Manchester United striker Robin Van Persie has admitted that he is desperate to lift Europe’s most prestigious club competition, the UEFA Champions League.
The Dutchman did taste European success before as a member of Feyenoord's 2002 UEFA Cup-winning side, and was an unused substitute as former club Arsenal were beaten in the final by Barcelona in 2006.
Van Persie, who is recovering from a thigh injury, will be hoping to be fit to face Olympiacos in the last-16 of the tournament and help the Red Devils pick up a trophy that ‘would mean the world’ to the 30 year old.
"It would mean the world to me," the Dutchman told Uefa.com.
"Of course it's a trophy many players don't win; [you win it] once, if you're very lucky. You have a couple of players who've won it more than once but it’s a very special trophy everyone wants to win every year,” Van Persie added.
"Only one team can win it, and it's very hard. It seems to get harder every year to win it, because the teams are getting better and better. So it's always hard if you want something everyone wants."
The prolific forward then highlighted his decision to move to England as a 20 year old when he was signed up by Arsenal in 2004, stating that this helped him develop into the world class footballer he is today.
"Coming to England was the best thing that could have happened to me because I was taking myself out of my comfort zone, out of my nice warm city where I had my family and my friends, and everything was in place," he added.
"Suddenly 'bang', you are in a different country, you are lonely, and [you have to] deal with it. It made me tough, it made me harder and made me more focused on achieving all my goals. It made me realise that I had the biggest influence on my career, and no one else."
