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ESPN staff 6y

Robin van Persie hits 300 career goals; four of his best strikes

Robin van Persie scored his 300th career goal on Wednesday as Feyenoord beat Willem II to reach the final of the KNVB Cup.

The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker is back at his hometown club following a career that has seen him win the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Cup and reach a World Cup with Netherlands.

Van Persie is also Netherlands' all-time top scorer and twice won the Premier League golden boot.

His career tally breaks down as follows:

Feyenoord - 24

Arsenal - 132

Manchester United - 58

Fenerbahce - 36

Netherlands - 50

Here is a look back at some of his most memorable strikes during that time.

Charlton 1-2 Arsenal (Sept. 30, 2006)

Described by Arsene Wenger as "the goal of a lifetime," Van Persie blended power and technique to fire a volley from the edge of the box directly down the middle of the goal that dipped just below the bar. Coming five minutes after halftime, the strike won Arsenal the game and gave them a fifth win in a row. "The ball looked like it would go over the bar, so when it came down and in the corner, it was unbelievable," Wenger said.

Manchester United 3-0 Aston Villa (April 22, 2013)

The second goal in a 31-minute first-half hat trick, Van Persie got on the end of a perfectly weighted long-range pass from Wayne Rooney to shoot past Brad Guzan. Like his strike against Charlton seven years earlier, this was also a left-foot volley, but from a different angle and with greater meaning as it sealed his first Premier League title and Manchester United's 20th in what would prove to be Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge.

Spain 1-5 Netherlands (June 13, 2014)

Xabi Alonso put world champions Spain ahead from the penalty spot, but Van Persie's incredible diving header moments before the break turned the game on its head and acted as a catalyst for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. In a familiar turn of events, Van Persie took his chance first time, meeting Daley Blind's hanging long ball with a 15-yard header that looped over Iker Casillas. Then-United striker Van Persie celebrated by high-fiving coach Louis van Gaal on the touchline before describing the goal post-match as "incredible and inexplicable." Spain coach Vicente del Bosque could only add: "I feel sick."

Feyenoord 3-0 Willem II (Feb. 28, 2018)

With his career winding down, Van Persie is still capable of making an impact where it all began in Rotterdam with his second goal since an emotional return in January. Although goal No. 300 will not go down in the hall of fame for its aesthetic beauty, the veteran striker proved he is still capable of a first-time finish, and an important one at that with a cup final now on the horizon.

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