Midfielders, on average, get somewhere between half a second and a second to think before they have to move the ball on. For strikers, however, it is significantly less: between 0.1 and 0.2 of a second before a defender is on them.

When I look at a football pitch, I suppose, yes, I see it as my canvas. I see solutions, possibilities, the space to express myself. I am always looking for ways to be creative, to gain an edge.

I don't see things the way my parents do. They can look at a tree and see something amazing, whereas I just see a tree. That's not to say I don't appreciate its beauty. When I watch the sea in somewhere like Sardinia, I see the beauty in that.

Robin Van Persie Quotes