Look up Robin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Robin was originally a diminutive given name of Robert, derived from the prefix Rob- (hrod, Old Germanic, meaning "fame"), and the suffix -in (Old French diminutive). More recently, it is used as an independent name. The name Robin is uncommon (but not unique) in being a masculine given name, feminine given name, and a surname. In Europe, although it is sometimes regarded as a female name, it is generally given to males. In North America, it is more popular as a female name - during the 1990s, for example, it was the 325th most popular girl's name and the 693rd most popular boy's name. There are several common variations, including Robyn, Robbin, Robine, Robyne, Robynne, and Robbyn.[1] Robine is a female version of the name Robin. In some cultures Robyn is strictly female. It has its origin in France and is also a very common surname in France. Robin is occasionally found as a surname in English language-speaking countries. Common nicknames are Rob, Robbie or Bobby.^[1] Robin may refer to:

Given name[link]

• Robin (singer), (born 1998), full name Robin Packalen, Finnish singer
• Robin Antin (born 1961), American-born music video director, best known for being the creator for the hip-hop/R&B group Pussycat Dolls
• Robin Blaze (born 1971), English countertenor
• Robin Boyd (1919-1971), Australian architect
• Robin Brockway, (born 1981) British actor
• DJ Robin Clark, (born 1982), German hardstyle DJ and record producer
• Robin Cook (1946–2005), British Member of Parliament, used the name instead of his given name Robert
• Robin Cook (American novelist) (born 1940), American doctor and novelist
• Robin Cousins (born 1957), British Olympic gold medal figure skater
• Robin Curtis, (born 1956), American actress
• Sir Robin Day (1923-2000), British political commentator and journalist
• Robin Dutt (born 1965), German football manager
• Robyn Rihanna Fenty, often known as Rihanna (born 1988), Barbadian pop singer
• Robin Finck (born 1971), guitarist for Nine Inch Nails and Guns N' Roses
• Robin Gibb (born 1949), member of the pop group trio, the Bee Gees
• Robin Givens (born 1964), American actress
• Robin Goad (born 1970), American weightlifter
• Robyn Hitchcock (born 1953), British singer-songwriter and artist
• Robin Hobb (born 1952), American fantasy author
• Robin Hunter (1929–2004), British actor
• Robin Ince (born 1969), British comedian
• Robin Korving (born 1974), Dutch hurdler
• Robin Leach (born 1941), host of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
• Robin Martin-Jenkins (born 1975), English cricketer
• Robin Miller (chef) (born 1966), an American chef, host of Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller
• Robin Moulder (born 1966), bassist for the bands TCR and Jack Off Jill
• Robin Quivers (born 1952), American radio personality, co-host of The Howard Stern Show
• Robin Roberts (baseball) (1926–2010), American baseball player
• Robin Roberts (newscaster) (born 1960), American newscaster
• Robin S. (born 1962), American dance vocalist
• Robin Singh, Indian Cricketer
• Robin Smith (comics), British comic book artist
• Robin Smith (cricketer) (born 1963), South African-born England international
• Robin Smith (psychologist), American seminarian and author
• Robin Smith (chess player) (1952-2009), American Correspondence Chess Champion
• Robin Söderling (born 1984), Swedish tennis player
• Robin Tait (1940–1984), New Zealand discus thrower
• Robin Thicke (born 1975), American R&B songwriter and artist
• Robin Trower (born 1945), guitarist for his own eponymous band and Procol Harum
• Robin Uthappa (born 1985), Indian cricketer
• Robin van Persie (born 1983), Dutch football player
• Robin Ventura (born 1967), baseball player
• Robin Williams, (born 1951), Academy Award-winning American actor and comedian
• Robin Wright Penn, (born 1966) American actress
• Robin Yount (born 1955), Baseball player
• Robyn (born 1979, Robin Miriam Carlsson), Swedish pop singer and songwriter
• Robin Tunney (born 1972), Irish-American actress0
• Rockin' Robin (wrestler) (born Robin Smith, 1965), American WWF performer

Fictional characters[link]

• Robin Goodfellow, common pseudonym of Puck (mythology)
• Robin, Muppet nephew of Kermit the Frog
• Robin Scherbatsky, a character in the television show How I Met Your Mother
• Robin Scorpio-Drake, HIV positive doctor on the television soap opera General Hospital
• Robin Sena, main character in the anime Witch Hunter Robin
• Nico Robin, fictional archaeologist in the anime One Piece
• Robin Hood, fictional heroic English outlaw
• Robin, Batman's sidekick from DC comics
• Robin Oakapple, main character in the opera Ruddigore by Gilbert & Sullivan

