
He was born on August 6 1983 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Both his parents were artists and after his parents divorced he was brought up by his father. At school, Van Persie was one of the most misbehaved children and was excluded from class almost daily.
Van Persie defied all norms and did something that was totally out of the picture — he began playing football.
Young footballer
Van Persie joined Dutch side SBV Excelsior’s youth squad at the age of 5, but left at the age of 15, due to the relationship with the coach and his mother, later signing for Feyenoord. He made his debut for the club at 17.
Before Manchester United
On 17 May 2004, Van Persie signed a four-year deal with Arsenal for £2.75 million, just over half of Feyenoord’s original asking price of £5 million. Having been appointed vice-captain for the 2010–11 season, Van Persie was promoted to club captain following the transfer of Cesc Fà bregas to FC Barcelona at the start of the 2011–12 season.
Life in Manchester United
The big leap of faith for van Persie came on On 15 August 2012, when Arsenal announced they had agreed terms with Manchester United for his transfer, but Van Persie had yet to agree personal terms with the club.Two days later, he was transferred to Manchester United for an initial £22.5 million, with an additional £1.5 million to follow if United won a Premier League or Champions League title within the next four years. He signed a four-year contract, keeping him at the club until June 2016.
International Debut
Van Persie received his first full Dutch cap against Romania in June 2005, in a World Cup qualifier and in his second appearance he netted his first international goal.
Â