Arsenal’s Century Club – Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp – Born: May 10, 1969 Amsterdam, Netherlands was the fourth of four sons. He was brought up in a working-class suburb; his father who was an electrician played amateur footballer in the lower leagues. He was named in honour of Scottish striker Denis Law but in order to comply with Dutch given name customs, an extra “n” was inserted into his first name, by his father, after it was not accepted by the registrar.
He was spotted by Ajax and was brought up through their famous youth system, joining the club at age 11 and making his professional debut on 14 December 1986. He scored his first senior goal for the club against HFC Haarlem on 22 February 1987 in a match Ajax won 6–0. He went on to make 23 appearances in the 1986–87 season, including a European debut against Malmö FF in the 1986–87 European Cup Winners’ Cup, Ajax won the competition, beating Lokomotive Leipzig 1–0.
In later seasons he established himself as a first-team player for Ajax. This culminated in a period of success for the club that won the Eredivisie title in the 1989–90 season for the first time in five years. Dennis scored 29 goals in 36 games the following season and became the joint top goal scorer in the league. Ajax won the 1992 UEFA Cup Final, beating Torino through the away goals ruling. He was the top scorer in the Eredivisie from 1991 to 1993, and was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In total, he scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.
Dennis attracted the attention of several European clubs as a result of his performances for Ajax. He was insistent on playing in Italy. as he considered Serie A “the biggest league at the time” and preferred a move to either Juventus or Internazionale; on 16 February 1993, he agreed a £7.1 million move to Internazionale and made his debut against Reggiana on 29 August 1993.
In his first two seasons at Internazionale, the club changed managers twice and Dennis had a difficult time, troubled with stress injuries and fatigue from the 1994 World Cup, he only scored five goals in 26 appearances. Off the field, his relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches were interpreted as apathy. Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L’asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana.
Dennis left Internazionale and signed with Arsenal in June 1995 for a transfer fee estimated at £7.5 million. He became manager Bruce Rioch’s first signing at Arsenal and broke the club’s transfer fee record of £2.5 million. On the opening day of the 1995–96 league season, he made his full debut against Middlesbrough. He struggled to adapt to the English game and failed to score in the club’s next six league matches, prompting ridicule by the national press, he ended his first season with 33 appearances and a goal tally of 11.
The appointment of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager in September 1996 marked a turning point in his career. Wenger, who had moderate success coaching in France and Japan, recognised his talent and wanted to use him as a fulcrum of the team’s forward play. Both were advocates of a continental style of attacking football, and Dennis was happy with Arsene’s decision to impose a strict fitness and health regime. Despite making fewer appearances in the 1996–97 season, he was more influential in the first team, creating 13 assists.
The following season he was instrumental in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. He became the club’s top scorer with 22 goals and recorded a strike rate of 0.57. In 1997/8 he was the recipient of the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award, becoming only the second foreign player to be recognised by his fellow professionals as the outstanding performer in English football.
After 3 seasons of finishing second more success finally came in the 2001–02 season. Arsenal regained the league, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the season to complete the club’s second double under Wenger; Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the FA Cup four days prior. Dennis played in 33 league matches, setting up 15 goals. After a 3 game red card suspension he made his return against Newcastle United on 3 March 2002. Early in the match, Arsenal midfielder Robert Pirès played a low pass from the left flank to Dennis in the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. Under pressure from his marker Nikos Dabizas, he controlled the ball with one flick and went around the other side before placing the ball precisely into the bottom right-hand corner to score. Arsene described the goal as “unbelievable”, adding “It was not only a magnificent goal but a very important one – I enjoyed it a lot”
Dennis reached a personal landmark during the 2002–03 season, scoring his 100th goal for Arsenal against Oxford United in a FA Cup third-round tie. On 20 July 2003, he signed a one-year extension at the club. The 2003–04 season ended on a high point as Arsenal reclaimed the league title, becoming the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten Champions League over two legs. He committed himself to Arsenal at the end of the season, signing a further extension to his contract.
The team finished fourth in the league in his final season at Arsenal. After much campaigning from Arsenal supporters, the club designated one of its Highbury match day themes, organised to commemorate the stadium’s final season as home of Arsenal, to Dennis Bergkamp. “Bergkamp Day” took place on 15 April 2006 It celebrated his contribution to Arsenal; fans were given commemorative orange ‘DB10’ T-shirts – the colour of his national team, his initials and his squad number. Dennis came on as a second-half substitute and set up the winning Pirès goal moments after Nigel Quashie had levelled the score. Fittingly, his 89th-minute goal proved to be his last for Arsenal in competitive football.
