Robin van Persie: RVP's 10 Greatest Moments with Arsenal FC

In another life, Arsene Wenger must have been a sculptor.

If genius is the capacity to see what others do not, and then create something wholly uncanny, it sounds very similar to the basic premise for Wenger's reclamation projects over the years. The French manager often appears to scour thrift stores for unwanted or forgotten items before bringing them home and making them into something great.

And yes, by items, I mean players.

Before beginning to carve what would eventually become his masterpiece David, Michelangelo did nothing but stare at a block of marble for months. Alarmed at this apparent lack of progress and the prospect of losing money, the Italian's exasperated patron asked him exactly what he was doing.

Michelangelo gave a succinct and unforgettable response: sculpting.

I feel there are some similarities to that story and Wenger's own.

No one saw what Thierry Henry would eventually become when the French manager rescued him from what appeared to be a stalled career out on the wing at Juventus. He was just a block of marble—a talented one, obviously—but it took Wenger to see the masterpiece within, and extract the brilliance from the rough-hewn edges.

It's much the same story with Robin van Persie. Coming from Feyenoord of Holland's Eredivisie on a £3 million transfer in 2004, the son of a Rotterdam artist had a history of bust-ups with coaches and teammates alike (Bert van Marwijk at Feyenoord, later Wesley Sneijder during the 2006 World Cup).

The talent was there; it was just hidden beneath a cacophony of boisterous din and youthful bravado. van Persie needed a setting in which he could thrive.

And at Arsenal he got just that. He was able to apprentice to two of the greatest strikers in history (Henry and Dennis Bergkamp), taking every possible opportunity to learn from their example.

That left boot of his has always swung heavily toward the phenomenal, but he has worked dutifully and carefully to supplement that skill with flourishes of savvy positioning and the killer instincts requisite of a striker. In his seven years at Arsenal, he's become a complete player.

He'll never have the pace of an Henry, but you could say he has more power than a Bergkamp. But to compare him to either would be missing the point entirely. Those two men were inimitable in their approach to soccer.

And apart from his improvement as a player, he has become, like Batman in The Dark Knight, the leader that Arsenal need at this point in time. Like Bruce Wayne, there was a time when you'd never have thought it possible to one day see him in a position of leadership, but he has matured into a reassuring presence for what remains a team dominated by youth.

The record books are beginning to shatter under the weight of his phenomenal performances. And he doesn't look ready to stop anytime soon.

Here follow 10 of RVP's greatest moments with Arsenal.

Scores the Winner Against Southampton

You might forgive Southampton's defenders for allowing van Persie to get the ball onto his favored left foot—after all, this was the Dutchman's first season as a Gunner. His tendencies weren't well-documented as of yet.

That ability to transfer the ball onto his left boot, wrong-footing defenders with that innate sense of hesitation and timing, and finally unleashing rockets honing in on the upper 90 would become the stuff of legend in the years following this goal.

It's always fun to go back and see players at the beginning. Shades of the van Persie we see today, wending his way throughout the attacking third, were evident back then. But in the grand scheme they were merely the initial thinner and base for what is steadily growing into a masterpiece.

"That" Goal Against Blackburn Rovers

My youth soccer coach used to stress the importance of changing pace while dribbling. We'd spend the better part of our warmups either going one-on-one and working on moves past defenders, or simply dribbling by ourselves and surging into different gears every 30 seconds or so.

When done well, it's a joy to watch (it's the one thing I'll acknowledge that I respect about Cristiano Ronaldo—amidst the tricks and feints, he possesses a deadly and direct sense of when to turn on the after-burners past a defender).

Here, it was a player I have a much easier time supporting. After blowing past two Rovers defenders as if they weren't there, van Persie then proceeded to score a goal straight out of the early days of FIFA video games or Winning Eleven 9—I used to score curlers like that one with Robert Pires on a regular basis. Only instead of cutting in from the right, I'd head in from the left.

It was the type of solo effort rarely seen. An instant classic.

Wins the FA Cup in 2005

It's easy to forget that van Persie had a hand in obtaining Arsenal's last silverware to date.

Coming on as a substitute for Cesc Fabregas in the 86th minute, the Dutchman—only 21 at the time—would play a crucial role in deciding what was still a 0-0 deadlock after 120 minutes.

Stepping up to take the third penalty for Arsenal, you might have forgiven van Persie had he shown the slightest touch of nerves.

But he held his own, and powered a perfectly struck shot into the top right corner past keeper Roy Carroll. It was a penalty much like the one (of two) he delivered against Aston Villa this past weekend in the FA Cup.

Simply put: unstoppable.

Wonder-Volley Against Charlton

It's the sort of goal that careers are remembered by—the type of strike that fixes itself in memories for a long, long time.

Van Persie had no right to think he could score from that angle, on the volley no less.

But in the vein of a Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Ian Wright or Liam Brady, he sent in an absolute screamer with perfect technique. It was the sort of strike that would get Ray Hudson screaming and looking for the loftiest hyperbole.