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

Surname[link]

• Charles Robin, businessman from the Isle of Jersey
• Charles-Philippe Robin (1821–1885), French anatomist and biologist
• Dany Robin (1927–1995), French actress
• Emily Robin (1874–1929), British bordello owner
• Gabriela Robin, singer and lyricist
• Jean-Cyril Robin (born 1969), French former professional road racing cyclist
• Leo Robin (1900–1984), American composer, lyricist and songwriter
• Mado Robin (1918–1960), French coloratura singer
• Marie-Monique Robin (born 1960), French journalist
• Marthe Robin (1902–1981), French Roman Catholic mystic
• Martial Robin (born 1977), French football player
• Régine Robin (born 1939), novelist, writer, translator and professor of sociology
• Teddy Robin (born 1945), Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director
• Victor Gustave Robin (1855–1897), French mathematician

Fictional characters[link]

• Christopher Robin, young boy in A. A. Milne's work, most notably his Winnie-the-Pooh books
• Fanny Robin, character in Thomas Hardy's novel Far from the Madding Crowd

This page or section lists people with the surname Robin. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

See also[link]

• Robin (disambiguation)
• Robene and Makyne, genre names for characters in pastoral

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} Robin - Origin and Meaning of the name Robin at BabyNames.com

Look up robin or Robin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Robin may refer to:

• Robin (name), a common given name and a surname.

It may also refer to:

Birds[link]

Most birds called "robins" belong to the superfamily Muscicapoidea:

• European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
  • More broadly, to all birds of the genus Erithacus in subfamily Saxicolinae of family Muscicapidae
• Some other members of subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), such as the bush-robins and the African robins
• Certain true thrushes (Turdus) of family Turdidae, including:
  • American Robin (T. migratorius)
  • Rufous-collared Robin (T. rufitorques)
  • Rufous-backed Robin (T. rufopalliatus)
  • Formerly other American thrushes, such as the Clay-colored Thrush (T. grayi)

Other "robins" are unrelated songbirds:

• Australasian robins, the family Petroicidae
• Pekin Robin or Japanese Hill Robin, archaic names for the Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea)

In transportation[link]

• Avions Robin, French manufacturer of light airplanes
• Curtiss Robin, monoplane introduced in 1928
• Reliant Robin, three-wheeled car built by Reliant
• HMS Robin, the name of two Royal Navy ships and a shore establishment
• SS Robin, world's oldest complete steam coaster (a class of steamship)
• USS Robin, the name of four U.S. Navy ships

Other[link]

• Robin (answering machine), sales name of a 1985 answering machine
• Robin (comics), "The Boy Wonder" or "Girl Wonder," Batman's crime-fighting partner
• "Robin (The Hooded Man)", hit song by the Irish group Clannad
• Robin (magazine), a British children's magazine published from 1953 to 1969
• Robin, a layout engine computer software component used by The Bat! e-mail client
• Robin (TV series), cartoon created by Magnus Carlsson
• Robin Poupelle, member of a French mafia gang

See also[link]

• Robins (disambiguation)
• Sea robin, a fish with small "legs" (actually spines)
• Robyn, Swedish singer

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)

Ceremonies, such as baptism, can be used to give names.

A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name. The name of a specific entity is sometimes called a proper name (although that term has a philosophical meaning also) and is a proper noun. Other nouns are sometimes, more loosely, called names; an older term for them, now obsolete, is "general names".

The use of personal names is not unique to humans. Dolphins also use symbolic names, as has been shown by recent research.^[1] Individual dolphins have distinctive whistles, to which they will respond even when there is no other information to clarify which dolphin is being referred to.

Caution must be exercised when translating, for there are ways that one language may prefer one type of name over another. A feudal naming habit is used sometimes in other languages: the French sometimes refer to Aristotle as "le Stagirite" from one spelling of his place of birth, and English speakers often refer to Shakespeare as "The Bard", recognizing him as a paragon writer of the language. Finally, claims to preference or authority can be refuted: the British did not refer to Louis-Napoleon as Napoleon III during his rule.

