Robin Van Persie: Reviewing Each Goal He's Scored for Arsenal This Season

When thinking about Robin van Persie as captain of Arsenal Football Club, I'm reminded forcibly of Boromir's final lines in The Fellowship of the Ring movie before the valiant captain of Gondor bites the dust.

Just before he breathes his last breath, the fallen warrior pulls Aragorn close to him and utters:

"I would have followed you my brother, my captain, my king."

The final caption is the kicker. It is the first time that Boromir, steadfastly proud and defiant of Aragorn's rightful claim to his kingdom's throne, has acknowledged the Ranger as his heir.

Aside from the wonderful working of the language, the exhortation is quite simple.

Kind of like...

"He scores when he wants, he scores when he wants...Robin van Persie, he scores when he wants!"

Who wouldn't follow van Persie at this moment in time, one in which the Dutchman looks as if he will never cease this incredible run of scoring?

Just as it took Aragorn years to realize his calling as a leader of nations, few would have predicted van Persie would ever become a captain upon his arrival to Arsenal as a talented but troubled 21-year-old winger back in 2004.

His evolution as a player and person is, in my opinion, one of the greatest success stories seen in recent memory.

The reasons behind his maturation are surely many, but I'll take a stab at a few.

Marriage. Fatherhood. Age.

Now 28, van Persie has developed like a fine wine, looking better than ever as he enters the latter stages of his peak professional years.

Thirty-three goals in 2011-12, following a final four-and-a-half months to the 2010-11 season that saw the Dutchman become the scourge of the Premier League.

Turmoil has been the word of the season at Arsenal, whether because of player departures or form.

Van Persie has been a veritable calm amidst that billowing storm.

And given the uproarious nature to the current Arsenal term, I for one take comfort in that consistency.

Here are 33 reasons to believe in it, too.

Aug. 24, 2011 at Udinese

Gervinho, then in only his second competitive game for Arsenal, did very well to work Udinese defender Mehdi Benatia and get to the endline before cutting back a pass, which the onrushing van Persie greedily snapped into the back of the net.

After failing to score in his first two appearances for Arsenal (van Persie was suspended for the first leg against Udinese following his sending off against Barcelona in the 2010-11 Round of 16), the Dutchman finally opened his tally for the season on a sweltering night in Italy in a game that the Gunners desperately needed goals.

This goal tied the game at 1-1 and put Arsenal back in control of the two-leg tie with a 2-1 aggregate.

After Theo Walcott scored the Gunners' second on the night, they would be high and dry and into the group stages for a remarkable 15th consecutive season.

Aug. 28, 2011 at Manchester United

It was perhaps Arsenal's darkest day this season, but van Persie nevertheless found the back of the net with a clinical half-volley in front of goal.

In the grand scheme of things, it did little to stamp reduce the 95 percent-cacau-bitter taste left after the 8-2 shellacking at the hands of the reigning league champions, but that goal did make it two in two matches for van Persie.

Like a devastating hurricane, this was a run that was only beginning to gather in force.

Sept. 13, 2011 at Borussia Dortmund

It mattered little that the ball fell to him on his right foot instead of his preferred left.

Collecting a neat through ball, van Persie allowed the ball to run past him (as he so often does) before chancing a glance at the Dortmund keeper's positioning.

His bearings accounted for, van Persie proceeded to fire a fierce drive to the keeper's left which nestled sweetly into the yellow-backed net.

The match would end 1-1 when Dortmund left-back Ivan Perisic unleashed a furious full volley just minutes from the final whistle.

A point away from home in the Champions League is never to be taken lightly, however.

Sept. 24, 2011 vs. Bolton (1)

The match would prove historic in more ways than one.

Van Persie's first strike on the day, his 99th for Arsenal, was perfectly indicative of his growth as a striker.

Whereas once the Dutchman had been hailed as a master technician, the poaching instinct he showed at the Emirates on that historic Saturday marked his evolution at the forward position, something former Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp recently attested to.

His timing was perfect, his finish was absolutely unstoppable as his left-footed drive powered into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.

Sept. 24, 2011 vs. Bolton (2)

This was No. 100 for his Arsenal career.

Another well-timed run from van Persie, who found himself in the perfect position to poke home Theo Walcott's inviting cross after the England winger had embarked upon a thrilling run down the right flank.

