Robin van Persie is the most prolific striker in Europe behind Cristiano Ronaldo in 2011

Van Persie has become one of the most lethal strikers not just in the Premier League, but among the European elite.

This table names the 20 players with the best goals per game ratio in the major European leagues during 2011. Only players who have scored 10 goals or more are eligible.

Van Persie is joint second with German striker Mario Gomez who plays for Bayern Munich. Both have scored 28 goals in 27 games during 2011, with a rate of 1.04 goals per game.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo has a better record, with the Real Madrid man scoring a staggering 33 times in 28 games. Lionel Messi is outside the top three, with one less goal than Van Persie and Gomez having played two more games.

The only other players plying their trade in England are Manchester United's Wayne Rooney, who ranks 11th, and Newcastle United striker Demba Ba who sits two positions above Rooney after his hat-trick against Stoke, taking his record to 15 in 21 games.

Van Persie has scored 19 with his preferred left foot, eight with his right and one with his head. Twenty-five have come from inside the box, with four from set pieces - two each from direct free kicks and penalties.

He is especially dangerous in the final portion of games, scoring 11 of his 27 goals in the last 15 minutes of games, with 15 coming away from the Emirates compared to 13 at home.

The Duthcman's individual statistics for the period reveal a shooting accuracy of more than 50 per cent, and an impressive pass completion rate of almost 80 per cent: