Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce and Besiktas met in the Turkish Cup round of 16 on Sunday, and Robin van Persie took center stage to make the match entirely about himself.
Just before halftime, Van Persie clashed with Besiktas defender Dusko Tosic. The Dutch striker appeared to knee and elbow the Serbian, and the two then squared off face to face. They might’ve brushed noses, but it was Van Persie who had the idea to start screaming and fling himself at the ground. The referee bought what Van Persie was selling and sent Tosic off.
Flop of the year already by @Persie_Official ! @shaqtin #shaqtin pic.twitter.com/2GXJ6ssseS
— Aslan Yasa (@LeoPersie32) February 6, 2017
He then went on to smack Besiktas captain Oguzhan Ozyakup a couple times, flap his tongue in response to the hate of the Vodafone Arena crowd, score the game-winner in the 71st minute and perform a knee slide straight in front of Ozyakup while screaming at him.
Opening party from @Persie_Official pic.twitter.com/4loBtbzqhR
— Altuğ Kolu (@altugkolu) February 5, 2017
Oh, and Van Persie and Ozyakup were close friends following their time together at Arsenal, but not anymore.
“I have a lot to say about the incidents on the field,” Ozyakup said. “But I won’t say them. Just one thing…I was very good friends with a certain player on the field. That changed today. Sometimes you see the real face of a footballer on the field.”
Jelena Karleusa, a Serbian pop star and wife to the defender Van Persie got sent off, called him “one stupid motherf***er.”