Why RVP is a true Gunner

His love for the club clearly stands out. I’ve rarely heard the current squad say they are proud to wear the red and white of Arsenal. To me, Van Persie is a model footballer. There has never been an occasion when he has hogged the limelight for the wrong reasons. We’ve never heard him talk about his contract, have we? He has at times expressed his frustration at the lack of silverware, but for a footballer of his class and skill, this is understandable. He once said:

‘We always do our best and of course we always want to win. On a number of times we were very close, but at the last moment it’s often not good enough and that’s the reality. It’s very frustrating when you lose, especially when we’re so close, but we have to look forward and now it’s up to us to change all that.’

‘I firmly believe in the team, Arsenal and myself, and I’m positive we will win prizes. But never has that frustration transpired into how he feels about this club. He wants this club to improve and he believes they can.’

There are skills more important than dribbling and scoring that gain you respect and love. Nasri, Fabregas and others may be perceived as better players, but I am sure that Van Persie is the most loved among the current crop of Arsenal players.

He has never had any intentions of leaving this club in search of trophies and fame. He is determined to win with Arsenal…now, that is what I call a footballer. You’ve got to take up challenges and not look for the easy way out. If you don’t win silverware, you’ve got to realise that it is because of a collective failure and you are part of it. You have to try and work out a way to improve, not just switch clubs as often as golfers do!

I once heard RVP responding to speculations that Inter were after him, this is what he said on the mater:

‘I don’t have the inclination to go anywhere. This is the best team for me to be in. The bottom line is that I want to win trophies with Arsenal, not with anybody else. I know you can win trophies in many countries and in many ways, but I want to do that in our way and in an Arsenal shirt.’

‘I’m sure I could win things at another team in another country, but would it feel like our trophy, my trophy? I’m not sure it would. Anything we win here will come from the heart and that’s what I want. It’s my dream and I see no point in speaking about other teams when I have these dreams. I think other people know that about me; I’m just hungry to win with Arsenal and that’s it.’

You can tell that his words were true and were clearly from the heart.

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