Joan Capdevila

Capdevila in action for Villarreal
Personal information
Full name	Joan Capdevila i Méndez
Date of birth	(1978-02-03) 3 February 1978 (age 34)
Place of birth	Tàrrega, Spain
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Left back
Club information
Current club	Benfica
Number	38
Youth career
	Tàrrega
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1996–1997	Tàrrega	34	(3)
1997–1998	Espanyol B	34	(2)
1998–1999	Espanyol	29	(4)
1999–2000	Atlético Madrid	31	(2)
2000–2007	Deportivo La Coruña	177	(15)
2007–2011	Villarreal	140	(15)
2011–	Benfica	5	(0)
National team
1998–2000	Spain U21	13	(0)
2000	Spain U23	4	(0)
2002–2011	Spain	60	(4)
2002–2009	Catalonia	8	(0)
Honours Competitor for  Spain Men's Football Silver 2000 Sydney Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals).

Joan Capdevila i Méndez (Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈaŋ kədːəˈβiɫə]; born 3 February 1978) is a Spanish footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal. His usual position is left defender, but he is also capable of operating as a winger and, from a defensive position, often contributes with goals.

Over the course of 13 La Liga seasons, he amassed totals of 379 appearances and 36 goals, namely for Deportivo de La Coruña and Villarreal CF.

A Spanish international on more than 60 occasions, Capdevila represented the nation in one World Cup and two European Championships, winning one tournament in each competition.

Club career[link]

Early years / Deportivo[link]

Born in Tàrrega, Province of Lleida, Catalonia, and a product of RCD Espanyol's youth system, Capdevila made his debut for its first team during 1998–99, in a 2–2 La Liga draw at Athletic Bilbao, and joined Atlético Madrid the following season.

After the Colchoneros relegation, however, he signed with Galician side Deportivo de La Coruña in the summer of 2000, and would be a regular fixture in the team as left-back, first competing with Enrique Romero, then as the undisputed first-choice. On 16 September 2006, he netted twice as Depor overcame Villarreal CF 2–0 at Riazor Stadium.^[1]

Villarreal[link]

In 2007–08, Capdevila joined Villarreal on a three-year deal,^[2] and played in all the league games except two, for a side that finished runner-up, achieving direct UEFA Champions League qualification. He produced similar numbers in his second year, bettering his goal total in the process (five).

In the 2009–10 season, with no real competition for his position, Capdevila continued to figure prominently for Villarreal, only missing one league match. The defender added another five goals, but the club could not qualify for the UEFA Europa League this time, after finishing seventh. On 6 December 2009, he scored a brace in a 3–2 home win against Getafe CF,^[3] precisely the team that prevented the Valencian from reaching that achievement, even though the side was later reinstated at the expense of RCD Mallorca.

Midway through 2010–11, Capdevila faced stiff competition from José Catalá, even being relegated to the bench on some matches. He did finish the campaign with more than 40 official games, including nine in Villarreal's Europa League semifinal run, where he scored in a 3–2 home win against eventual winners F.C. Porto (4–7 aggregate loss).^[4]

Benfica[link]

On 21 July 2011, aged 33, Capdevila moved abroad for the first time, joining S.L. Benfica in Portugal on a two-year contract.^[5] On 20 August he made his official debut in a 3–1 league win against C.D. Feirense at Estádio da Luz,^[6] but was not included in the club's squad for the group stages of the Champions League,^[7] which prompted rumours that he would seek a transfer away from the club in the January transfer window.^[8][9] Manager Jorge Jesus confirmed that another newly-signed, Brazilian Emerson, would be first-choice left-back and that the Spaniard would find it difficult to be included in match day squads.^[10]

However, during the final stages of the season, Jesus gave Capdevila a long run as a starter, and he made his Champions League debut for the Lisbon outfit on 4 April 2012, playing the second leg of the quarterfinals against Chelsea, a 1–2 loss at Stamford Bridge (1–3 on aggregate).^[11] He was also the habitual first-choice during the domestic League Cup campaign, which the Reds won for the fourth time in a row, and finished the campaign with 12 official games.

International career[link]

Capdevila made his debut for Spain on 16 October 2002 against Paraguay in a 0–0 draw. He scored his first international goal in an UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden, on 17 November 2007, as Spain won 3–0. Previously, he made the nation's final squad for Euro 2004, but did not leave the bench.

On 6 February 2008, in Málaga, Capdevila scored the winning goal in Spain's 1–0 win against France in an international friendly. He was subsequently called up to Spain's squad for Euro 2008, where he featured in all the matches save one for the eventual champions. During the tournament he established himself as first-choice, his clearance in the dying seconds against Sweden being a crucial part of David Villa's late winner to make the score 2–1. Together with right-back Sergio Ramos and central defenders Carles Puyol and Carlos Marchena, he helped keep clean sheets during all three matches of the knock-out stages and only conceded two goals in four matches.

During the first game of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup on 14 June 2009, Capdevila set up Fernando Torres's third goal of his hat-trick, and also assisted for Cesc Fàbregas's second international goal, as Spain thrashed New Zealand 5–0. In fact, all five goals were created from the left wing, with Capdevila playing a crucial part in the Spanish attack.^[12] In the second game against Iraq three days later, he assisted Villa's 55th-minute goal, as Spain defeated Iraq 1–0. He, Puyol, Villa and Torres were named in the team of the tournament, as Spain finished third.

