Before I start writing this, let me make one thing
perfectly clear.. Irrespective of 'whom'
I'm writing this post on, I'm a Die Hard Liverpool fan... For me Football
begins with the Reds and it ends with the Reds... In the words of the great
Liverpool manager and probably the greatest ambassador of the 'Beautiful Game'
- Bill Shankly, "For those who think that football is a matter of life and
death, I assure you that it is much more than that"
Now that that's done and the 'priorities' have been set
clearly, lets begin with the real essence of this post. If there's one man in
particular who has taken the football fraternity by surprise, its Robin van
Persie.. Its really strange that "Captain Vantastic", as he's fondly
called, announced his arrival on the big scene a loong time back.. But due to
the presence of certain imminent personalities, RVP could not actually arrive on
the big scene..
In short; he had come, but had yet to come... Now you
can call it Arsene Wenger's idiocracy or Sir Alex Ferguson's magical instinct,
but RVP was bought from Arsenal at the starting of this season for just 24
million pounds.. Thats rite... That was price set for the charismatic striker
by the Gunners after he single handedly led them to glory just one season ago.. Ok,
Arsenal didnt win anything but without a shadow of a doubt if there was anyone
who gave then a glimpse of hope, a peek at success, a ray of glorious aura, it
was their Number 11, Robin van Persie...
I hate to admit the fact but when Arsenal beat Liverpool
at Anfield last season, Robin had scored 28 goals by then and Liverpool, in all
togetherness, had 27.. That shows the aura and indispensability that the Dutch
international possessed.. Which is why it really made no sense for Arsenal to
deny him anything he wanted.. And all he wanted was a better wage and probably
to good and lengthy contract..
He wanted to stay at Arsenal... And Wenger was just to
cocky for his own good to allow that.. Dont get me wrong.. There was no
animosity between the two.. its just that Wenger has this policy that no player
can be bigger than the club itself... (Thierry Henry and Cesc Fabregas are living
examples).. So Wenger in a fit of ego+attitude combined wanted nuthing to do
with RVP thinking that at 29, he's not going anywhere... But wrong he was... In
came Manchester United and their talisman Fergie...
RVP was a steel for the Red Devils at 24 mil pounds,
considering the talent and skill that striker has... He is without any doubt
the most lethal striker in Europe at present... His first touch is death
defying... He has immaculate control over the ball and when it comes to
finishing, there's no one in the Premier League at present who is as clinical
as RVP is.... Call it Fergie's instinctive believes or call it RVP's talismanic
charisma, but Robin is purely brilliance personified...
He's the man the a team looks forward to when they're
down trailing... He proved it for Arsenal.. and now he's doing the same for
Manchester United.. I would love for him to be in Liverpool... but I must be
honest... If I had been given the opportunity to buy him for the Reds at the
starting of the season, I probably would have said NO... Not because I doubted
his talents, but because I thot (Like most in the fraternity) that RVP was
done...
Arsenal was where he became a man... and when a club as
big as the Gunners lets a striker go.. then its really tough was him to
survive... But Sir Alex proved yet again that he can do what he does best...
Groom, Broom, and Loom talent... RVP was just waiting for an opportunity like
ManU to come.. and when he received it, He grabbed it with both hands (plus his
left leg) and ran towards the title..
His goals were clear... He wanted to play in the
Champions League... and he wanted to win the Premier League Title... One part
was being fulfilled at Arsenal... But the other had not been achieved since
2003... He was carrying the Gunners alone last season... he knew that there was
nuthing that could be done... He knew that at Manchester he would have talent
and experience at his disposal to help him achieve glory... and in the end...
Neither he nor his team have let each other down..
Arsenal vs Manchester United is gonna be Legendary this
season... Emirates is gonna boo the shit out of RVP... But I know that he's
gonna score... and I know that he's not gonna celebrate... Because it wasnt his
decision to leave... He was forced... Forced by the will to grow... Forced by
the will to achieve something he knew that he never could have achieved at
Arsenal...