Van Persie - I'm ready for the captaincy

by **Arsenal** August 16th 2011, 17:16

The Dutch forward has been appointed as successor to Cesc Fabregas,
who left Emirates Stadium for Barcelona this week. Van Persie will not
lead Arsenal out against Udinese - he serves a UEFA one-match suspension
on Tuesday night - but will reclaim the armband when Liverpool visit
north London on Saturday.

Van Persie has been at Arsenal for seven years and is approaching his
peak. The Dutch international has 'grown up' since he joined the Club
and is now relishing the extra responsibility that captaincy brings.

"As captain you are an ambassador for the Club and I’m ready for
that," Van Persie told the Official Matchday Programme. "I’ve been in
the game now for more than ten years, so I know how this world works.

"When I was 18 I didn’t have a clue! Every day I was always surprised
by something, when I went to training or when I had a game, every day
was just one big surprise for me. How people reacted after the game –
the fans, players, media – it was all a surprise to me, I was just
thinking about playing football.

"But now I know how things work and I understand that certain actions
have consequences. I know that quite well, I feel experienced, so I
feel ready for this. I know that every single player represents their
club anyway, everywhere you are, 24/7. I’ve been dealing with it for a
few years now, so I know what my part is.

"You should always try to show respect, and this is just basic stuff
that all human beings should have in their life – just being nice to
people. It’s the little things, like giving people a minute of your time
in the street, you show them respect, and live with your principles on
life."

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