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Robin van Persie has revealed that former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry is still his inspiration.

Van Persie, crowned as the ­Premier League’s topscorer and footballer of the year, talked to the French striker before he left ­London to go and join his Dutch team mates for Euro 2012.

And veteran Henry gave Van ­Persie an inspiring message, which the Arsenal striker has kept in his mind.

Van Persie revealed: “Thierry told me things about the big matches you face as a player.

(Image: Getty)

“I have played 60 games this ­season, I have not missed a single league match for Arsenal.

“Now we have been playing all kind of friendly matches with the Dutch team. But Thierry says many of those games are about doing your job and keeping good form.

“It comes down to the big ­moments where I have to decide big games.

“I agree with him and it is good to hear. For me, the next big moment is when I face Denmark in Ukraine.”

In that match Van Persie will face former team mate Niklas Bendtner. The Dutch are in a tough group, with Portugal and Germany too.

“I used to get worked up about big tournaments, but not anymore,” added Van Persie. “I have the ­experience from my years at ­Arsenal and I can look back on a great season with my club.”

In previous years Van Persie has been haunted by injuries, but last season he ran more miles than any other Premier League player.

(Image: Bryn Lennon / Getty)

He said: “Stats don’t tell you the whole story, but it does prove my fitness at Arsenal and in the ­Premier League. I feel fitter than ever before. I don’t need time to recover either after a match.”

The Dutchman has not decided on his future yet and will not ­announce where he will play next season until after the tournament.

The player is happy with the way he and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger are dealing with the situation.

“We have both promised that we are not going to comment on anything and I will stick to that,” he said.

“You can also see that Arsenal are acting in the same way, as we ­discussed. The club does not say anything either, because that is what we said we would do.”.

It gives a hint that Van Persie and Wenger will talk again this ­summer. The Frenchman needs to sign a number of big name players to ­improve ­Arsenal’s hopes of winning trophies next season.

It is the most vital point for Van Persie, who is happy to stay in ­London as long as he has the ­prospect of winning things.

At least Van Persie is still certain of a warm welcome in north-London. It’s not such a rose garden in the Dutch national camp.

(Image: Getty)

Amazingly, having won all the individual awards in the Premier League, Van Persie is the subject of a national debate whether he ­deserves the role of striker in the ­Holland team. Fans, media and pundits all want Schalke striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar as the real number nine for Holland.

Huntelaar was topscorer in ­Germany and is certain he should be playing instead of Van Persie.

“What more do I need to do to convince the manager that I am the only striker for the Dutch team,” Huntelaar said.

“I have scored so many goals in Germany, which is a big league.

“And I have a great goal scoring rate for Holland. I am sharper in the box than anyone. The fact that I did not start in the last warm up match was crazy.

“Angry? That is not even the word for it, to describe how I feel. I would like to hear from the coach himself why he did not start with me.”

Huntelaar still thinks he should have been first choice ahead of Van Persie for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He added: “There I kept quiet, now I won’t. What more should I do at this moment? I can’t have a better ­season than this. It was top.

(Image: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty)

“I am surprised that I am ­mentally so strong that I can keep going in this competition for the striker’s ­position.”

Van Persie has scored 26 goals in 64 international games for Holland. Huntelaar has scored 31 in 52 matches for his country. Van Persie says: “Huntelaar is a real striker. He has developed into a real goal scorer.

“But I have proven at Arsenal ­during the last eight years that I can play well in the role of striker too. I think we are both very good number nines.”

Van Persie even agreed to give the number nine shirt to ­Huntelaar.

“I had first choice,” he revealed. “In the World Cup I had number nine. Now I decided to play with 16. That is the birth date of my son Shaqueel.

“At Arsenal I play with 10, that is the birth date of my daughter Dina.

“Just in case people look into that, they need not worry. I find those numbers more lucky than anything else.

“I know there is a national ­discussion going on. But I don’t worry about anything.

“I feel better and stronger than I have ever done thanks to this season at Arsenal.

“I have run more miles than ­anyone, I have scored more goals than anyone in the Premier League and I have trained more hours than any player at Arsenal.

“I go into this tournament with no worries.”