Robin van Persie

Born in August of 1983 in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, Robin van Persie is a footballer who currently plays for Manchester United in the English Premier League and also, of course, for the Dutch national team. 

The striker made his breakthrough into the Feyenoord team in 2000, going on to make 61 appearances over four years, winning the Dutch Football Talent of the Year award and the UEFA Cup in the 2001-2002 season before joining Arsenal for £2.75 million in 2004. 

Having joined Arsenal, Van Persie won the FA Community Shield and FA Cup in his debut season in London, but those trophies remained the only honours the striker won during his time at the club. After initially struggling to establish himself at Arsenal due to various injuries and often being played out of position by Arsene Wenger, Van Persie soon became a firm favourite among the Arsenal fans due to his goalscoring abilities. He was eventually named club captain in 2011, and went on to score 37 goals in all competitions during that season. 

An acrimonious move to bitter rivals Manchester United followed in the summer of 2012, and the striker was soon back among the trophies, scoring 37 goals in all competitions on his way to winning the FA Community Shield and the Premier League title in his first season at Old Trafford. 

During his time in England, Van Persie has scored a whopping 129 Premier League goals, putting him tenth in the all-time list of the league's top scorers.

Van Persie has represented the Dutch national team at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, making 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 victory against Finland. 

The left-footed forward has gone on to win 78 caps so far, scoring 41 goals for his country and taking him top of the Netherlands leading goalscorers list. He represented his country in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2012. Van Persie was named Holland's captain in June of 2013.

Often compared to Dutch legend Marco van Basten, Van Persie will be hoping to follow in his idol's footsteps by leading Holland to their first major title since the Van Basten-inspired European Championships success in 1988. With a World Cup runners-up medal from 2010, Van Persie will lead the Netherlands into the upcoming tournament in Brazil next summer hoping to lead his country to their first World Cup crown.

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