Robin van Persie not only impressed in the past in the Feyenoord shirt, but the striker also showed his football skills at Manchester United. Van Persie was under contract with the English top club between 2012 and 2015 and scored one of the best goals of his career during the championship year. The attacker said he scored a dream goal against Aston Villa.
“Yes, I can imagine that Robin said that,” says former Feyenoord player Ron Vlaar about that moment ten years later. The defender was facing Van Persie at Old Trafford at the time and had the task of stopping Van Persie. ”No, I will never forget that goal: Wayne Rooney gave the ball into the depth and Robin took it in one go. I then thought: I will be on top of it when he is hired and then I will have him. But very big players make different choices than you expect. And that’s what Robin did. He surprised me and the goalkeeper and shot the ball half high into the far corner. It really was an amazing goal. Of course it was extra nice for Robin because it was also their championship match.”
Vlaar had to endure a lot. ”I still remember our manager being really pissed at me at half-time. He felt that I did not cover him well enough, especially on Robin’s volley. Brett Holman was sitting next to me in the dressing room and said to me: “This goal was so good, you should just applaud it.” I can now say that I had a great view of a very nice goal. It’s not like I lost any sleep over it either. Robin was unstoppable in England that season and United was then, in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season, at a completely different level than now. I didn’t speak to Robin again that evening, after the final whistle there was immediate celebration for United on the field and in the stands.”
Vlaar transferred from Feyenoord to Aston Villa for four million euros. In conversation with Voetbal International, the former defender looks back on his best match in England. ”We played against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and they finished with nine men. I was close to scoring with a header. I was really disappointed that the ball didn’t go in, but luckily things worked out afterwards with a goal from Delph: 1-0. In retrospect, I scored far too little in my career, even though that was not my main task. Fortunately, I found the net twice for Villa: including at Villa Park, against Sunderland. That was a really crazy moment. My second season at Villa, especially towards the World Cup, was my best time at the club. I was in the shape of my life. That season I did everything I could to arrive in Brazil in top physical and mental shape.”
2023-12-26 10:29:00
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