The technique wasn't straight-forward, but didn't he make it look easy?

Oct. 16, 2011 vs. Sunderland (1)

The shoddy camerawork aside, you could hardly have asked for a better opening to a game.

Why van Persie was allowed so much room just 18 feet from the Sunderland goal is a subject for an intense debate some day.

What we saw was yet another example of the Dutchman's remarkable composure in front of goal and surgical precision when given any snippet of space to pick his target.

Oct. 16, 2011 vs. Sunderland (2)

Anything you (Sebastian Larsson) can do, I can do better.

You could hardly begrudge van Persie if that lyric floated into his head following this absolute master class of a free kick.

Larsson, a former Arsenal academy product, had sent in his own sublime free kick to bring Sunderland level at 1-1, only to see it overshadowed by van Persie's late heroics.

As the photo shows—the ball heading perfectly for the upper corner, there was simply nothing to be done but marvel at magnificence inherent.

Oct. 23, 2011 vs. Stoke City (1)

Any chance to portray a flummoxed Ryan Shawcross is a chance worthy of being taken.

Van Persie's two goals against Stoke weren't his prettiest, but they were two of his most important this season.

Sent on as a substitute in a 1-1 deadlock at the Emirates, van Persie provided the sort of substitute turn we'd seen from Cesc Fabregas against Aston Villa in 2009.

His first goal, a tidy finish off a Gervinho cross, put Arsenal ahead for good.

Oct. 16, 2011 vs. Stoke City (2)

He struck again in the 82nd minute, driving a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner of goal to seal the game for good.

Arsenal had a valuable three points thanks to their talismanic skipper.

Oct. 29, 2011 at Chelsea (1)

Van Persie's first goal of what would become perhaps the most thrilling Arsenal game this season came after, what Soccernet so perfectly described in their post-match recap, as "equalis[ing] with the kind of goal [Arsenal] are all too often accused of trying to score."

Aaron Ramsey picked out Gervinho with a ball in behind Chelsea's haphazard defense, allowing the Ivorian a clear path in on goal.

Electing for the more noble route, Arsenal's summer signing from Lille did draw Petr Cech out, but only to then pass off his goal-scoring chance to an onrushing van Persie, who was to his left.

Van Persie made no mistake in slotting his finish home (seen in picture). Arsenal were level 1-1 after falling behind to a Frank Lampard opener (14').

Oct. 29, 2011 at Chelsea (2)

The true poacher's goal, van Persie took advantage of a dreadfully wayward back pass from Florent Malouda to give Arsenal their second lead of the day.

The Dutchman made no mistake as he danced around the arriving Petr Cech before coolly sending his shot into the back of the net.

At 4-3, you might have expected the match to take another turn.

And thanks to van Persie, it did (read on).

Oct. 29, 2011 at Chelsea (3)

This time it was Mikel Arteta who provided him with the pass, but once more it was van Persie who made no mistake with his finish.

Whether Petr Cech ever foresaw a strike with such venomous swerve coming at him is a matter of pure conjecture.

Then again, you could always ask him, I guess.

Either way, the Czech Cech was left helpless to do anything more than offer a half-hearted wave of his left mitt at the Dutchman's 92nd-minute shot, which rocketed into the back of the net and sealed a memorable 5-3 victory at the Bridge.

Nov. 5, 2011 vs. West Bromwich Albion

It seemed fitting that van Persie would score in what would become Arsenal's 400th career win in the Premier League.

His 22nd-minute opener, an opportunistic smash after Theo Walcott's shot was blocked by Baggies keeper Ben Foster, opened the Gunners' account in what would end as a comfortable 3-0 trot at the Emirates.

This game would also precede a nigh-unfathomable two-match run of goals for the Dutch master.

Nov. 19, 2011 at Norwich City (1)

After failing to capitalize upon a number of early chances, van Persie finally got his first goal in the 27th minute, pouncing upon a low cross sent in from Theo Walcott on the wing and tapping home for his ninth goal in five Premier League matches.

The goal brought Arsenal level after having gone 1-0 down in the 16th minute thanks to an opportunistic goal by the Canaries' Steve Morrison.

Nov. 19, 2011 at Norwich City (2)

It wouldn't have seemed right if a player other than Robin van Persie had gotten the winner, given just how remarkable the Dutchman has been in the clutch for Arsenal this season.

