Tim Krul has opened up on an angry exchange he had with an Arsenal forward during his time at Newcastle
Arsenal's Robin van Persie has words with Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul
Arsenal's Robin van Persie has words with Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul
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Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul has revealed he didn't speak to Dutch international team-mate Robin van Persie for three months after a fiery altercation they had as opponents in the Premier League.
Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-1 in a heated clash at the Emirates Stadium back in 2012 when both teams were competing against each other to qualify for the Champions League.
The Gunners were accusing Newcastle's players of time-wasting while the game was level at 1-1 and it led to an angry confrontation between the two Netherlands internationals.
Both players received a yellow card and it spilled over into full-time, too. Neither player spoke to each other for months after that and it led to an awkward reunion when the Dutch squad met up for that summer's European Championships.
"Robin is obviously a winner, and that moment where we argued on the pitch was just two people who wanted to win on the night," Krul told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction.
"In my opinion, he overstepped the line in that instance, especially with him being the experienced professional, as well. He was accusing me of wasting time after 10 minutes, so we were never going to agree on that.
"Look, he was one of the best strikers in the world at the time and clearly had a winning mentality, and it’s something he’s taken into his managerial career, where he’s thriving with Feyenoord and trying to instil that mentality.
"We have made up since that night, though, obviously. Funnily enough, after the World Cup in 2014 he was hanging around me like my best friend. So we definitely kissed and made up.
"No one has ever really asked me about the aftermath of that night, though, and how long we went without speaking. But the first time we saw each other again would have been when we met up for the Euros that summer, so it was very awkward.
"I knew it was going to be awkward, but with him being the experienced pro that he was, he didn’t hold a grudge at all. We should have spoken to each other before the Euros that summer, but it never happened, then a few months had passed and we hadn’t spoken to each other.
"And then all of a sudden I’m in a room getting my suit fitted, stood next to him, just thinking ‘the last time I saw him, we were shouting all sorts to each other.’
"We can definitely laugh about it all over a pint now though. I made sure I was the first to get my suit fitted and he couldn’t say anything about me wasting any time over it."
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