The Highs and Lows of Robin van Persie's Manchester United Career

Robin van Persie was paraded in front of adoring Fenerbahce fans on Tuesday, per Sky Sports, offering visual proof that his Manchester United career has come to an end. 

But what a career it was. Not in terms of longevity or consistency, but in terms of sheer dramatic impact. 

Not since Eric Cantona, that most hallowed of United heroes, had a player served as such an immediate catalyst for success. Of course, Cantona's impact on the club was felt for decades to come in a way that Van Persie's will not. However, the Dutchman's arrival effectively earned Sir Alex Ferguson a triumphant goodbye and earned United title number 20. 

What has followed has been bumpy, and thus some lows will be mentioned first, but stick with it, because the highs are a joyous trip down—recent—memory lane.

Thank you, Robin. It's been emotional.

Low: Sir Alex Ferguson Retires

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Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement was the turning point for Van Persie. Of course, it was for the club as a whole, but the striker is reportedly the one who was most impacted. 

Rio Ferdinand, a man with a firsthand view of what happened, wrote on Facebook (h/t the Mirror):

"

The moment Sir Alex Ferguson told us in the changing room at Carrington that he was retiring, I looked to my left around 6 lockers where I saw a totally devastating looking RVP... he was shaking his head in shock, completely disheartened it seemed.

Robin took it the worst out of the whole squad.

He had found a place & a manager that completely got RVP - Ferguson knew RVP 's goals would get us the title back & so throughout the first 6months of the season he was drilling it home to the other players to get the ball into him or else!

Imagine the confidence that would have been running through his veins after hearing his boss talk like that to a team he respected - about HIM and HIS importance to winning!

"

That all changed when Sir Alex went. Van Persie was never the same again.

Low: Radamel Falcao Arrives

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Van Persie never said a cross word in public about Radamel Falcao, but arguably, the Colombian's arrival was the beginning of the end of his time at United. 

Had Falcao not arrived, he may have been able to spend Louis van Gaal's first season as the same kind of guaranteed main man he had been under Sir Alex. As it was, Van Gaal had to adapt to his plethora of strikers, playing both men in a two-striker system that suited neither.

They were both used to ploughing a lone furrow. They had both lost pace and thus had to adapt to a less mobile approach. It was a bad match, and both suffered for it.

The Colombian also gained tremendous attention from the Old Trafford crowd, and his joyous chant could often be heard ringing out. The strains of "Oh, Robin van Persie," which had been the soundtrack to the 2012/13 season, were now reduced to an occasional rendition. Van Persie visibly lifted whenever he heard it, and the crowd's affections appeared meaningful to him.

Falcao's arrival denied Van Persie main-man status with his manager and the crowd. Perhaps the decline was irreversible anyway, but the Colombian's arrival all but guaranteed that it was.

Low: Penalty Miss Against West Bromwich Albion

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The West Bromwich Albion fixture was not a dramatic game on which much rested. Rather, it was part of a run of fixtures that saw United drift aimlessly to fourth place, having played out of their skin for a few games previously. 

However, for Van Persie, it was more than that. After all, United's good form had all come without him. When he said on Tuesday that he could see his Old Trafford exit coming, per Sky Sports again, perhaps the fact that he was unable to make an impact once he returned to action played on his mind. 

The circumstances did not help. There was a long wait for the penalty to be taken, and the Stretford End vociferously chanted Van Persie's name throughout the buildup. There seemed to be a moment of relief and catharsis on the horizon, one last chance to connect with the crowd and make a difference.

But it did not come. Instead, his penalty was well saved, and Van Persie never scored for United again. 

But enough of the sad end. Let's take a look back at the joyous beginning.

High: The Southampton Hat-Trick

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Interestingly enough, the Dutchman's United career started with a penalty miss too. 

Back in 2012, though, when Van Persie missed a penalty for United, his response was to finish the game with a hat-trick.

It was absolutely electrifying. The buzz around his signing had been loud and exciting, and here was evidence that it was going to work. The away crowd were in raptures. Van Persie equalised after Southampton had gone ahead in the first half. Morgan Schneiderlin gave the Saints another lead early in the second, and United's new man was given the chance to grab another equaliser from the penalty spot. 

He blew it, but he more than made up for it with two late goals that earned United the three points. His stoppage-time winner seemed to foreshadow what a good fit he was for Sir Alex's side. It was a sign of things to come.

HIgh: Winner at Anfield

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There is a simple equation at work here. If you score a winner for Manchester United at Anfield, it goes on your list of United career highs. 

