Robin van Persie Returns to United, Where He Left Behind a Bubble

It was the goal that said it all and did it all. From between the central defenders, the league’s leading figure peeled away to the left with that ominous curl in his run. The ball was still almost half-a-pitch length away, but that’s why he was who he was, head and shoulders above, steps and seconds ahead.

The ball, inch perfect, came long and high, finding him in the pocket he’d created. From anyone else would have come an outstretched boot wanting to take a touch, but his foot wound back instead. Then: thump.

It was the exclamation mark to end them all. Robin van Persie’s volley against Aston Villa at Old Trafford in April 2013 had delivered the Premier League title back to Manchester United. But not only that, it was the club’s 20th title, delivered by the man wearing that exact number on his back.

It was a title ripped away from Manchester City. It was a title to give Sir Alex Ferguson the grand-daddy of send offs. And it was a title victory in which the defining moment came from the guy, dripping with the cocktail of technique and swagger that was his very essence.

Now he’s back. Van Persie returns to Old Trafford on Thursday with Fenerbahce in the Europa League. After that season, his time on Sir Matt Busby Way became a flame that burned too quickly, but it’s clear that it remains a special place for him; like “home,” he told MUTV. 

From a player who broke out at Feyenoord and spent almost a decade at Arsenal, it’s a significant description, pointing not only at the impact Old Trafford had on him, but also he on it. 

Old Trafford is where Van Persie left behind one of the iconic individual seasons in Premier League history. It’s where he left behind the flourish of his career, a historic title, an avalanche of goals and memories for thousands. But it’s also where he left behind a season that, when looked back on now, appears like a bubble in the context of what’s come around it. 

On Thursday night, the Dutchman will return to a changed club, and he’s changed, too. Now 33, his best years have passed him. At Fenerbahce, he’s struggled since signing a lucrative contract, and this season he’s only completed 90 minutes once, against Alanyaspor on Sunday. 

In a footballing sense, life …

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