Robin van Persie needs no introduction as an Arsenal legend and over his time with the club, he played with some excellent players.
Van Persie is known for his goals and while he never won the big trophies with the Gunners, he went on to Manchester United and fired them to title glory in his first year there.
Of course, Van Persie is a household name from that era and along with the likes of Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira and more, he is remembered well.
However, speaking on the SEG Stories podcast, Van Persie reserved some praise for former sporting director, Edu Gaspar.
Give us a more UNDERRATED Arsenal player over the last 25 years than Edu…we’ll wait
Robin van Persie says why Edu was so good for Arsenal
The Arsenal squad from 2004 onwards when Van Persie joined underwent a number of big changes as the years ticked on by.
The Invincibles squad was eventually broken up and Van Persie himself became a key cog up front.
But behind him in the midfield, Edu was often used by Arsene Wenger and according to Van Persie, the Brazilian was just as important as everyone else.
“The whole team was great. Yes, Pires, Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Henry. But Edu was great as well. Edu. He was on the bench most of the time, but he was a great player,” Van Persie revealed.
Edu’s stats for his Arsenal career show his worth
As Van Persie mentions, Edu spent a lot of his time on the bench. Indeed, 40% of his 127 Arsenal appearances came as a sub.
However, that didn’t make him any less vital to proceedings.
It’s easy to forget because of Vieira and Gilberto Silva’s midfield dominance that Edu actually played a crucial role in that Invincible season.
Edu contributed seven goals from midfield in 30 appearances, ensuring Arsenal won a second league title during his time at the club.
Three FA Cup titles, a Charity Shield, and a goal in the final game at Highbury all point to Edu backing up what Van Persie says about him here.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
