Arsenal captain go from a beloved hero to a defamed villain

How exactly did an Arsenal captain go from a beloved hero to a defamed villain? That's exactly what happened to Robin Van Persie.

The former popular Arsenal captain doesn't seem to be getting much applause anymore and many have to wonder, what went wrong? Where was the rise and where was the fall? While Robin Van Persie hasn't called it quits or thrown in the towel, it's becoming very apparent that the career is near its end.

A lot of people have noticed that his abilities on the field just don't seem to be in sync like they used to and he's not nearly as skilled or well placed as he used to be. The captain has definitely had his highlights and his moments that will always remain in the hearts of hardcore fans but it may just be time to give it all up.

When he started out, the captain was just a kid playing a game he loved in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Like most successful players, he was a very active player when he was a kid. So when was Robin Van Persie's rise to fame? This came at a time when Dennis Berkamp retired from the game and Wenger started using Persie in his place. After Henry left for Barcelona in 2008, Persie took full responsibility as an Arsenal striker.

He was the perfect replacement and as a goal scorer, he became a personal favorite and hero in no time for the fans of Arsenal. During the time, Arsenal had huge financial difficulties and was struggling to come up with numbers that worked. It was when the captain left Arsenal that he became the villain to a lot of people. He had a strong desire to play for United and a lot of people have commented that Arsenal didn't deserve Pierse in the first place.