During the mayhem at the Emirates Stadium this summer, that included the comings and goings of players and a series of poor results, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger announced that his new captain, following the departure of Cesc Fabregas, would be Dutchman Robin van Persie.
Wenger had no second thoughts about it, calling Van Persie a leader through the way he played and his desire to win.
Wenger also named Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen as his vice-captain.
Van Persie joined Arsenal from Feyenoord in 2004 for a fee of £2.75 million.
Born in Rotterdam on August 6, 1983, his height (six feet) enables him to be a constant threat in opponents’ penalty areas.
In 1999, Van Persie started his career with Excelsior before joining Feyenoord from where he was promoted to the first team in 2001. After three years in came the Arsenal scouts who gave the nod for another Dutch gem to cross over to north London.
In the national team, Van Persie played in three different youth stages − Under 17, 19 and 21 from where he teamed up with the national side in 2005.
To date he has chalked up 56 appearances for his country and scored 21 goals.
In Van Persie, Wenger saw a long-term replacement for the club’s other Dutchman and hero Dennis Bergamp.
Van Persie started his career at Arsenal with a bang as he lifted the FA Community Shield (against Manchester United 3-1, netting one of the goals) and later in the same 2004-05 campaign he won the FA Cup.
In the national side, his debut came in a 2-0 World Cup 2006 qualifier win over Romania and four days later, in another group match, he scored his first goals in the 4-0 victory over Finland.
He has participated in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and UEFA’s Euro 2008.
Arsenal career
2004-05: Premier appearances 12 (plus 14 as substitute), scoring five goals. He scored his first netting in Europe and three goals in the FA Cup (goals total: 11).
2005-06: Started 13 (11) matches in the Premier League, netting five goals. From his final total of 11 goals he netted four in the League Cup competition.
2006-07: 17 Premier appearances (5), scoring 11 goals for a total of 13 (two in Europe).
2007-08: Premier appearances 13 (2), netting seven goals with another in the continent for a total of nine.
2008-09: Premier appearances 24 (4), scoring 11 goals. His final tally of 20 goals includes five in Europe, four in the FA Cup.
2009-10: Premier appearances 14 (2), netting nine goals for a total of 10 (one in Europe).
2010-11: Last season he scored the best total of goals ever for Arsenal, 22. His tally of 18 in the Premier League (19/6 appearances) saw him finishing as runners-up in the overall list of top marksmen. He almost netted a goal a game with 19 starts.
Van Persie’s totals
League 112 (44) − 66 goals.
Europe 33 (12) − 15 goals.
FA Cup 11 (5) − eight goals.
League Cup 10 (1) − six goals.
Overall 166 matches (64 substitute) − 95 goals.