Van Persie, Robin (1983-…), was a Dutch professional soccer player. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Van Persie, a striker, was known for his powerful shooting and excellent ball-handling skills. In soccer, a striker is an inside forward mainly responsible for scoring. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials) .
Van Persie was born on Aug. 6, 1983, in Rotterdam , the Netherlands. His parents were artists and encouraged him to pursue an artistic career. Robin, however, dedicated his creative talents to soccer. At 15, he joined Feyenoord Rotterdam’s youth soccer club.
Van Persie made Feyenoord’s top club in 2001. After three seasons, he transferred to London’s Arsenal FC in 2004. FC stands for football club. In 2005, van Persie debuted for the Dutch national team, commonly known as Oranje (the Orange). He was named to the Oranje FIFA World Cup tournament squad in 2006. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body.
Van Persie played well in the 2008 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Championship. The European Championship is second in prestige only to the World Cup. He also started all Oranje’s games in the 2010 World Cup, including the 1-0 loss to Spain in the final. Van Persie transferred to Manchester United FC in 2012. In 2013, he became Oranje’s captain. He again played for the Netherlands in the World Cup held in Brazil in 2014. Van Persie retired from soccer in 2019.