Etymology[link]

The word "name" comes from Old English nama; akin to Old High German (OHG) and Sanskrit नामस् (naamas), Latin nomen, and Greek ὄνομα (onoma),^[2] possbly from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) *nomn-.^[3]

In mythology[link]

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In Arthurian mythology, part of the code of honor and chivalry practiced by knights was that a knight who lost a duel must reveal his name to the victor. It was considered a breach of honor or decorum to reveal one's name before combat. A frequent topos in the legends is that a defeated knight would, after revealing his name, ask the victor what his name was: if the victor turned out to be a much stronger and more famous knight (e.g. one of Arthur's knights) the loser actually saved face, because he was beaten by a knight already held to be stronger than him, and thus there was no shame in defeat. However, if a strong and powerful knight was defeated, and the victor turned out to be a relatively unknown and not particularly strong knight, it was a grave humiliation.

As a result of this pattern, it was considered extremely odd within the rules of Arthurian society when a knight refused to take off his helmet or reveal his identity, even after he had won a duel. Sometimes this happened because the victorious knight simply did not know his own name, as was the case with Lancelot and Percival during their early careers. This inability to reveal their own names even in victory led many to assume incorrectly that they were trying to insult the vanquished.

A major exception to the rule was Sir Gawain: Gawain considered himself to be the greatest of his uncle Arthur's knights; he felt that his honor was so great that he did not need to hide his name before a duel. Thus at the opening of any duel Gawain would openly announce "I am Gawain", as he expected never to be defeated and so it would not diminish his honor to reveal his name.

In religious thought[link]

In the ancient world, particularly in the ancient near-east (Israel, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia) names were thought to be extremely powerful and to act, in some ways, as a separate manifestation of a person or deity.^[4] This viewpoint is responsible both for the reluctance to use the proper name of God in Hebrew writing or speech, as well as the common understanding in ancient magic that magical rituals had to be carried out "in [someone's] name". By invoking a god or spirit by name, one was thought to be able to summon that spirit's power for some kind of miracle or magic (see Luke 9:49, in which the disciples claim to have seen a man driving out demons using the name of Jesus.) This understanding passed into later religious tradition, for example the stipulation in Catholic exorcism that the demon cannot be expelled until the exorcist has forced it to give up its name, at which point the name may be used in a stern command which will drive the demon away.

Biblical names[link]

In the Old Testament, the names of individuals are meaningful; for example, Adam is named after the "earth" (Adamah) from which he was created. (Genesis 2)

A change of name indicates a change of status. For example, the patriarch Abram and his wife Sarai are renamed "Abraham" and "Sarah" when they are told they will be the father and mother of many nations (Genesis 17:4, 17:15). Simon was renamed Peter when he was given the Keys of Heaven. (Gospel of Matthew 16).

Throughout the Bible, characters are given names at birth that reflect something of significance or describe the course of their lives. For example: Solomon meant peace, and the king with that name was the first whose reign was without warfare. Likewise, Joseph named his firstborn son Manasseh (Hebrew: "causing to forget") as a gesture of forgiveness to his brothers for selling him into slavery.

Biblical Jewish people did not have surnames which were passed from generation to generation. However, they were typically known as the child of their father. For example: דוד בן ישי (David ben Yishay) meaning, David, son of Jesse. In a sense, they used their fathers' first names as their own last names, a practice done by most Muslims today. Similar to Jewish names, the "ben" is in place by "bin" or "ibn" for males, "binte", "binti" or "ibnu" for females to Muslims. Sometimes, names include "Al-", "Ali-", "-allah", "-lah/-llah" or "-ullah" as it means "a servant to God" or "God's servant". They would sometimes indicate the place they or their child live in.

Talmudic attitudes[link]

The Babylonian Talmud maintains that names exert a mystical influence over their bearers, and a change of name is one of four actions that can avert an evil heavenly decree, that would lead to punishment after one's death. Rabbinical commentators differ as to whether the name's influence is metaphysical, connecting a person to their soul, or bio-socio-psychological, where the connection affects his personality, appearance and social capacities. The Talmud also states that all those who descend to Gehenna will rise in the time of Messiah. However, there are three exceptions, one of which is he who calls another by a derisive nickname.

Technical names for names[link]

Naming convention[link]

For Wikipedia's own naming conventions see Wikipedia:Article titles

A naming convention is an attempt to systematize names in a field so they unambiguously convey similar information in a similar manner.

Several major naming conventions include:

• In astronomy, planetary nomenclature
• In classics, Roman naming conventions
• In computer programming, identifier naming conventions
• In computer networking, computer naming schemes
• In the sciences, systematic names for a variety of things

Naming conventions are useful in many aspects of everyday life, enabling the casual user to understand larger structures.

