Robin van Persie joined Arsenal in late April 2004, but if he had it his way he'd have enjoyed a second debut with the club 11 years later.
The Dutchman was purchased in the eyes of many to be the successor to Dennis Bergkamp's throne, but he actually ended up having a similar impact to club record-goal scorer Thierry Henry, although Van Persie's star shone bright for far less time than the Frenchman's.
The forward's eventual Arsenal exit to Manchester United and the subsequent fall-out is well-documented. The rage from certain sections of Arsenal fans continues to boil to this day, particularly over Van Persie's comments once the move had been finalised.
The ex-Feyenoord star insisted he listened to the "little boy inside of him" who was crying out for the move to Old Trafford. Those remarks went some way to tarnishing what was at times a stunning Arsenal career littered with individual genius.
Having spent plenty of time on the treatment table in North London, particularly in the first few years - Van Persie hit supernova levels of form during the 2011/12 season. Coming to terms with the departure of Cesc Fabregas, the Netherlands international took it upon himself to carry the club's fortunes on his back.
Named captain after the Spaniard's departure to Barcelona, Van Persie's goal-scoring almost single-handedly fired the Gunners into the Champions League after a season-long battle with local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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In 38 Premier League games, the then-Gunners skipper fired in 30 goals and 13 assists. His tally across all competitions is even more impressive, with a further seven goals in the FA Cup and Champions League combined.
Over the course of the season, Van Persie started to make first-time over the shoulder volley's somewhat of a trademark with similar stunning goals against Everton and Liverpool respectively. A huge clamour for him to be handed the PFA Player of the Year award started long before the season's end.
"Van Persie is a strong contender, certainly. His focus has always been very great but his consistent presence has not been fantastic," manager Arsene Wenger added. "It is the first year he has really been consistently on the football and that explains why he deserves completely to be Player of the Year."
Sure enough, he was eventually given the award for his phenomenal efforts throughout the campaign. Van Persie accounted for around 40% of all of Arsenal's goal-scoring that season. Therefore, confirmation that this campaign would be his last in a Gunners shirt shook the Emirates to its very core.
His form would go on to guide United to the 2012/13 title, during which time he bagged a goal against his former side at Old Trafford before being given a guard of honour for the return game at the Emirates once the Red Devils had already wrapped up the league.
Things were to go sour eventually for Van Persie in Manchester however, with his fellow countryman Louis van Gaal eventually offloading him to Turkish giants Fenerbahce after injuries began to rear their head once again.
It was during the process of that sale that Van Persie actually contacted his former Arsenal boss and inquired about the possibility of returning to the club - a request that Wenger swiftly rejected.
The Frenchman reflected on Van Persie's exit in his autobiography, admitting that he put Arsenal before his own desires to sanction the sale. "I had only the interest of the club in mind," Wenger wrote.
"My relationship with Alex Ferguson and Manchester United had improved by then, but every transfer is a polite game of poker where you attempt to give not anything away.
“Van Persie had a fantastic first six months at Old Trafford: he put the team on track for the Premiership title and made it even more difficult for us. But after three years of the four that he signed for, he was injured and (Louis) Van Gaal sold him to the Turkish club Fenerbahce.
"He called me because he wanted to come back, but it was impossible: he was at the end of his career and we were investing in young players."
