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Dennis Bergkamp, the Dutch legend who isn’t praised enough, in today’s era; I write about this man because he along with his fellow Arsenal partner Thierry Henry gave birth to an entire generation of football fans, particularly Arsenal. For a Manchester United fan to do so, there must be something extraordinary that stands out. Well, in this case, it is the man himself. His influence has been so vast that it created a whole community of Arsenal fans in my country; India. One that still has a growing and extremely loyal fanbase. In short, this is the profile of the “Non-flying Dutchman” based on stories narrated by Gunners in my circle and of course, his stats and legacy that’s spoken about all over.
Born in Amsterdam, Bergkamp like most other Dutchmen back in the day was inspired by the country’s greatest footballer and revolutionary, Johan Cruyff. Legend has it that his brilliant first touch and ball control was a result of playing in car parkings and pavements. In other words, tight spaces where he mastered that very essential striking skill which later on pedestalled him to godlike status.
His professional career began at Ajax where he was groomed by Louis Van Gaal and Johan Cruyff himself. He kickstarted his professional debut in 1986 and scored his first-ever senior goal in 1987; in an iconic 6–0 victory. Further, he went on to establish himself as Ajax’s regular and culminated his time with the club in the 1982–83 season. This, along with, finishing as the Eredivise’s top scorer from 1991–93 with a total of 122 goals in 239 games for his club.
In 1993, he moved to Inter Milan for a Dutch record fee of 8.8 million pounds at that time. However, this transfer placed Bergkamp in a sort of playstyle war. One that was extremely different from his role at Ajax. He was part of one of the Nerazzurri’s worst-ever campaigns when they just finished one point above relegation. However, as unbelievable it sounds today, he ended up finishing as the top scorer of an Inter team that won the UEFA Cup but merely managed to escape demotion to the second tier. However, the next couple of seasons weren’t as great but would result in one of the most impactful transfers of all time, when the Dutchman joined Arsenal.
Arsenal, at this point, were commencing their own revolution. With managerial transitions at the club and the Premier League’s growing popularity, Bergkamp would go on to become one of its poster boys. He scored his first goal in the 1995–96 season and quickly became one of manager Bruce Rioch’s main men; a side that almost literally attacked with five strikers.
Then came on Arsene Wenger as the team’s new manager the following season. The rest, as they say, is history. By this time. Bergkamp had established himself as a major striker. Alongside this, Wenger assembled one of the greatest teams in history. He added Patrick Vieira in 1996 along with Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmans and Nicolas Anelka in 1997. This gave the Dutchman exactly what he needed; a team that provided pace, defence and created goalscoring opportunities. As a result, he won the Premier League, the FA Cup and was awarded “Player of the Year” for both tournaments.
Further, in 1998, he was part of a new generation of Arsenal players. He was joined by Freddie Ljungberg in 1998, Thierry Henry in 1999, Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord and Lauren Mayer in 2000 and finally Sol Campbell in 2001. This time, ultimately resulted in Arsenal’s golden era; one that witnessed one of the finest sides in English football history. In other words, the assembling of the “The Invincibles” who as the name suggests won an entire season (2004) undefeated. With the right kind of players at his disposal, Bergkamp nurtured his talent and was part of a team that absolutely redefined the sport; not just in terms of attacking football or the Premier League, but the sport in its entirety.
He was the conductor of this team and it led to so much recognition and success that it led to French legend and partner striker Thierry Henry claiming that he was the finest player that he played alongside. Given that this list includes the likes of Messi, Ronaldinho and Zidane, it certainly is an achievement.
Bergkamp finally retired in 2006 and was coined by many as the ideal number 10. One that also inspired generations of not just Arsenal strikers but footballers all over the world. In 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame and in 2014, a statue of him was unveiled outside the Emirates stadium to honour his legacy for the club. All in all, he remains one of the greatest strikers of all time and a revolutionary figure of the sport.
