Robin van Persie set to retire: videos of his best goals and Twitter reactions

Former Arsenal and Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has said that this season is likely to be his last in professional football.

The 35-year-old, who currently plays in Holland for Feyenoord, revealed his plans in an interview with Dutch publication AD.

He said: “When I have to stop? That is probably at the end of this season. I will be 36-years-old and will have been a professional for 18 years. From the age of five, I’ve only been involved in football.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Van Persie started his career with Feyenoord before joining Arsenal in 2004. In his eight-year spell with the Gunners he scored 132 goals in 278 games, Sky Sports reports.

In 2012 he left Arsenal for rivals Manchester United in a controversial £24m deal. He won the Premier League title at Old Trafford before joining Turkish side Fenerbahce three years later.

Now back at Feyenoord the striker has scored nine goals in 16 games this season. He was also capped 102 times by the Netherlands, scoring 50 international goals - an all-time record for his country.

Van Persie’s best goals

During his career Van Persie has scored some truly memorable goals. Highlights include a magnificent volley for Arsenal against Charlton in the Premier League in 2006-07 and another volley for Manchester United against Aston Villa in 2013.

The strike against Villa, set up by a brilliant long-distance pass from Wayne Rooney, was the second of a superb hat-trick that helped United secure their 20th title.

However, perhaps his best ever goal will be the flying header for Holland at the 2014 World Cup. It was the first of five goals Holland scored against Spain in the 5-1 victory in Brazil.

How the media reacted to the news on Twitter