Robin van Persie showed where his Arsenal and Man Utd loyalties lie with claim

26 July 2023 , 07:00

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Robin van Persie remains a hero at Old Trafford for his goals during the 2012/13 season (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Robin van Persie is one of the few players to have donned both the red of Arsenal and the red of Manchester United during an illustrious playing career.

The Dutchman's first taste of English football came at Arsenal, who he joined after leaving Feyenoord in 2004. So much of his time in north London was spent plagued with injury, but not even that could stop some jaw-dropping moments of Van Persie brilliance. His finest campaign for the Gunners came over the course of the 2011/12 season when he almost single-handedly carried the club into the Champions League.

At the time, he was adored by the Emirates faithful, but that soon changed when that very summer in 2012 he put pen to paper on a deal with Arsenal's fierce rivals United. Citing "the little boy" within him that told him he couldn't turn down such an opportunity, he burned his bridges with the Gunners and became a Red Devil.

It was a decision that paid off pretty quickly, with another stunning campaign in 2012/23 seeing Van Persie fire United to the final Premier League title of Sir Alex Ferguson's 26-year reign as manager.

The forward called time on his playing career in 2019 and in the same year was asked who the most talented team-mate of his was over the course of his time as a professional footballer. Van Persie instead opted to name six but send a subtle hint over where his loyalties lie regarding his two former Premier League sides.

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Of the six, the ex-Netherlands international named four United players and just two Arsenal stars. He told BBC Sport: "So difficult to name one. I would go for Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy."

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Given the star-studded list of players Van Persie has at one time considered a teammate, the likes of fellow countrymen Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben as well as Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri back at Arsenal, the six who did make the cut can consider it quite the compliment.

His preference and affection for United shines through when Van Persie discussed his Old Trafford exit.

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"Because I had one more year on my deal, maybe I should have stayed," Van Persie said. "But then Van Gaal was the coach and he made it quite clear what his intentions were. Then you have to make a decision: Do you stay and fight for your place?

"Would it be an honest competition or not? Based on all that info, we decided to move on. But three years is not three days, it's still a long period, it's still a big part of my football career, and in total 11 years of football in England... as a kid, I would never have dreamed of that."

Josh O'Brien