Robin van Persie, born on August 6, 1983, at Notterdam, Netherlands, is a football player who lives in Enfield, North London with his wife Bouchra and son Shaqueel. His father Bob, a sculptor and mother Jose Ras, a painter, constantly encouraged him to pursue arts, but he was interested in football.
Robin van Persie was selected for the Netherlands national U21 football team and made his first international appearance in 2003. He earned his first full international cap against Romania in the summer of 2005. Robin van Persie was shortlisted for the Dutch national team for the 2006 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup finals. Robin van Persie was selected to participate in the EURO 2008 and on June 13, he came on as a 55th minute substitute in the Nerherlands second Group C match, a 4-1 victory over World Cup finalists France.
For his natural flair for the game as a kid, Robin van Persie went on to be noticed by Dutch football clubs at a very young age. He was first signed by SBV Excelsior, a professional football club from Rotterdam.
Robin van Persie was soon noticed by Feyenoord football club, where he sharpened his gaming skills and went on to become a key member of the squad defeating BV Borussia Dortmund, a German football club at the 2002 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup final.
For 2003-04 season, he was signed by Arsenal in August to play at the English Premier League. He made his debut for the team as a substitute in the FA Community Shield, an English association football trophy, winning over Manchester United 3-1. In the 2004-05 season, he made his competitive debut against Manchester City in the League Cup. Robin van Persie steered Arsenal to a 2-1 win with his opening goal. He also scored two crucial goals at the The Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) semi-finals against Blackburn Rovers, an English Premier League football club.
He went on to be the most powerful player for Arsenal at the Premiership, where he made a match saving goal against West Bromwich Albion Football Club, securing an overall second place. In his first season with Arsenal, Robin van Persie has made 40 appearances and has scored 10 vital goals.
He was awarded the highly coveted, ‘Player of the Month’ award in November 2005 after a stellar performance, scoring six goals in four starts. In January 2006, Robin van Persie was remunerated with his contract being extended till 2010. He won the highly acclaimed, BBC’s ‘Goal of the Month’ title, for an outstanding goal against Charlton Athletic Football Club. He finished as the top scorer for Arsenal in this season making 13 goals in 30 appearances. His remarkable game earned him the ‘Rotterdam Sportsperson of the Year’ in 2006. Robin van Persie led Arsenal to victory in the Amsterdam tournament of 2007 and 2008.
Robin van Persie is a fan of R n B music and his favorite movies include the Godfather and Shawshank Redemption.