Van Persie sent Arsenal careering toward the win column just before the hour mark with his sublime right-footed effort.

Sent in on goal by a slide-rule pass from Alex Song (how many times has the Cameroonian mid turned assist man for RVP this season?), van Persie took a touch before sending an inch-perfect right-footed chip past onrushing keeper John Ruddy into the back of the net.

Nov. 23, 2011 vs. Borussia Dortmund (1)

Following some excellent work from Alex Song (sense a recurring theme here), van Persie jumped the highest to meet the Cameroonian's cross and headed past Roman Weidenfeller to open Arsenal's account on the night in the 49th minute.

Weidenfeller got a hand to the effort, but could not keep it out.

Nov. 23, 2011 vs. Borussia Dortmund (2)

Rampant as ever, van Persie was in the right place at the right time to meet Thomas Vermaelen's flicked header toward goal.

In a wonderful sweeping volley that looked like choreography, the Dutchman smashed home Arsenal's second on the night.

It provided the clearance at 2-0 that would prove crucial when the Germans pulled back a consolation in the 90th minute via a Shinji Kagawa short-range finish.

Dec. 3, 2011 at Wigan Athletic

It wasn't his most elegant strike; it didn't decide the match.

But it was a goal nonetheless.

Van Persie's 78th-minute effort (Arsenal's fourth on the night against the Lattics), was the perfect encapsulation to a vintage Gunners thrashing that rolled back the years during an early season run that was one of the Gunners' most trying in recent memory.

4-0 never tasted so good.

Dec. 10, 2011 vs. Everton

That iconic chant in van Persie's honor ("He scores when he wants, he scores when he wants...Robin van Persie, he scores when he wants!") was already well-established, but was there a better goal to lend credence to that verse?

Scoring Arsenal's only goal (which ended up being the winner) in the 125th-year celebration at the Emirates, van Persie made sure it was a strike worthy of the pageantry associated with the occasion.

A sweeping left-footed volley from an excellent lofted cross from Alex Song left Tim Howard absolutely no chance to get a hand as he watched the effort scream across him.

The American keeper stood in that inimitable state of shell-shock so redolent in keepers who are truly bested.

That Thierry Henry, watching in attendance with a number of Arsenal legends, was one of the first to leap to his feat in applause simply sealed the grandeur of the goal.

Dec. 21, 2011 at Aston Villa

His well-struck penalty gave Arsenal some valuable breathing room against an Aston Villa side that is always difficult to crack in the confines of their eponymous stadium.

It would prove an important goal (just as we'd seen against Borussia Dortmund) considering that Arsenal would only go on to win 2-1.

Dec. 31, 2011 vs. Queens Park Rangers

He didn't end up besting Alan Shearer's Premier League record of 36 goals in a calendar year, but with this near-effortless strike against QPR on the final day of 2011, van Persie etched himself into Arsenal lore by going one better than Thierry Henry's previous club record of 35 goals in a calendar year.

It is the mark of a true genius to make the difficult look so sublimely easy. That may as well have been the adage of van Persie's entire 2011.

Running on to an Andrei Arshavin through ball, van Persie needed only a cursory glance of goal before sweeping his low shot past Radek Cerny, who could do nothing to stop it.

Yet another testament to the Dutchman's sixth sense in front of goal, and yet another vital goal—Arsenal won this match 1-0.

Jan. 15, 2012 at Swansea City

Opening his 2012 scoring account in just the fifth minute of this game at Liberty Stadium, one had the sense that van Persie and Arsenal were set for a rollicking victory.

This game would prove anything but straightforward, however, and ended in a 3-2 defeat for Arsenal.

It was yet another Andrei Arshavin pass that cut open the Swans' defense, and van Persie, again, needed but a glance before firing into the back of the net for his 22nd goal of the season.

Jan. 22, 2012 vs. Manchester United

It was quite the way to atone for his earlier miss in front of goal.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain displayed a perfect understanding of his captain's movement, sending in a diagonal through ball for van Persie to smash home past David de Gea into the bottom right corner.

It brought Arsenal level (1-1) in a match they would lose 2-1 minutes later.

