Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: 10 best individual player seasons in the Premier League

By Jocelyn Taub

LONDON - MAY 17: Thierry Henry of Arsenal shows off his Golden Boot and Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Year Award during the Martin Keown Testimonial match between Arsenal and England XI at Highbury, on May 17, 2004 in London. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
LONDON - MAY 17: Thierry Henry of Arsenal shows off his Golden Boot and Barclaycard Premiership Player of the Year Award during the Martin Keown Testimonial match between Arsenal and England XI at Highbury, on May 17, 2004 in London. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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Robin van Persie Cements His Place in Arsenal History – 2011/2012

Before he became known as Judas and left Arsenal for Manchester United, Robin van Persie spent eight seasons with the Gunners. Following the departure of Cesc Fabregas in the summer of 2011, he was named captain.

The Dutchman started the 2011/2012 season strong and scored his 100th goal for the club against Bolton in September and, in doing so, he became the 17th player to achieve the century mark for Arsenal.

In October, Van Persie and his teammates visited Stamford Bridge. The striker scored a hat-trick to lead his side to a 5-3 win, later being named the Premier League Player of the Month for October.

Then in November, Van Persie helped Arsenal reach the knockout stages of the Champions League. He scored both goals in the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat of Borussia Dortmund to seal the top spot in their group.

Van Persie scored his 35th goal of the 2011 calendar year on New Year’s Eve in a 1-0 win against Queens Park Rangers. His 35 left him one short of Alan Shearer’s Premier League record of 36 set in 1995 – Harry Kane has since been broken the record with 39 goals in the calendar year 2017.

In February, Van Persie scored another hat-trick and registered two assists in a 7-1 win over Blackburn, with his tally taking him past fellow Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp into tenth place on Arsenal’s all-time scorer list.

The striker sealed his iconic status in late February when he led the Gunners in a north London derby fightback. Tottenham took an early two-goal lead, but Arsenal equalized before half-time with Van Persie scoring the second before he set up Theo Walcott to give his side a 3-2 lead in an eventual 5-2 victory.

Van Persie received many accolades at the end of the campaign, including the Golden Boot Award with 30 goals. He was also named:

  • PFA Players’ Player of the Year
  • PFA Team of the Year
  • Football Writers Association Player of the Year

Sadly, this was his last contribution to Arsenal as the “little boy” inside of him told him to sign for the enemy, Manchester United.

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