By Joe Brewin
Robin van Persie could be celebrating more than just a third-place finish if Arsenal win at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
The Dutchman, who has already picked up the PFA and FWA Player of the Year awards this season, has enjoyed a profilic campaign in front of goal for Arsène Wenger's side.
And, having fired home his 29th and 30th Premier League goals of the season in last weekend's draw against Norwich, Van Persie could be set for more than just one record at The Hawthorns.
In March, the captain became only the third Arsenal player in the last 40 years to score 25 league goals in a single season, following Malcolm Macdonald (1976/77) and Thierry Henry (2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06), and only the 15th in the history of the Club to reach the landmark.
Van Persie has now matched Henry for league goals over a 38-game season (set in the 2003/04 'Invincibles' campaign).
| Player | Season | Goals | % of total |
| Robin van Persie | 2011/12 | 30 | 42.25% |
| Thierry Henry | 2003/04 | 30 | 41.10% |
A hat-trick against Roy Hodgson's side would equal Arsenal's post-war record for league goals in a season, set way back in 1947/48 by Ronnie Rooke.
The all-time record is 42, set by Ted Drake in 1934/35, when Herbert Chapman's Gunners scored 115 goals en route to winning the Division One title (42 games).
Meanwhile, the Dutchman is just one shy of equalling the Premier League's all-time goal record over a 38-game season. Alan Shearer (1995/96) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2007/08) currently lead the way with 31 goals.
| Season | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1992/1993* | Teddy Sheringham | Nottingham Forest/Tottenham | 22 |
| 1993/1994* | Andy Cole | Newcastle United | 34 |
| 1994/1995* | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 34 |
| 1995/1996 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 31 |
| 1996/1997 | Alan Shearer | Blackburn Rovers | 25 |
| 1997/1998 | Dion Dublin | Coventry City | 18 |
| Michael Owen | Liverpool | 18 | |
| Chris Sutton | Blackburn Rovers | 18 | |
| 1998/1999 | Michael Owen | Liverpool | 18 |
| Dwight Yorke | Manchester United | 18 | |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Leeds United | 18 | |
| 1999/2000 | Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 30 |
| 2000/2001 | Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | Chelsea | 23 |
| 2001/2002 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 24 |
| 2002/2003 | Ruud van Nistelrooy | Manchester United | 25 |
| 2003/2004 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 30 |
| 2004/2005 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 25 |
| 2005/2006 | Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 27 |
| 2006/2007 | Didier Drogba | Chelsea | 20 |
| 2007/2008 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United | 31 |
| 2008/2009 | Nicolas Anelka | Chelsea | 19 |
| 2009/2010 | Dider Drogba | Chelsea | 29 |
| 2010/2011 | Carlos Tevez | Manchester City | 20 |
| Dimitar Berbatov | Manchester United | 20 | |
| 2011/2012 | Robin van Persie | Arsenal | 30** |
* = 42-game season
** = ongoing record
Finally, the European Golden Shoe (given for the top scorer across all the European domestic leagues) may be long out of reach after the goalscoring exploits of both Lionel Messi and Ronaldo, but Van Persie is a highly-creditable third.
| Player | Club | League | Goals | Points |
| Lionel Messi | Barcelona | Spain | 50 | 100.0 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | Spain | 45 | 90.0 |
| Robin van Persie | Arsenal | England | 30 | 60.0 |
| Klass-Jan Huntelaar | Schalke 04 | Germany | 29 | 58.0 |
| Zlatan Ibrahimovic | AC Milan | Italy | 28 | 56.0 |
| Wayne Rooney | Man Utd | England | 26 | 52.0 |
| Mario Gomez | Bayern Munich | Germany | 26 | 52.0 |
| Burak Yilmaz | Trabzonspor | Turkey | 32 | 48.0 |
| Bas Dost | Heerenveen | Holland | 32 | 48.0 |
| Aleksandrs Cekulajevs | Narva Trans | Estonia | 46 | 46.0 |
