Robin van Persie (born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch footballer. He currently plays for Arsenal and the Dutch national team as a forward.

The son of two artists, van Persie was encouraged to follow in his parents' footsteps, but he instead preferred football and joined SBV Excelsior's youth squad. He made his breakthrough at his hometown club Feyenoord, where he spent three seasons and won the 2002 UEFA Cup. Disagreements with coach Bert van Marwijk culminated in a change of club and Van Persie moved to Premier League side Arsenal for £2.75 million in 2004.