I'm Robin van Persie

Arsenal's Dutch striker made his first start for five months on Saturday having recovered from an ankle injury.

Manager Arsene Wenger stated publicly that Van Persie could have enjoyed an outstanding season like Barcelona ace Messi before being sidelined. Asked if he can be mentioned in the same breath as Messi, Van Persie said: "Those are big words, because players like Messi are unbelievable. "It is a bit early to say. I still have to prove it but I hope to be in that place one day.

"I think I have the qualities to do so, but you need time, you need games and you need to be fit. I just want to have a season without injuries and be happy." He added: "I am so pleased to be back. The plan was to play for 60 or 70 minutes but everything felt good so I played on."

Van Persie, however, was not interested in speaking about Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togo international raked his studs across his former team-mate's face in the first match at Eastlands. But Van Persie said: "I do not care about him, I am just busy with my own team."