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Van Persie Was My Hero Claims Real Madrid's Royston Drenthe

Real Madrid's ever-improving midfielder has revealed that he has some surprising role models...

Sep 15, 2009 10:24:08 AM

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Royston Drenthe, Real Madrid (MARCA)

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Royston Drenthe has revealed that his heroes when he was young were Robin van Persie and Glenn Loovens, as he watched them both play for Feyenoord in the Champions League.

The Dutch international is preparing to appear in Europe's elite club competition this week for Real Madrid when they face FC Zurich in Switzerland.

Watching his heroes back in Rotterdam, the young Drenthe dreamed of being a part of the European nights and hoped to emulate the current Arsenal and Celtic stars.

"When I was 14 years old I used to watch Robin van Persie [who was then 18] and Glenn Loovens [who now plays for Celtic] play in the Champions League with Feyenoord," he was quoted as saying by Madrid's official website.

"That's when I decided I also wanted to be in that tournament. We won the league when I reached the first team at Feyenoord. I gradually took things step by step from then onwards.

"My goal was to play in the Champions League and to experience the atmosphere of a European game."

Lucas Brown, Goal.com