Robin van Persie won the Legends of Football award for the best ever Premier League goal scored for the volley he struck against Aston Villa for Manchester United in 2013. The Dutch striker was present in London to collect the award and picked his goal vs Villa as the better strike as compared to a similar goal he scored for Arsenal a few years ago.
Prior to the event, Van Persie was asked to pick his best goal amongst the 144 times he scored in Premier League. Dutch maestro was not short of options but he went ahead with the goal vs Villa, which did cause a bit of split in his family.
Van Persie’s son favors the goal his father scored against Charlton back in 2006 but the striker himself opted to go for his goal in 2012-13, which marked Manchester United’s 20th league title in English football.
Speaking on the matter, Van Persie said: "I had a chat with my family - my son, my wife and my daughter - about my best-ever goal and we all had different opinions.
"My son said you have to go for the one against Charlton, I was more leaning toward the one against Villa for Man United, because of the occasion. We won that game, and we won the league so I went for that one."
Van Persie choosing United over Arsenal yet again
This has been the trend for the Dutchman ever since he switched sides and moved to Old Trafford after calling a time on his illustrious career at the Emirates. Gunners supporters turned on him in an instance and he could never reconcile with his former fans.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Van Persie found a father figure and a manager who could bring the best out of him, even at the age of 29. Van Persie’s 23 league goals helped United to the league in 2012/13 season and it established an immediate rapport with the United fans.
Despite his slide in form under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, Van Persie still holds a special place among the United fanbase. This may have been another reason why Van Persie picked his goal for United as his favorite goal instead of the one he scored for Arsenal.
Will we see the great man in Premier League?
According to reports, Van Persie was very close to signing for Middlesbrough and Leicester City at one point in the summer but his family is now well settled in Turkey and the striker is happy playing for Fenerbahce. The 33-year-old forward is now in the twilight of his career and may never return to Premier League due to its obvious physical demands.
Van Persie was a quality striker for both Arsenal and Manchester United and will forever be one of the best players to have played in Premier League. With his 144 goals, the Dutchman still finds himself amongst a rare breed of players who managed to score more than 100 Premier League goals.