Street names within a city may follow a naming convention; some examples include:

• In Manhattan, roads that cross the island from east to west are called "Streets". Those that run the length of the island (North-South) are called "Avenues". Manhattan streets and avenues are numbered, with "1st Street" being near the southern end of the island, and "219th Street" being near the northern end, while "1st Avenue" is near the eastern edge of the island and "12th Avenue" near the western edge.
• In Ontario, numbered concession roads are East-West whereas "lines" are North-South routes.
• In San Francisco at least three series of parallel streets are alphabetically named, e.g. Irving, Judah, Kirkham, Lawton, Moraga, Noriega, Ortega, Pacheco, Quintara, Rivera, Santiago, Taraval, Ulloa, Vicente, Wawona.
• The same tendency is seen in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, where Arlington Street is followed by roads to the west running parallel to it and named Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford.
• In Washington, DC, East Capitol Street runs east-west through the Capitol. East-west streets moving away from Capitol Street toward both the south (toward the Potomac River) and the north are lettered A, B, C,..., omitting J to avoid confusion on street signs and addresses, but after these are exhausted to the north, the streets are named with simple words in alphabetical order, omitting a few letters such as "x". The first cycle of names consists all of one-syllable words; then followed by a cycle of two-syllable words; then followed by a cycle of three-syllable words, and before these are exhausted, Maryland is reached. (Washington has north-south streets that are numbered, increasing to either side of North Capitol which likewise runs through the Capitol.) Suffixes (NE, SW, etc.) are used to distinguish between (up to four) duplicate addresses. For example 140 D Street SW, to indicate the 140 D Street location southwest of the Capitol
• In Montgomery, Alabama, the old major avenues are named for the Presidents of the United States, in their order of entering office, omitting John Quincy Adams. Hence, these streets are Washington Ave., Adams Ave., Jefferson Ave., Madison Ave., Monroe Ave., Jackson Ave., but not much farther than that. This was just the old plan from a long time ago, and it was eventually dropped. For example, there is not a Buchanan Ave., a Lincoln Ave., or a Johnson Ave.
• In Brampton, Ontario, different sections of town all have streets starting with the same letter and the alphabetical order reflects chronology.
• In Phoenix, Arizona, roads east of Central Avenue are termed streets while those west are avenues. A similar system applies in Nashville, Tennessee, but only to the numbered avenues and streets, west and east of the Cumberland River respectively, all of which run roughly north-south.

Large corporate, university, or government campuses may follow a naming convention for rooms within the buildings to help orient tenants and visitors. Otherwise, rooms may be numbered in some kind of a rational scheme.

Parents may follow a naming convention when selecting names for their children. Some have chosen alphabetical names by birth order. In some East Asian cultures, it is common for one syllable in a two syllable given name to be a generation name which is the same for immediate siblings. In many cultures it is common for the son to be named after the father or a grandfather. In certain African cultures, such as in Cameroon, the eldest son gets the family name for his given name, also, giving names such as "Thomas Thomas" (but the names are not European names like this one).

In other cultures, the name may include the place of residence, or the place of birth. The Roman naming convention denotes social rank.

Products may follow a naming convention. Automobiles typically have a binomial name, a "make" (manufacturer) and a "model", in addition to a model year, such as a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. Sometimes there is a name for the car's "decoration level" or "trim line" as well: e.g., Cadillac Escalade EXT Platinum, after the precious metal. Computers often have increasing numbers in their names to signify the next generation.

Courses at schools typically follow a naming convention: an abbreviation for the subject area and then a number ordered by increasing level of difficulty.

Many numbers (e.g. bank accounts, government IDs, credit cards, etc.) are not random but have an internal structure and convention. Virtually all organizations that assign names or numbers will follow some convention in generating these identifiers. Airline flight numbers, space shuttle flight numbers, even phone numbers all have an internal convention.

Brand names[link]

The process of developing a name for a brand or product is heavily influenced by marketing research and strategy to be appealing and marketable. The brand name is often a neologism or pseudoword, such as Kodak or Sony.

