Van Persie Becomes An Arsenal Centurion

Arsenal captain Robin Van Persie bagged his 100th goal for the club today, on the way to leading his side to a 3-0 win against Bolton; only their second win in the Premiership this season.The Dutchman, then aged 20, signed for the Gunners on the 17th of May 2004 for a mere 2.75mil and was seen as a long term replacement for club legend, and fellow Dutch maestro, Dennis Bergkamp. 

Robin 'Centurion' Van Persie

Van Persie scored his first goal for Arsenal in a League Cup win against Manchester City. He went on to score 10 goals in his debut season, with a terrific brace against Blackburn in the semi final of the FA cup being his most impressive of the season. His brace sent Arsenal through to the final where he scores in the penalty shootout as they beat Manchester United, this is currently Van Persie and Arsenals last taste of silverware.
 
The 05-06 season saw Van Persie start in exhilarating form, scoring eight goals in eight games. However he only managed to add 3 more goals to his tally throughout the season, yet his 11 goals were an improvement on his debut season. Although the next season was plagued by injury, something the talented Dutchman has unfortunately had to endure throughout his career, he again improved on his previous tally, bagging 13 goals in the 06-07 season. The season included a wonder strike for the striker; a goal Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger described as 'the goal of a lifetime', this was in reference to a quite unbelievable airborne volley scored against Charlton.


 
Prior to the 07-08 season Arsenal legend Thierry Henry departed for Barcelona, this saw Van Persie become Arsenals main striker. However the season didn't go to plan with the Dutchman only appearing in 23 games for the side. He still managed to score 9 goals albeit his worse tally for the club so far. The following season saw Van Persie score his 50th goal for Arsenal in a disappointing 4-4 draw against fierce rivals Tottenham. The highlight of his season came when he scored two wonderful goals against Chelsea, to give his side all 3 points after being 1-0 down at Stamford Bridge. The 08-09 season also saw him captain the side for the first time against Plymouth Argyle. He ended the season with, at the time, career best figures of 20 goals in all competitions.
 
The 09-10 season was another disturbed by injuries; Van Persie only playing 20 games. However he still managed to score an impressive 10 goals. 2010-11 saw Van Persie change his squad number to 10, the shirt previously worn by Dennis Bergkamp and it proved to be lucky for the Dutchman, as it was the his most prolific season yet ; 22 goals being scored in all competitions. This came in a season where he again spent long spells on the sidelines. Having not scored a single Premier League goal until January 1st, he equalled the record held by Christiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry by scoring 18 goals from the turn of the year to the end of the season. The season also saw him score many important goals, none more so than the equiliser against Barcelona; after a dinked ball over the top Van Persie exquisitely beat Victor Valdes from an impossible angle. This audacious strike saw him receive the teams goal of the season. He also scored Arsenal's only goal in an unlikely 2-1 defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup final.
 
This season has been Arsenal's toughest since he joined seven years ago. With the departure of Cesc Fabregas the Dutchman is seen as Arsenals best player, and rightly so. The Spaniards departure has also seen Van Persie given the captains armband. However the added pressure on his shoulders doesn't seem to have impaired his performances, with him scoring 5 goals in just 8 games. This including his 99th and 100th goals for the club today, goals which lead his side to victory; something he's consistently done throughout his career in North London.



Captain Fantastic celebrates his 100th Arsenal goal

Today’s feat sees him join an illustrious list of Arsenal players to have reached 1OO goals, Van Persie is number 17 on a list that includes the likes of; Thierry Henry, Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp to name a few. Due to injuries, it’s take him seven and a bit seasons to reach the 100 goal mark. However he has done so in fewer games than fellow Dutchman, Dennis Bergkamp. Aswell as an impressive 100 goals, Van Persie has also got 54 assists in his time at the club: impressive statistics for a striker. His natural footballing brain and undoubted talent with the ball are key factors in him being successful at Arsenal. This along with his ruthless finishing and expertise at set plays, make him one of the best strikers in the world. If the club are to win trophies again, the Dutchman will be an influential figure. The style in which Arsenal play makes him the key man on the pitch and his quality means that he can pull the strings from any position of the front four. It may have taken 238 games for him to reach 100 but if he can avoid those unfortunate injuries the next 100 will follow in no time.

Jack Doone-Daniels