Charlton right-back Luke Young was left with no chance as he arrived late on the scene, second best to the onrushing RVP, and probably didn't think for a minute that he would be undone by a goal of that quality.

The Family Man

If you can refrain from laughing at the various fashion statements revealed in this photo—I know, it's difficult—there is a greater theme to be found.

While it would appear to have little to do with his on-field production, van Persie's role as a father and husband has helped him settle as a person.

Whether it be his sharing a goal scored by his son (who apparently is getting serious looks from the Arsenal academy,) or tweeting about a fun night spent with his family, he comes across as a much more grounded individual.

They say that becoming a husband and a father changes you. After years of looking out for yourself, you notice that your own needs play second fiddle to those of the ones you love.

At 28, that's the perfect trait you want in a club captain.

Hat Trick Against Wigan

Three weeks into 2011, there were already signs that we were in for an unprecedented year for the man who would become the Arsenal skipper (Cesc Fabregas was still team captain at the time).

On Jan. 22nd, facing Wigan Athletic at the Emirates, van Persie notched his first-ever hat trick in an Arsenal shirt. Considering that he missed a penalty and hit the post, it's no stretch of the imagination to think he could've hung five on the Lattics.

With David Beckham (who was training with Tottenham Hotspur at the time) watching on from the stands, Arsenal delivered a crushing defeat to the visitors, who in fairness were reduced to 10 men during the match.

The hat trick was the first in what would become a long list of accomplishments during that calendar year, including another hat trick at Stamford Bridge.

Stunning Equalizer Against Barcelona

The delightful pass from Gael Clichy was lost amid the ensuing din, but given the incisive nature of van Persie's half-volley, you could hardly blame anyone for selective memory.

Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes may have thought that van Persie would try to play Nicklas Bendtner across goal, but that wasn't to be the case.

As compatriot Marco van Basten once did with that sublime volley in the '88 European Championships, van Persie produced a feat of uncommon excellence with his strike.

No goal will ever hold a candle to van Basten's, but this one by RVP, which sent Arsenal level against the Blaugrana before the eventual Andrei Arshavin winner, was one to remember. It's one of my favorite goals from one of the most memorable matches I've ever had the pleasure to watch.

Awarded the Captaincy

He was given the rank of captain on Aug. 16, 2011, and he will remain the skipper until he departs or retires (hopefully the latter.)

While he may not be the most vocal on the pitch, it's still encouraging to watch van Persie before the kickoff whistle or before the halftime restart speaking animatedly with teammates, supposedly exhorting them for bigger and better things.

Thierry Henry's turn as club captain in 2006-07 seemed marked by resignation. The Frenchman's star was still quite brilliant, but it was an isolating one set to the backdrop of the youthful collection of Gunners surrounding him as Wenger began tightening the proverbial purse strings to make the move into the gleaming Emirates Stadium a feasible enterprise.

Whether or not van Persie keeps the captaincy for one year or five matters little. He's taken it into his hands to be a guide for his teammates.

Even during the most trying portions of 2011-12 (and there have been quite a few), he has never called out anyone or voiced his displeasure that the club's ambitions might not match his own.

That's exactly what you want from a captain. Oh, and his 19 league goals, good enough to make him the EPL's top scorer, don't hurt either.

Scores His 100th Goal for Arsenal

The goals themselves were fairly standard fare for the elegant Dutchman (if you want to watch them, bear with the first 98 goals that come before in this excellent video of van Persie's Arsenal career up to the Bolton match), but then, when you've made a career out of making the extraordinary seem, well, ordinary, you can't really blame a fan for expecting the moon on a regular basis.

Nevertheless, van Persie's 99th and 100th goals for Arsenal, scored against Bolton Wanderers on Sept. 24, 2011, were the latest in a long line of decorations for the No. 10 during a glittering calendar year.

They marked his evolution as a striker. The movement before his strikes was excellent, and the finishing top-notch.

The 3-0 victory (it seems as if Arsenal record a heaping amount of those when playing at the Emirates) was a crucial step in the Gunners' early season reclamation project (just the previous weekend, they'd lost to Blackburn Rovers 4-3).

It made sense that van Persie was leading the way.

Breaks Thierry Henry's Club Record for League Goals in a Calendar Year

It seemed appropriate that he should break Thierry Henry's club record for goals scored in a calendar year (34) on New Year's Eve, the final goal coming on the final day.

Notching the winner in an eventual 1-0 victory at home over Queens Park Rangers, van Persie capped off an unforgettable 2011 in the way he'd done it all year: scoring goals when his side needed him most.

Thankfully, his production in front of goal shows no sign of abetting in 2012 (he has four goals so far this year, and almost had the goal of the season on Wednesday against Bolton, when his chipped effort from distance narrowly missed settling in the back of the net) a thoroughly encouraging sign for Arsenal fans.

It's been a glittering career thus far for the Dutch master. Let's hope there are many more highlights to come.