He was the focus of the first match at Arsenal’s new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium as Arsenal played his old club Ajax.
Dennis made his international debut for the Netherlands national team against Italy on 26 September 1990. He was selected for Euro 1992, where his national team were the defending champions. Although he impressed, scoring three goals in the tournament, the team lost on penalties to eventual champions Denmark. In the qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, hep scored five goals and was selected for the finals, staged in the United States. He featured in every game for the national team, getting goals against Morocco in the group stages and the Republic of Ireland in the round of 16.
Against Wales in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification on 9 November 1996, he scored his first hat-trick for the national team. The Netherlands finished first in their group and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, held in France. Dennis scored three times in the competition, including a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarterfinal against Argentina. He took one touch to control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, brought the ball down through Argentine defender Roberto Ayala’s legs, and finally finished by firing a volley with the outside of his right foot, past the keeper at a tight angle from the right, he described the goal as his personal favourite in his career. His international career ended with 37 goals in 77 appearances.
In April of 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame by viewers of BBC’s Football Focus. A year later, he was voted second by Arsenal fans behind Thierry Henry in a list of the 50 Gunners Greatest Players.
This is a summary of his achievements.
Dutch Football Talent of the Year (1): 1990
Dutch Footballer of the Year (2): 1991, 1992
Eredivisie Top Scorer (3): 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93
UEFA European Football Championship Top Scorer (1): 1992
UEFA European Football Championship Team of the Tournament (1): 1992
World’s Top Goal Scorer of the Year (1): 1992
UEFA Cup Top Scorer (1): 1994
Premier League Player of the Month (4): August 1997, September 1997, March 2002, February 2004
PFA Team of the Year (1): 1997–98
FWA Footballer of the Year (1): 1997–98
PFA Players’ Player of the Year (1): 1997–98
Premier League Goal of the Season (2): 1997–98, 2001–02
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team (1): 1998
FIFA 100
English Football Hall of Fame
His statue now stands outside Emirates Stadium honouring him as one of Arsenal’s legends.
Dennis scored his 100th goal in an away FA Cup game against Oxford United on January 4th, 2003.
| Arsenal’s Century Club | ||||||
| # | Player | Years | Games | ** | Goals | GPG |
| 16 | Denis Bergkamp | 1995-06 | 423 | 296 | 120 | 0.28 |
| 17 | John Radford | 1962-76 | 481 | 306 | 149 | 0.31 |
| 18 | Joe Hulme | 1926-38 | 374 | 307 | 125 | 0.33 |
| 19 | Theo Walcott | 2005-18 | 397 | 370 | 108 | 0.27 |
| ** Games played to reach 100 goals. | ||||||
GunnerN5
Bergkampesque 
Thank you, GN5, for this superb article on the man after which this site was named eight years ago. You have done him proud and the love and respect for Dennis – you wrote Denis every time rather than Dennis, which I had to adjust a dozen times or so! 🙂 – can clearly be read through the lines.
I think what Bergkamp embodied more than any player I have known or know is the joy in creating beautiful winning football. That’s why his goals are so special to watch: he is first of all an artist and secondly a winner. Beauty is just as important, perhaps more important, as results. I reckon that is why he stayed at Arsenal as he knew he was able to express himself fully.
His ability to lift the ball over everyone including the keeper was second to none: I cannot remember anybody other than Messi with this ability to control the ball and space so well as Dennis did. If you look at the goals you will see time and again that he has incredible special awareness whilst being blessed with a sublime first, second, and if necessary third touch, and this allowed him to create time for himself. On top of all this he was technically perfect and so were his goals.
He was loyal to Arsenal because nowhere else would he have it as good as he did at THOF. The rest is beautiful history.
Thanks TA,
Looking at all of his goals over again makes he realize just how much I miss Bergkamp and football.
The way it looks right now we may not see football again until 2021, because they have now discovered that you may not display any symptoms for several days before they show. So if you are tested prior to the symptoms showing you would be declared free of the virus. Therefore if you were allowed to come out of isolation it’s highly possible that you could unwittingly spread Covid-19.
This could become the worst travesty in our lifetime and change our lives forever.