Literary names[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2012)

In fiction, proper names of people or places are often unique to the work in which they appear. Although, within the work of fiction proper, the name may nonetheless be said to have a certain ethnic origin, the name itself may not actually exist. For example, the character of Ororo Munroe (Storm of the X-Men franchise) is of African descent.^{[citation needed]} Her first name, however is not an authentic African name. Names may also be created to either represent ethnic neutrality or corruption of a name with the passage of time. This is a common technique used by science fiction and fantasy writers who may also employ alternate spellings of existing names. Also, many science fiction operates on the premise that racial and ethnic boundaries will cease to exist in the future thus producing names that appear to be mixes of different ethnic sources.^{[original research?]} Yoshiyuki Tomino (creator of the anime Mobile Suit Gundam) is notable for creating character names that are unusual, exotic, and sometimes silly sounding. Examples include Char Aznable (which is actually based on a real person), Bright Noa, Quess Paraya, and Marvel Frozen. The science fiction writer Isaac Asimov has also created names which may or may not be variants or corruptions of existing or ancient names. Examples include Dors Venabili, R. Daneel Olivaw, and Giskard Reventlov. The Star Wars and Dune franchises contains many character names that juggle existing names with created ones; Leia Organa, Ben Kenobi, Paul Atreides, Vladimir Harkonnen.^{[citation needed][original research?]}

.name domains[link]

This section appears to be written like an advertisement. Please help improve it by rewriting promotional content from a neutral point of view and removing any inappropriate external links. (May 2012)

According to Verisign,^[5] the .name top-level domain name (TLD) is designed for individuals to create a presence and make online communications easy and accessible. Not exclusive to registrars, social networking and community sites may also offer .name registration to their members and customers as a value-added service to help establish an individual identity online.^[6]

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "Names" by Sam Cumming, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), a philosophical dissertation on the syntax and semantics of names
• Matthews, Elaine; Hornblower, Simon; Fraser, Peter Marshall, Greek Personal Names: Their Value as Evidence, Proceedings of The British Academy (104), Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-726216-3
• Name and Form - from Sacred Texts Buddhism

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Name

• Kate Monk's Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names) or Kate Monk's Onomastikon Names over the world throughout the history
• The etymology of first names
• Meaning of Names The etymology of first names
• What is a Name?

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2011)

Robin Mark is a Northern Irish Christian singer, songwriter, worship leader, and recording artist based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Mark has written several songs sung throughout the world. He is best known for his songs "Days of Elijah", "Revival", "All for Jesus", "The Wonder of The Cross", "Not by Might" and many more. He has released thirteen albums in total with sales of over two million world wide and has won the GMA's international award.

Though known within the United Kingdom and throughout Canada and Europe from the early 1990s, it was not until his 1999 live album Revival In Belfast that Mark became known in the United States, Australia and the rest of the world. His signature song, "Days of Elijah", has proven popular and his album Revival In Belfast which was released in 1999 remained high in both the Christian retail charts and billboard charts for many years. It was still at number 39 five years later on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart in 2004.^[1] When the follow up album Come Heal This Land was released in 2001 it went straight to number one in the Christian Retail Charts in America, Robin became the first artist from the UK to accomplish this feat ^[2]

Robin attends Christian Fellowship Church Strandtown, Belfast, Northern Ireland on a weekly basis.

Discography[link]

Studio recordings[link]

• Not By Might (1993)
• Days of Elijah (1996)
• This City, These Streets (1998)
• Sanctuary (2000)
• My Song Is Love Unknown (2003)
• East of the River (2007)
• Fly" (2011)

Live recordings[link]

• Room For Grace (1997)
• Mandate - All For Jesus (1999)
• Revival In Belfast (1999)
• Mandate - Men of Faith (2001)
• Come Heal This Land (2001)
• Revival in Belfast 2 (2004)
• Arise: A Celebration of Worship (2006)
• Year of Grace (Integrity) (2009)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

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This article about a British musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Robin van Persie

Personal information
Full name	Robin van Persie[1]
Date of birth	(1983-08-06) 6 August 1983 (age 28)[1]
Place of birth	Rotterdam, Netherlands
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) [2]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Arsenal
Number	10
Youth career
1998–1999	Excelsior
1998–2001	Feyenoord
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2001–2004	Feyenoord	61	(15)
2004–	Arsenal	194	(96)
National team‡
2000–2001	Netherlands U17	14	(8)
2001–2003	Netherlands U19	11	(3)
2004–2006	Netherlands U21	6	(1)
2005–	Netherlands	64	(26)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 02:06, 31 May 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 02:06, 31 May 2012 (UTC)

Robin van Persie (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɔbɪn vɑn ˈpɛrsi] ( listen); born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for Arsenal and the Dutch national team. He is a youth product of Feyenoord.^[3] Having joined Arsenal in 2004, Van Persie became the club captain on 16 August 2011.^[4] His playing style and ability have drawn comparison to Dutch legend Marco van Basten.^[5][6]

