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" Football has always been my great love. I slept with a ball - really! Even when I started going out with Bouchra - ouha! She must have thought, 'What's this...?' "

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" When I was five, I joined a club, 'Excelsior', the club of Kralingen, in the first division. I was always training. On a free afternoon, I did individual work with Aad Putters, my youth trainer. Not with the idea growing to be a star, but for fun. "

Robin Van Persie

Youth

Training

Fun

" You can count my interviews this season on one hand, so maybe when I do speak, people want to turn it into something sensational. "

" I don't mind if my performances get dissected and people criticise what I've done on the pitch. They can talk about my game 24/7 for all I care. And a lot of those opinions and criticisms may actually be right. So I don't mind that. "

" Everyone knows me by now. I love football. I am quite principled in that perspective. It is always difficult to find the perfect match, but I do feel this is the perfect match for me. "

Robin Van Persie

Football

Perspective

" I don't see things the way my parents do. They can look at a tree and see something amazing, whereas I just see a tree. That's not to say I don't appreciate its beauty. When I watch the sea in somewhere like Sardinia, I see the beauty in that. "

" I've worked with some brilliant coaches, and I've taken a real interest in all the methods they use and the choices they make. And I can tell you that Moyes's sessions and the things he says in his team meetings are spot on. "

" If you don't know something, just go and ask. "

" I always want to win, and it was time to win some club prizes, some titles. I never would have gone for the money, but wanted the chance to get a bit further in my career. And it turned out to be the right decision. "

" Our fellow players are sometimes occupying the spaces I want to play in. And when I see that, it makes it difficult for me to come to those spaces as well. So that forces me to adjust my runs based on the position of my fellow players. And unfortunately, they're often playing in my zones. I think that's a shame. "

Robin Van Persie

Want

Play

" When I came to Arsenal years ago, I saw things from Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry I'd never seen before. "

" I think Messi is an absolute giant in the game. Not so much because of his dribbles and actions. That's why most people rate him. But I think, differently from others, that he is phenomenal in his teamplay and combination play. "

" Playing for a Champions League place is not enough. It is not my target, but it is a target we have to take. "

" At home in Manchester, I have a recreation room just like I had in London, with all kinds of jerseys on the wall. In the middle, there's a table to play tennis. "

Robin Van Persie

London

Home

" Manchester United breathes football. "

" I wasn't artistic in drawing or painting, but I think I am artistic in sport. I think I'm always looking for the ultimate, the maximum. It's a challenge that excites me. "

Robin Van Persie

Think

Challenge

" Van Gaal gave me all the confidence I could ask for. He made me striker, my favorite position. "

Robin Van Persie

Confidence

Ask

" Arsenal fans are real lovers of the game. They don't miss anything in the stadium and are there for the team and the individual players. I have to admit I love banners like 'We don't need Batman, we've got Robin' and stuff like that. "

" Midfielders, on average, get somewhere between half a second and a second to think before they have to move the ball on. For strikers, however, it is significantly less: between 0.1 and 0.2 of a second before a defender is on them. "

" Dennis Bergkamp is, in my eyes, still 'The Master'. The fact that he never won the Champions League, the European Championship, or the World Cup does not take anything away from his greatness as a player. "

" What I need to address are the situations when people are taking it upon themselves to think for me, make assumptions, or interpret things as if they are me. Last time I checked, my head was still attached to my body, so I'm the only one who knows exactly what I'm feeling, and that is not what I or the fans have been reading. "

Robin Van Persie

Reading

Body

" Every big player who leaves Arsenal is a massive loss. But no player here is bigger than the club. "

" It's an honour to sign for Manchester United. I am looking forward to following in the footsteps of so many great strikers, bringing my experience and playing my part to help the team compete for the biggest trophies in the game. "

" I think my biggest strength is that I always keep doing exactly the same thing. There are forwards who go crazy with euphoria, but after a goal, I let myself fall back to the midfield, recharge. Keeping yourself cool and concentrated on your mission. "

" Arsenal will always come first. You name them - Henry, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp. People saw these stars shine, and they thought: 'Is there life after Vieira, Pires or Bergkamp?'. But look at what happens here. At Arsenal, you always see young, fresh talent grow into the same role as those stars who have left. Other players have replaced them. "

" When friends wanted to go to the centre of town, they took a bus or tram. I took the ball and went running after them. School was hell because I had to put the ball on the ground. Outside, I was free, playing the ball. "

" Arsenal are a great club, but after eight years, sometimes you feel that you need a new challenge. "

" Everybody who comes to my home has to play at least one set against me. I beat them all. The best thing is when they want another set. People like me who can't stand not to win. I beat them again and again until they are furious, then I laugh. That's funny. "

" I want to play as long as possible at the highest level. "

" I highly appreciate the work of Ed Woodward, the CEO of Manchester United. "

" Of course I love silverware in my football career. But sometimes you can't rush from A to Z. "