Perhaps most importantly, though, it signaled a growing understanding between the teenaged winger and the Dutch master. A sign of a top-notch partnership for the future?

Jan. 29, 2012 vs. Aston Villa (1)

It was the first goal in a remarkable second-half fightback from 2-0 down that the Gunners would go on to win 3-2.

Once more, van Persie stepped up to the penalty spot with a heaping of pressure on his shoulders and once again proved himself immune, coolly dispatching his shot low into the corner. 2-1.

Game on.

Jan. 29, 2012 vs. Aston Villa (2)

His brace sandwiched Theo Walcott's equalizer, and once more delivered Arsenal from the jaws of defeat.

Van Persie's second on the night, another penalty, was again ineffable and sealed a 10-minute flurry when the Gunners were firing at full tilt and scored all their goals on the night.

When the smoke had cleared from that barrage, Arsenal were up 3-2 against Villa and would go on to win with that scoreline intact.

Feb. 4, 2012 vs. Blackburn Rovers (1)

His third-ever hat trick for Arsenal, van Persie also turned provider on the day with two assists.

In all, he'd accounted for five of Arsenal's seven goals on the day in a 7-1 thrashing of hapless Blackburn.

The first goal was quite standard fare by the Dutchman's lofty standards. After Theo Walcott sent his low cross toward the far corner, van Persie came in to meet it and sent in Arsenal's first on the afternoon.

This was just two minutes into the match, mind you.

Feb. 4, 2012 vs. Blackburn Rovers (2)

Compared with the degree of difficulty for most of van Persie's goals this season, his second goal against Blackburn was rather straight-forward.

Both goals came off of Theo Walcott crosses, where van Persie was able to poke home from close range.

But that would be an injustice to his timing.

Feb. 4, 2012 vs. Blackburn Rovers (3)

His hat trick came on an excellent right-footed finish, again after latching onto a Francis Coquelin cross.

But it was van Persie's second assist on the day that was the most impressive, at least to my mind.

In stoppage time, van Persie had the chance to grab his fourth goal on the day, but instead passed up the chance to allow Thierry Henry to grab his first goal on the day.

Feb. 26, 2012 vs. Tottenham

One of the most fulfilling aspects to van Persie's near-improbable goal-scoring run since January 2011 is his transformation into a complete striker.

He is just as likely to smash home a goal from close range as create a bit of technical wizardry.

I must say, however, when he scores goals like he did against Tottenham, not only does it roll back the years—then again, he's just as apt to score these nowadays as well—it creates a sense of aesthetic wonder that is nearly impossible to find elsewhere.

There was nothing Brad Friedel could do to stop this goal.

March 3, 2012 at Liverpool (1)

He does have a tendency to "score when he wants."

Van Persie's brace provided all the scoring Arsenal needed on the day at Anfield, helping the Gunners secure a 2-1 victory that had for all of 90 minutes seemed impossible to fathom.

His first goal was a header to bring Arsenal level at 1-1.

How he snuck past Jamie Carragher remains something of a mystery, but van Persie positioned himself perfectly to force home his header past Pepe Reina.

March 4, 2012 at Liverpool (2)

If the first goal was a true opportunistic "striker's strike," who knows what to call van Persie's second?

Unmarked on the periphery of the Liverpool six-yard box (Carragher was again to blame), van Persie caught an Alex Song lofted pass in stride and smashed home a left-footed volley past Pepe Reina's near post in what will surely be one of the goals of the season—regardless of league.

The timing: perfect. The technique: ineffable.

When he is in the mood, there's simply no one better in the English game.

March 6, 2012 vs. AC Milan

With the way van Persie's penalty ripped into the back of the net, bringing Arsenal to within one goal of evening the Round of 16 aggregate against Milan, you might have forgiven yourself for thinking they were well on their way to etching their names into Champions League history.

Even if Christian Abbiati had guessed right, it was an unstoppable penalty.

March 12, 2012 vs. Newcastle United

His first touch was perfect, his finish sublime.

There's little you can do to stop van Persie when he's in the goal-scoring mood, and against Newcastle this past Monday, he was once again at his predatory best, giving keeper Tim Krul no chance to stop his strike.

33 goals. Don't they go by in a blink?

Who knows what van Persie's got left for the season, but if it's anything like what we've seen so far, we're in for a roller-coaster ride to May.