The son of two artists, Van Persie was encouraged to follow in his parents' footsteps,^[7] but he instead preferred football and joined SBV Excelsior's youth squad. He made his breakthrough at his hometown club Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons and won the 2002 UEFA Cup.^[8] He was named the Dutch Football Talent of the Year for the 2001–02 season.^[9] 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.^[10][11] He won the FA Community Shield and the FA Cup in his first season with the London club and went on to win the 2006 Rotterdam Sportsman of the year award.^[12] Van Persie has been named Premier League Player of the Month three times.^[13] Van Persie topped the goal assists leader board with 11 assists in the 2008–09 Premier League.^[14][15][16]

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 4–0 win over Finland. Van Persie has 63 caps so far and has scored 26 goals for the Netherlands.^[17][18] He has participated in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups and UEFA Euro 2008, including a World Cup Final in which he lost.^[19]

Club career[link]

Feyenoord[link]

Van Persie joined Dutch side SBV Excelsior's youth squad at the age of 14 years, but left at the age of 15, due to the relationship with the coach and his mother, and thus signed for Feyenoord.^[20] 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. 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. 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."^[21] During a match featuring the Feyenoord and Ajax reserves, he was one of several Feyenoord players assaulted by hooligans who had invaded the pitch.^[20] 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.^[22] 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 off-season, and his deteriorating relationship with van Marwijk led to his spending most of the 2003–04 season 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, but both parties could not agree to terms.

Arsenal[link]

2004–05[link]

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.^[23] Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, who planned to convert Van Persie from a left winger to a centre forward as he had successfully done with star player Thierry Henry,^[24] 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."^[25] Arsenal had further padded their stable of strikers in January by signing Spanish forward José Antonio Reyes,^[26] 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.

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."^[28]

Van Persie was consequently benched for a number of games, starting with Arsenal's upcoming FA Cup replay against Sheffield United,^[29] 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.^[30]

2005–06[link]

Van Persie with Thierry Henry in 2006.

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,^[24] and he was rewarded with a five-year contract extension until 2011 on 4 January.^[31] 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.^[32]

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.^[22] He was an unused substitute in Arsenal's first Champions League final appearance, a 2–1 loss to FC Barcelona.^[33]

2006–07[link]

Van Persie and Chelsea 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"^[34] and was later named BBC Sport's Goal of the Month for September,^[35] and he capped off the calendar year by being named the 2006 Rotterdam 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.^[36] 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.

2007–08[link]

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.^[37] 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.^[38]

2008–09[link]

Van Persie in 2009

Van Persie opened his 2008–09 account on 31 August with a brace in Arsenal's 3–0 league victory over Newcastle United.^[39] 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.^[40] On 30 November, he scored a brace against Chelsea to help Arsenal come from behind and pick up a 2–1 victory at Stamford Bridge.^[41] On 21 December 2008, he scored a spectacular goal against Liverpool, which became his second-career BBC Goal of the Month.^[42] 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.^[43] 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.^[44] 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.^[45] 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.^[46] 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.^[47]

2009–10[link]

Van Persie in 2009

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."^[49] 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).^[50] 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.^[51] On 14 November, however, he injured his ankle in an international friendly and was initially expected to be out for six weeks,^[52] 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 by Theo Walcott in the 4–0 win over Fulham in the last league game of 2009–10 season.

2010–11[link]

Van Persie with Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets

Before the start of the 2010–11 season, Van Persie changed his squad number to 10, previously worn by Arsenal and Netherlands legend Dennis Bergkamp.^[53] He made his 200th appearance on 28 August 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 season in a 3–0 away win over Birmingham City.^[54] On 15 January, he added two more goals to his tally in a comfortable 3–0 win over West Ham. This made him only the fourth Dutchman to reach 50 goals in England's top division.^[55] Van Persie scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 22 January^[56] and two goals against Newcastle United in a 4–4 draw on 5 February.^[57] 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.^[58] 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.^[59]

Van Persie set the Emirates alight with a goal from an almost impossible angle in Arsenal's fightback against Barcelona in the Champions League Round of 16 which ended 2–1 in favour of the Gunners.^[60] 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 19 March 2011, he scored the equalizing goal in a 2–2 against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns. The match finished 2–2 with Arsenal still five points behind the current leaders, Manchester United.

