Van Persie has acknowledged that Erling Haaland, Mo Salah, and two other contemporary strikers are “better finishers” than he was during his peak.
The 41-year-old, who recently became the head coach of Eredivisie side Feyenoord, is widely considered one of the most well-rounded strikers in Premier League history.
During his impressive eight-year tenure at Arsenal, Van Persie scored 132 goals in 278 appearances. He then moved to Manchester United, where he continued to display his goal-scoring prowess by netting 30 times in a remarkable debut season.
Van Persie’s skills have garnered praise from many, including his former Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott.
“My greatest teammate would have to be Van Persie,” he said in 2021. “For me, he was the best finisher I’ve ever seen, he was better than Thierry Henry, he made it look so easy. If you gave it to him, he would score for you.”
Walcott added: “He was a dream to play with, I don’t think there will be a player like him ever again.”
How does Van Persie evaluate his finishing ability? In an ESPN interview, the former Fenerbahce striker was asked to compare his finishing skills with those of current strikers.
In the footage, Van Persie claims he was a better finisher than Ollie Watkins, Dominic Solanke, Nicolas Jackson, Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo, Viktor Gyokeres, Antoine Griezmann, and Lautaro Martinez.
However, to many people’s surprise, the former Manchester United and Arsenal forward conceded that Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah, and Harry Kane are superior finishers.
Here’s how social media reacted to Van Persie’s comments:
One said: “Robin is a better finisher than both Haaland and Salah ngl but they’re all outstanding I watched him a lot,” while another commented: “Pure honesty but man I could disagree with the Haaland one.”
A third wrote: “Very honest from him. But he was a better finisher than both Salah and Halaand. Unless he’s talking a Robin of Fenerbache.”
A fourth said: “I actually think he is probably a better finisher than everyone on this list based on finishing ability and technique, not numbers,” and a fifth added: “Ain’t nobody on that list better finisher than RVP sorry.”
