Robin van Persie rolls back the years for World XI with two goals and insane bicycle kick attempt

He may have retired in 2019 but former Manchester United and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie could definitely still do a job professionally based on his latest performance.

The 39-year-old, who has been working as a coach at Feyenoord, the club where he began his career, was invited to the Rangers Weekend of Legends II, presented in partnership with 5 Stars, on Sunday afternoon.

Joining the likes of Jack Wilshere, Yakubu and Michael Essien in a star-studded World XI squad, he faced off against a slew of Rangers legends, including Kris Boyd, Pedro Mendes and Jermain Defoe, who bagged a brace for his old side.

And it turned out to be an entertaining day at Ibrox, with the World XI narrowly coming out on top in a thrilling 4-3 win.

In terms of the World XI goalscorers, it was a former Arsenal trio that grabbed the headlines. Jack Wilshere found the net, as did former Gunners midfielder Luis Boa Morte, who banged in a trademark left-footed striker from 25 yards.

But it was the cultured feet of Robin van Persie that stole the show. As well as bagging both an assist and a brace, he almost scored an outrageous bicycle kick after the half hour mark.

Here are some highlights of his superb outing at Ibrox on Sunday.

⚽️ @Persie_Official with a lovely header.

Rangers Legends 1-1 World XI pic.twitter.com/mpZyhhJO6R

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) March 26, 2023

⚽️ @JackWilshere with the finish from a @Persie_Official perfect pass.

Rangers Legends 1-2 World XI pic.twitter.com/PYmugeGfWA

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) March 26, 2023

Almost from @Persie_Official! pic.twitter.com/st9MugD4g8

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) March 26, 2023

⚽️ @Persie_Official with his second of the afternoon.

Rangers 3-4 World XI pic.twitter.com/l5zZSM8Ycf

— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) March 26, 2023

Here's how fans reacted to Van Persie's efforts against Rangers at the weekend.

One said: "Would take 39 year old Van Persie over Weghorst," while another commented: "The man has still got it."

A third wrote: "Play him upfront for the rest of the season and he gets 10 goals minimum."

A fourth added: "I’d love for him to join the United Coaching staff. The Dutch connection."

After the full-time whistle, Van Persie backed his former side Arsenal to go on and win the Premier League. In fact, he said he would be "happy" to see them lift a first league title in 19 years.

"If you look at this period of time, this is where every single point really counts," he told Sky Sports.

"They've got [had] a couple of difficult games. They got the three points there, so that is what a champion's team is made of. They've been proving that. But the last stretch is always the difficult one, so it'll be interesting to see.

"But my personal feeling is that they will go for it - that they will win the league. It's been a while, so I'm happy for them to win it."

Here are the squads in full from Sunday's game between Rangers and the World XI:

Rangers legends: Waterreus, Papac, Alves, Amoruso, Hutton, Ferguson, Mendes, McCann, De Boer, Defoe, Miller

Subs: Carroll, Arveladze, Wallace, Jelavic, Boyd, Vignal, Hendry, Rae, Albertz, Lovenkrands, Andrews, Johansson, Cousin, Beattie

World XI legends: James, Huth, Stam, Dawson, Chimbonda, Essien, Petit, Downing, Wilshere, Van Persie, Yakubu

Subs: Rachubka, Kanu, Boa Morte, Kinkladze, Brown, Pennant