On 10 April 2011 in a match against Blackpool, Van Persie put in a man of the match performance to give Arsenal a crucial 3–1 win as Van Persie set up a goal and scored the 3rd. On 24 April 2011, Van Persie became the first player to score in seven successive Premier League away games when he scored against Bolton, beating Didier Drogba's record who was on six successive away games, between August and November 2009. However, the Gunners lost 2–1, all but ending their title hopes. On 1 May he assisted Aaron Ramsey who scored the winning goal against league leaders Manchester United to add a twist to the Premier League. Van Persie was named EA Sports Player of the Month for April.^[61]

On 8 May 2011, Arsenal lost 3–1 against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium, Van Persie scored the goal for Arsenal and with that goal Van Persie extended his Premier League record by scoring in an eighth successive away match. On the last home game for the season Van Persie scored against Aston Villa, but Arsenal lost the match 2–1. On the last game of the season away to Fulham, Van Persie managed to score in his ninth consecutive away match, bringing his goal tally for the season to a personal record of 18 league goals. He also equalled the record held by Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry by scoring 18 league goals from the turn of the year to the end of the season. He ended the season just two goals behind joint league top scorers, Carlos Tévez and Dimitar Berbatov in the race for the golden boot, despite being injured for half of the season. He was voted as the second best player of the 2010–11 season on Arsenal's official website and also received the team's Goal of the Season award for his audacious strike in the 2–1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League.

2011–12[link]

Van Persie and Arsenal against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League

Having been appointed vice-captain for the 2010–11 season, Van Persie was promoted to club captain following the transfer of Cesc Fàbregas to FC Barcelona at the start of the 2011–12 season.^[62] On 24 August, Van Persie scored his first goal of the 2011–12 season in the second leg of Arsenal's 2–1 away victory against Udinese in a Champions League play off match. On 24 September 2011, Van Persie scored twice against Bolton Wanderers to raise his tally for Arsenal to 100 goals, he became the 17th Arsenal player to reach this milestone. On 16 October 2011, Van Persie scored the fastest goal of the 2011–12 Premier League season, 28 seconds into a home match against Sunderland.^[63] He went on to score a late winner from a curling left foot free kick, to put Arsenal 2–1 ahead. After the match, Van Persie stated his dedication to the club after speculation surrounding a future transfer away from the Emirates. On 23 October, Van Persie came on as a substitute on the 66th minute replacing Marouane Chamakh and scored two goals against Stoke City. The match ended 3–1 with another home win for Arsenal.^[64] He then continued his scoring run for Arsenal on 29 October by scoring a hat-trick in Arsenal's 5–3 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.^[65] Due to his consistent performances and good goal-scoring form, Van Persie was named the Premier League Player of the Month for October 2011. Van Persie continued scoring as he scored Arsenal's opening goal of the match in their 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion on 5 November along with two assists. Then after the international break Van Persie scored both Arsenal goals against Norwich City to help the Gunners to a 2–1 win on 19 November 2011.^[66] In Van Persie's fifth Champions League match of the season he scored twice in the 49th and 86th minute to lift Arsenal to a 2–1 victory over Borussia Dortmund and to qualify Arsenal for the knockout phase on 23 November 2011.^[67]

After failing to score against Fulham, Van Persie scored again for Arsenal, this time against Wigan Athletic to make the score 4–0 to Arsenal on 3 December 2011.^[68] He then added to his tally with the only goal of the game against Everton, an exquisite volley from an Alex Song long ball.^[69] The following match, versus Aston Villa, saw him score a penalty and provide an assist.^[70] Van Persie's final goal of the 2011 calendar year came in Arsenal's one-goal win over Queens Park Rangers on the last day of the year. The goal took his tally for the year to 35 goals, one short of Alan Shearer's Premier League record.^[71]

The following calendar year started in the same fashion for Van Persie, but Arsenal began to falter, losing three consecutive matches against Fulham, Manchester United and Swansea City, even though Van Persie scored in the latter two. On 29 January, he rescued his team, scoring two penalties against Aston Villa in the fourth-round of the FA Cup to help Arsenal to a 3–2 win after falling 2–0 down in a Man of the Match performance. It was also his 120th goal in an Arsenal shirt, equalling fellow Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp's total. On 4 February, he overtook Bergkamp as the 10th highest scorer in Arsenal's history,^[72] scoring another hat-trick as Arsenal beat Blackburn 7–1 at home, with three close-range goals from crosses by Theo Walcott and Francis Coquelin. He was also credited with two assists in the game as he set up Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first Premier League goal and unselfishly passed to Thierry Henry enabling him to score his first Premier League goal since returning on loan.^[73] With Arsenal in unpredictable form, van Persie was again of supreme importance for Arsenal, this time in the North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, played on 26 February. Arsenal went 2–0 down at half in the first half, but Van Persie equalized before half-time. In the second half, Van Persie gave the assist to Walcott's goal as Arsenal performed a remarkable comeback to win the game 5–2.^[74] A week later, Van Persie scored both goals in a 2–1 away win at Liverpool, one being a left foot volley assisted by Alex Song which was similar to the one he scored against Everton earlier in the campaign. On 11 April 2012, after scoring the penalty against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a 3–0 away win, he became only the second player to score against 17 different Premier League opponents in a single campaign. Van Persie is currently the top goal-scorer in the Premier League with 30 goals,^[75] and Arsenal's 8th all-time top scorer with 132 goals.^[76]

