RvP - an incomplete legend!

“RvP, Giroud, Podolski, Chambo…beat that attack…Dude this season is gonna be legen…wait for it….” – and I couldn’t complete my sentence as my eyes fell on a piece of news that popped up in the pending section.

“Van Persie turns down new Arsenal deal”. As I hit the edit button, my heart skipped a beat and the news opened, bringing to life the nightmare of all Arsenal fans.

No, it wasn’t a rumor anymore nor was it the speculation of any factions of the media. The truth was now out in the open – the Gunners are all set to lose their captain yet again. No sooner the news went viral, my Facebook chat window kept popping up with my various Man Utd friends offering me their commiserations.

But after the initial shock and anger, I found Van Persie’s move to be quite legit – he’s 29, wants to earn some good cash and so called “trophies and medals”. What’s the big deal in it? I don’t blame my techie friends when they change companies in a blink of an eye in lure of good hikes and on site opportunities. Moreover, if I can change three companies in five years, I would be a hypocrite to shout my lungs about loyalty.

But there is a small difference between us working class mediocre people and a star like Robin Van Persie. People don’t look up to us, don’t idolise us and we are nobody’s inspiration. But van Persie is. He showed us how to lead by example, he showed us that you can turn the tide in your favor even after setbacks and injuries. He showed us how you can carry a team on your shoulders alone, how to snatch victories from the clutches of defeat and he showed us how to turn the table and finish third!

He fascinated us, amazed us, captured our imaginations and then he showed us that he’s a mere mortal driven by the same greed for “medals and trophies” that we all covet. He showed us that, in today’s world, moolah is the only driving force and not some moral philosophical crap.

The fans are sad and so they should be. A club, trophyless for seven years, needed a leader who could have steered them back to their glory days. But in today’s world, it’s impossible to find a Tony Adams, leave alone a Denis Bergkamp!

So Robin, what you did is absolutely right – you looked after yourself and no one should blame you for that. The fans will miss their flying Dutchman and perhaps you will miss them too. Some might hate you, some might abuse you and call you a traitor, but I will do no such thing.

My regret – you will stay Robin all your life, you just couldn’t become our Batman!