Arsenal's Robin Van Persie Named PFA Player of the Year

In an announcement that will surprise few in the football world, Arsenal forward Robin van Persie was named PFA Player of the Year on Sunday.

He is the fifth Arsenal player ever to win the award, joining Liam Brady, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry (twice).

Van Persie was one of six finalists for the prestigious award, which Tottenham's Gareth Bale won in 2011. Bale was not named to this year's ballot, but teammate Scott Parker, who won the 2011 Football Writer's Award, assured that Spurs would be represented for the second year running.

And right-back Kyle Walker assured Arsenal's north London rivals that they wouldn't miss out on honors entirely: the young Englishman came away with Young Player of the Year.

Bale was named to the PFA Team of the Year, joining Joe Hart, Kyle Walker, Vincent Kompany, Fabricio Coloccini, Leighton Baines, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Parker, Wayne Rooney and van Persie.

The other four players up for the PFA individual honor hailed from Manchester. Three were from the sky blue side (Silva, Hart and Sergio Aguero) and one from the red (Wayne Rooney).

Van Persie has only scored once in his last seven appearances for Arsenal, but his 27 league goals still lead the league by a fair margin (Rooney is second with 24). PFA Player of the Year is the first of what will likely be a year filled with gleaming individual honors for the Dutchman, who has ridden a wave of spectacular form since the start of 2011.

Van Persie is now considered one of the greatest strikers in the world—a belief that is now bolstered by this distinction.