Dennis Bergkamp

Dennis Bergkamp
Bergkamp at the unveiling of his statue at the Emirates Stadium in 2014
Personal information
Full name Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp[1]
Date of birth (1969-05-10) 10 May 1969 (age 55)[2]
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Forward, attacking midfielder
Youth career
1981–1986 Ajax
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1993 Ajax 185 (103)
1993–1995 Inter Milan 52 (11)
1995–2006 Arsenal 315 (87)
Total 552 (201)
International career
1989 Netherlands U21 2 (0)
1990–2000 Netherlands 79 (37)
Managerial career
2011–2017 Ajax (assistant)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɛnəz ˈbɛr(ə)xkɑmp] ⓘ; born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player who was most recently the Assistant manager of Ajax. Originally a wide midfielder, Bergkamp was moved to main striker while still a teenager and then to second striker, where he remained throughout his playing career. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation,[4] one of the greatest forwards in Premier League history[5] and amongst Ajax's and Arsenal's greatest ever players.[6]

Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam and played as an amateur in the lower leagues. He was spotted by Ajax at age 11 and made his professional debut in 1986. Prolific form led to an international call-up with the Netherlands in 1990, attracting the attention of several European clubs. Bergkamp signed for Italian club Inter Milan in 1993, where he had two underwhelming seasons. After joining Arsenal in 1995, he rejuvenated his career, helping the club to win three Premier League titles (one unbeaten), three FA Cup trophies, and reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. Despite noting a desire to not go into coaching, Bergkamp served as an assistant at Ajax between 2011 and 2017.

With the Netherlands national team, Bergkamp was selected for Euro 1992, where he impressed, scoring three goals as his country reached the semi-finals.[7] At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, he scored a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarterfinal against Argentina which has been regarded as one of the greatest FIFA World Cup goals.[8] Bergkamp surpassed Faas Wilkes's record to become the country's top scorer of all time in 1998, a record later eclipsed by Patrick Kluivert, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and Robin van Persie.

Bergkamp has been described by Jan Mulder as having "the finest technique" of any Dutch international[9] and a "dream for a striker" by teammate Thierry Henry.[10] Bergkamp finished third twice in the FIFA World Player of the Year award and was selected by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 greatest living players. In 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, the first and only Dutch player ever to receive the honour. Bergkamp was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2017, Bergkamp's goal against Newcastle United in 2002 was voted as the best Premier League goal of all time in the league's 25-year history, involving a flick around Newcastle defender Nikos Dabizas before calmly tapping the ball into the net.[11][12]

  1. ^ "Dennis Bergkamp: Profile". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Dennis Bergkamp: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Dennis Bergkamp: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  4. ^ "The Fifa 100". The Guardian. 4 March 2004.
  5. ^ "Bergkamp named Hall of Fame inductee". Premier League.
  6. ^ "Gunners Greatest 50 Players". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Kuper, Simon (28 April 2006). "No more walking in a 'Burgcamp' Wonderland". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  10. ^ Coleman, Nick (22 July 2006). "There was only one Dennis Bergkamp". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  11. ^ Zeqiri, Daniel (14 August 2017). "Dennis Bergkamp's Newcastle pirouette voted best goal in 25 years of Premier League football". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  12. ^ Cross, John (2 March 2017). "Why THAT Dennis Bergkamp goal was arguably the best Premier League goal ever". mirror. Retrieved 6 September 2022.