International career[link]

Van Persie (right) and Ruud van Nistelrooy training with the Netherlands

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 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the striker role.^[77] 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 FIFA World Cup. He earned his first caps for the Netherlands in less than the span of a week, first in a 2–0 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Romania on 4 June 2005,^[78][79] and in another qualifier four days later against Finland, which saw him pick up his first international goal in a 4–0 victory.^[80]

2006 FIFA World Cup[link]

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.^[81][82]

Van Persie (right) with Arjen Robben.

UEFA Euro 2008[link]

Van Persie scored a team-best four UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying goals,^[83][84] 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 and Rafael 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.

Post-Euro 2008[link]

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.

2010 FIFA World Cup[link]

Van Persie (right) with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

Van Persie was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[85] On 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that he was in the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.^[86] Van Persie was in the starting line-up for their first match in the competition, a 2–0 victory over Denmark.^[87] On 24 June, he scored the first goal against Cameroon in a 2–1 win to ensure that the Netherlands finished as group winners, and was officially named the man of the match.^[88] 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 due to Andrés Iniesta's extra time goal.

UEFA Euro 2012[link]

On 2 September 2011, Van Persie scored four goals in a record breaking 11–0 victory over San Marino. He entered the Dutch national team top 10 all-time topscorer ranking with a tally of 25 goals, dislodging Marco van Basten in the process.^[89] Van Persie had not scored four goals in a single match for a long while.^[90]

Personal life[link]

Van Persie was born on 6 August 1983 in a multi-ethnic area of Rotterdam to an artistic family. José Ras, his mother, is a painter and jewellery designer who also teaches children with special needs.^[91] Bob, his father, is a sculptor. After Van Persie's 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.^[91] After joining Arsenal in England, Van Persie settled in Hampstead, an affluent suburb of North London. Van Persie is married to his long-time girlfriend Bouchra. The couple have two children; a boy named Shaqueel and daughter Dina.

In June 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.^[92] Sandra Krijgsman, a former Miss Nigeria Holland winner, claimed she was attacked by Van Persie in a hotel.^[93] He was held for fourteen nights in prison while the police investigated the allegations made against him^[94] but was then released without charge, though he was still under suspicion.^[95] In February 2006, the case against Van Persie was dismissed by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service after they completed their investigations stating that no sexual contact with coercion happened, with Van Persie's accuser later admitting she had made up the story to gain publicity.^[96][97] Van Persie admitted being unfaithful by having sex with Sandra Krijgsman, and he was forgiven by his wife.^[98] Van Persie spoke of his ordeal several months later, saying how degrading the experience was and how he was treated like a criminal despite his innocence. 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.^[7][99]

Van Persie uses Twitter to communicate with his fans.^[100][101]

Style of play[link]

Van Persie with Dutch admirers

Van Persie started his senior club career as a left winger and possessed exceptional dribbling skills and was also a talented striker of the ball. He was bought by Arsenal as a long term replacement for Dennis Bergkamp. 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. He was at first mostly deployed as a second striker in League Cup and FA Cup matches. Due to the retirement of Bergkamp and departure of Freddie Ljungberg, Van Persie was given a starting role to play alongside Henry as a second striker. Van Persie impressed in this position, having many assists and goals to his name. Van Persie is described by Wenger as Bergkamp with goals. Van Persie is highly regarded for his dribbling and shooting technique, but has become prone to injury.^{[25][102][103][104][105][106]} Van Persie has become a pivotal figure for club and country and this was recognized when he was named Arsenal Player of The Season for the 2008–09 season.^{[107][108][109]} Van Persie's 50th Premier League strike made him only the fourth Dutchman to reach 50 goals in England's top division, along with Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.^[55]

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 attacking players in the midfield such as Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott. Van Persie topped the goal assists leader board with 11 assists in the 2008–09 Premier League season.^[110] 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.^[111][112]

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

As of 15 May 2012