On 20 May 2010, after appearing in all the matches during the qualifying stages, contributing with one goal in Spain's 4–0 home win against Armenia, Capdevila was selected by manager Vicente del Bosque to the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he played all the matches and minutes for the eventual champions, being the only member of the starting line-up for the final who was not a Real Madrid or FC Barcelona player, considering Villa had been signed by the latter days before the tournament.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	17 November 2007	Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain	Sweden	1–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualifying
2.	6 February 2008	Estadio La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain	France	1–0	1–0	Friendly
3.	31 May 2008	Estadio Nuevo Colombino, Huelva, Spain	Peru	2–1	2–1	Friendly
4.	10 September 2008	Estadio Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain	Armenia	1–0	4–0	2010 World Cup qualification

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Deportivo

• Copa del Rey: 2001–02
• Supercopa de España: 2000, 2002

Benfica

• Taça da Liga: 2011–12

Country[link]

Spain

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• UEFA European Football Championship: 2008
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2009

Spain U23

• Summer Olympics: Silver medal 2000

References[link]

External links[link]

• BDFutbol profile
• National team data (Spanish)
• Joan Capdevila at National-Football-Teams.com
• Joan Capdevila – FIFA competition record
• 2010 FIFA World Cup profile
• Transfermarkt profile

Spain squads v t e Spain squad – 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Third Place 1 Aranzubia 2 Lacruz 3 Capdevila 4 Amaya 5 Marchena 6 Ismael 7 Angulo 8 Gabri 9 José Mari 10 Xavi 11 Farinós 12 Puyol 13 Láinez 14 Dorado 15 Albelda 16 Tamudo 17 Velamazán 18 Ferrón 19 Luque 20 Ania 21 Felip Coach: Sáez v t e Spain squad – 2000 Summer Olympics Silver Medalists 1 Aranzubia 2 Lacruz 3 Capdevila 4 Marchena 5 Unai 6 Albelda 7 Angulo 8 Xavi 9 José Mari 10 Gabri 11 Ferrón 12 Puyol 13 Luque 14 Amaya 15 Ismael 16 Velamazán 17 Tamudo 18 Felip Coach: Sáez v t e Spain squad – UEFA Euro 2004 1 Cañizares 2 Capdevila 3 Marchena 4 Albelda 5 Puyol 6 Helguera 7 Raúl (c) 8 Baraja 9 F. Torres 10 Morientes 11 Luque 12 Gabri 13 Aranzubia 14 Vicente 15 Bravo 16 Alonso 17 Etxeberria 18 César 19 Joaquín 20 Xavi 21 Valerón 22 Juanito 23 Casillas Coach: Sáez v t e Spain squad – UEFA Euro 2008 Winners (2nd Title) 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Navarro 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Iniesta 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Cazorla 13 Palop 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 García 17 Güiza 18 Arbeloa 19 Senna 20 Juanito 21 Silva 22 De la Red 23 Reina Coach: Aragonés v t e Spain squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Pablo 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Busquets 13 López 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Llorente 17 Güiza 18 Riera 19 Arbeloa 20 Cazorla 21 Silva 22 Mata 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque v t e Spain squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup Winners (1st Title) 1 Casillas (c) 2 Albiol 3 Piqué 4 Marchena 5 Puyol 6 Iniesta 7 Villa 8 Xavi 9 F. Torres 10 Fàbregas 11 Capdevila 12 Valdés 13 Mata 14 Alonso 15 Ramos 16 Busquets 17 Arbeloa 18 Pedro 19 Llorente 20 Martínez 21 Silva 22 Navas 23 Reina Coach: Del Bosque

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

National team statistics[link]

Statistics accurate as of 30 May 2012

International goals[link]

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 June 2005	Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	0–4	0–4	2006 World Cup qualification
2.	16 June 2006	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart, Germany	Côte d'Ivoire	1–0	2–1	2006 World Cup
3.	16 August 2006	Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland	Republic of Ireland	0–4	0–4	Friendly
4.	6 September 2006	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Belarus	1–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualification
5.	6 September 2006	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	Belarus	2–0	3–0	Euro 2008 qualification
6.	7 October 2006	Vasil Levski Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	1–1	1–1	Euro 2008 qualification
7.	11 October 2006	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Albania	1–0	2–1	Euro 2008 qualification
8.	13 June 2008	Stade de Suisse, Berne, Switzerland	France	2–0	4–1	Euro 2008
9.	17 June 2008	Stade de Suisse, Berne, Switzerland	Romania	2–0	2–0	Euro 2008
10.	20 August 2008	Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, Russia	Russia	0–1	1–1	Friendly
11.	19 November 2008	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Sweden	1–0	3–1	Friendly
12.	19 November 2008	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Sweden	2–0	3–1	Friendly
13.	28 March 2009	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Scotland	2–0	3–0	2010 World Cup qualification
14.	5 September 2009	Grolsch Veste, Enschede, Netherlands	Japan	1–0	3–0	Friendly
15.	26 May 2010	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Mexico	1–0	2–1	Friendly
16.	26 May 2010	Dreisamstadion, Freiburg, Germany	Mexico	2–0	2–1	Friendly
17.	1 June 2010	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	Ghana	4–1	4–1	Friendly
18.	5 June 2010	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Hungary	1–1	6–1	Friendly
19.	24 June 2010	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa	Cameroon	1–0	2–1	2010 World Cup
20.	25 March 2011	Stadium Puskás Ferenc, Budapest, Hungary	Hungary	0–4	0–4	Euro 2012 qualification
21.	29 March 2011	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Hungary	1–0	5–3	Euro 2012 qualification
22.	2 September 2011	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	San Marino	1–0	11–0	Euro 2012 qualification
23.	2 September 2011	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	San Marino	5–0	11–0	Euro 2012 qualification
24.	2 September 2011	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	San Marino	6–0	11–0	Euro 2012 qualification
25.	2 September 2011	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	San Marino	8–0	11–0	Euro 2012 qualification
26.	26 May 2012	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Bulgaria	1–0	1–2	Friendly