Robin van Persie was entitled to wonder what on earth the season held for him as the shutters came down on the summer transfer window at the end of August. Two of his most gifted team-mates, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, had been sold. His manager, Arsene Wenger, was under unprecedented pressure. What remained of a shattered looking Arsenal side got the thumping of their lives at Old Trafford, losing by a harrowing 8-2 scoreline. The season ahead looked nothing short of doomed.
Fast forward three months and van Persie cannot wipe the grin off his face. He is the new Arsenal captain, his team are back on track, and he is personally enjoying the kind of hot streak where football must be an absolute pleasure to play. Just about every touch is perfect, every run finds space, every pass finds its target, every trick comes off, and every shot bulges the net. Easy as pie.
How fragile we are
Robin van Persie is being mentioned in the same breath as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a stature that can only be maintained if the Arsenal attacker continues to distance himself from an injury-riddled past.
| Date | Injury |
|---|---|
| Jan. 2006 | Broken big toe |
| Jan. 2007 | Fractured fifth metatarsal |
| Nov. 2009 | Ruptured ankle ligaments |
| Aug. 2010 | Injured ankle |
| Feb. 2011 | Injured knee |
Those who believe in karma could argue that van Persie deserves this golden period. Previously, his career had so often been blighted by injury, critics wondered whether he would ever have the chance to move freely enough, for long enough, to make the most out of his natural ability. They spoke of him having glass ankles. Legs made of porcelain. As soon as he was up and running again, he would invariably crack and fall victim to another slice of rotten luck. In four out of the past five seasons he has been sidelined for a period of several months. How was it possible for a guy who required a “handle with care” label to flourish in the rough and tumble of the Premier League?
Wenger does not believe it is a coincidence that van Persie’s current supremacy comes at a time when he has had his longest stretch of full fitness. During 2011, he has scored 31 goals from 29 Premier League games – a stunning statistic. “He is on fire,” enthuses Wenger, who doesn’t want to get into a game of comparisons but does not shy away from mentioning his man in the same breath as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. "The intelligence of his movement around the box and the accuracy of his finishing is exceptional."
His goals have been essential to Arsenal’s resurgence. But it is not just his strike rate that makes him so important a presence for his team. Van Persie has become a leader. He cherishes the armband, inspires his team-mates with words as well as deeds, and has debunked the theory that forwards do not make decent captains.
Such an idea was unimaginable in his early days at Arsenal. He arrived from Rotterdam with a reputation for being a hothead, and in one of his more raw appearances he was sent off for a reckless explosion of temperament in a game at Southampton. Wenger gave his young striker a withering look as he left the pitch, and a public dressing down afterwards. Did van Persie have the right stuff to knuckle down and grow up?
The answer is a resounding yes - for which owes some gratitude to Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal’s Dutch legend whose boots van Persie was bought to fill. Wenger asked Bergkamp to mentor his compatriot when their careers overlapped in north London. Usually that would mean the senior man lecturing the kid (especially in the strong-willed traditions of Dutch football). But in this case, Van Persie did not stop bombarding the softly spoken Bergkamp with endless questions. "Dennis used to laugh at me," Van Persie recalls.
Van Persie, whose parents are both artists, is by nature an original thinker and a passionate man who is keen to express himself. He enjoys it when football sets a player intense tests: “I live on having a challenge when the line is really thin,” he explains. “I like it the most when you have no clue what is going to happen. Everyone is on top of their toes, totally excited. These situations get the maximum out of me."
During his career he has been positioned as a playmaker, on both wings, and now as a more advanced target spearheading his team’s attack. Those different experiences have made him the player he is today. As he says, “If you look at really special players they can play everywhere. Look at Zidane. He was the master of every aspect of the game. He could make the game, explore, get all his energy out."
At the moment, van Persie could not look any happier that to do exactly that for Arsenal. But the paradox which lies beneath the surface is this: The more he keeps on exhibiting his brilliance, the likelier it is that richer clubs will fly down like vultures each transfer window to try their luck.
Wenger last week expressed it was his dream to encourage van Persie to see out his career at the club. In the meantime, they just have to pray that he stays fighting fit.
