Van Persie: Stoke is the hardest match in the World

The Dutchman spent the majority of his career with Arsenal, before winning the title with Manchester United. 

"Top football is not without sacrifices. Playing for years in the Premier League is taking its toll," he said. 

"That is football in the highest gear, so bad that I experienced the matches in the Champions League as practice matches. 

"If you suddenly got two or three metres to take a ball, you were not hacked. Well, that was impossible against the likes of Swansea, Bolton and Sheffield United. Those kind of teams did not give me a metre. 

"Or Stoke City, with the wind that raced through the stadium. I always stood there in the basics and it was always a battle.

"Stoke of them all was the hardest match in the world. Actually, such duels are overpowering on yourself, until you fall from the edge."