Diego Forlan is in the club. John O'Shea is in the club. Juan Mata is the club's newest member. On 23 September 2012, two short months into his United career, Van Persie made sure he was signed up for a lifetime membership in the pantheon of United folk heroes.

Another penalty, this time converted. It was not the goal but the sense that he was again the man for the big occasion. Having missed the penalty against Southampton, there was additional pressure on him, as if taking an 81st-minute penalty for United at Anfield is not pressure enough.

It was also likely to win the game. Steven Gerrard had given Liverpool the lead. Rafael had provided a spectacular equaliser. 

But it was on Van Persie to finish the job, and, of course, he did.

High: Winning the Derby

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It had been a cracking game. United, playing brilliantly in the first half, had blown Manchester City away thanks to two Wayne Rooney goals. City came back ferociously in the second, dragging themselves back to 2-2 with an 85th-minute Pablo Zabaleta equaliser.

But the nature of the 2012/13 season simply would not allow for that to be where it ended. 

Instead, a free-kick was awarded to United two minutes into injury time. The Dutchman did not strike it all that well, but apparently compelled by the force of sheer narrative, the ball deflected of a hapless City wall past a helpless Joe Hart.

From that point on, the league was always going to be United's.

High: Keeping United in the Cup Against West Ham United

Musa Okwonga, writing for ESPN after a January 2013 FA cup clash between the Red Devils and West Ham United, said it best: 

"

The time has come. After only half a season, Robin van Persie's importance to Manchester United is such that it is time to anoint him with a new title.  From now on, with a nod to Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction,' he should be hereafter referred to as 'The Wolf.'

The Wolf, played by Harvey Keitel, was a legendary figure called upon to extract his fellow members of the criminal fraternity from all manner of apparently irredeemable positions.  The mere suggestion someone might be able to send in The Wolf to save them inspired equal feelings of joy and awe.

So it was that Sir Alex Ferguson, seeing his team 2-1 down to West Ham United in the FA Cup on Saturday, sent in The Wolf. 

"

Van Persie's arrival into that game, with United behind, swiftly lead to its inevitable conclusion. He scored the goal that kept United in the cup.

And what a goal it was, probably his second best in a United shirt. A stunning pass from Ryan Giggs—a man for whom Van Persie was clearly full of admiration—was controlled with an adroit first touch, knocked into position with a deft second touch and slotted sweetly home with a glorious third. 

That goal was emblematic of his first season. Van Persie really was the Wolf.

High: Everything He Said in His 1st Season

Jon Super/Associated Press

Of course, the success on the pitch was the main takeaway from the season. But almost as much fun as that were the soundbites. Van Persie seemed to be on cloud nine from the moment he arrived to the day Sir Alex retired. 

It started from the first press conference, covered here by the Independent, when he said "I always listen to the little boy inside of me in these situations—when you have to make the harder decisions in life. What does he want? That boy was screaming for Man United." 

Quite a way to endear yourself to your new fans. 

Then there was his abundance of evident respect for United legends. He said in an interview with MUTV (h/t the club's official website): "I feel that I'm surrounded by champions. They know how to win and that makes it really easy for me."

In January 2013, he told Sky Sports:

"

I am seeing things again which I haven't seen for a long time. When I first went to Arsenal years ago I saw things from [Dennis] Bergkamp and [Thierry] Henry that I had never seen in my life before. Now I am seeing those things again and that makes me happy.

It's like being a kid in a sweet shop. This is having fun, enjoying myself. That's what I am doing, I'm just having fun.

"

The moment pictured above, when he celebrated a goal by running to hug Sir Alex, was typical of his affection for the club and its manager. It was tremendous fun to watch him enjoying himself.

High: The Villa Hat-Trick

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Memories of this night are enough to give the hardest-hearted United fan goosebumps.

Van Persie had endured a brief dip in form from February 2013 onward, but when it was most needed, it came back with a vengeance. 

It was a hat-trick of great significance. The first put United 1-0 up, with any win ensuring they would win the league. The second earned him the Goal of the Season award. The third put him in the lead for the Golden Boot.

Quite a night for Van Persie.

The second goal was a thing of beauty, a volley controlled in remarkable fashion from a lovely over-the-shoulder ball from Rooney. The celebrations that followed when United finally picked up the silverware were even more beautiful, as Van Persie, with the No. 20 on his back, held the Premier League trophy aloft. His team-mates loved him. The crowd loved him. His manager loved him.

It was the peak moment of his United career, and no one who witnessed it will ever forget it.