Player profile

A key man for the Dutch, but he arrives in South Africa after an injury-disrupted season with Arsenal. Van Persie suffered ligament damage to his right ankle while on international duty in November and was sidelined for five months, eventually returning in April. First choice when fit, Van Persie can either play on the wing, up front or as a second striker.

Van Persie started his career at Feyenoord but was sold to Arsenal for £3m in May 2004. The injury to his ankle restricted him to 20 appearances for the Gunners this season, but he still managed 10 goals as Arsenal finished third. In six seasons in North London, he has hit 73 goals in 197 outings.

Van Persie was handed his international debut in the summer of 2005, 12 months after moving to Arsenal. He will be playing in his second World Cup having started all four games in 2006 and scoring the Oranje’s opening goal in the 2-1 win against Ivory Coast.

The 26-year-old made headlines last year when he travelled to Serbia for radical treatment that involved massaging horse placenta fluid onto his injured ankle.