I was not clear enough what I should have said is – They have now discovered that you may be infectious prior to showing symptoms – so you could spread the virus prior to showing symptoms.
Good points, GN5. Playing football and social distancing is impossible and so all have to be clear of the virus before a game kicks off. I guess in the end it will be a matter of risk assessment. Young fit men are less likely to suffer much for Covid-19, at leas initially. Of course we still don’t know how much damage is done mid to long term to the body (and mind) of anyone who gets it. I feel we need to take stock and use the time to get to fully understand this pandemic and virus and how best to move forward…
I can’t see a way that it will be possible to have supporters crowded together in any type of sports facilities – of course it’s possible to stagger the seating but getting in and out of the grounds people are bound to pack together – plus there’s the issue of getting to and from the matches. Until they have a proven vaccine in place it’s simply not feasible to open the grounds/arena’s. They will have to find a way to play behind closed doors and us supporters will watch by television – I have a gut instinct the it will be TV only for 2019/20 (if they decide to complete the season) and for (at least) the whole of 2020/21.
TV rights will become an issue and pay for view sites will make a fortune. Invest your money in shares for pay for view sports.
Definitely without supporters till a vaccine programme has been completed.
The Season could be decided through penalty kicks for all the remaining games. Social distancing is easier and it would be some spectical for us… ;D
Quick one here today…But big thanks for the post, Mr. N5. TA’s pithy description of the namesake’s skill-set is also very strong. Here’s a short piece on Bergkamp (but with additional links if you want to delve deeper) that, I thought, summed up the player nicely… https://pspfrench.com/blog/dennis-bergkamp/
Of course, I came into my spot (17 Highbury Terrace, in the N5) in September 2006, not too long after Dennis’ testimonial. Unfortunately, it’s been (just about) all downhill from that point for Arsenal and, notably, there have been no other testimonials since. Since the move to the stadium–which was done so that the club could “earn” more money–it’s a different sort of sell-a-bration we do with our playing assets… 😦
…which makes me think that there IS a way that football could get back to business before there’s a vaccine for this novel virus…
Antibody testing (to identify those who were exposed to the virus but now have some level of immunity) could be available well before a vaccine (for everyone) gets rolled out. (Or so I’ve herd, misspelled on purpose…get it?…) Pass the test and come to work (players, stadium workers, etc.)… And, for the punters, you can come down to the stadium (and pay a premium for a test plus ticket…) and see if you can get into the stadium to watch. And, if you fail the test and sign a waiver (taking responsibility for your own sickness–and those of all the folks you might infect and maybe paying even a bit extra for that opportunity)…Walmart, er, Arsenal will let you in too!…
I don’t know, but over here where making money is more important than life itself, this is (in essence) how I see the economy getting back to work… The stadiums (restaurants, airplanes, etc., etc…) might not be full, but it’s a step better than games behind closed doors…
Anyhow, I need to keep my head “in the moment” (it’s my boy’s 18th birthday today and there’s shopping–with gloves and mask– and cooking to do), so I should forget the (glorious) past (Bergkamp) and (my scary, cynical visions of) the future too…
Thanks again… 😀
Happy birthday to the young man named after a famous Sottish river! 🙂
Let me guess – Aaron ?
Guess again, N5… It runs through Glasgow… 😉
I’m a bit sad nobody wants to debate my antibody testing (and cynical profiteering) scheme…but it’s probably better in terms of getting stuff done today…
I’ve never liked debates 17HT I’ve always preferred a dialogue. Unfortunately I can do neither today as It’s my turn to cook dinner, so I’ll tackle it tomorrow.
In the mean time…………………….
Well there’s a river that runs through Glasgow
And makes her but it breaks her and takes her into the parks
And her current just like my blood flows
Down from the hills, round aching bones to my restless heart
Well I would swim but the river is so wide
And I’m scared I won’t make it to the other side
Well God knows I’ve failed but He knows that I’ve tried
I long for something that’s safe and warm
But all I have is all that is gone
I’m as helpless and as hopeless as a feather on the Clyde
Well on one side all the lights glow
And the folks know and the kids go where the music and the drinking starts
On the other side where no cars go
Up to the hills that stand alone like my restless heart
Well I would swim but the river is so wide
And I’m scared I won’t make it to the other side
Well God knows I’ve failed but He knows that I’ve tried
I long for something that’s safe and warm
But all I have is all that is gone
I’m as helpless and as hopeless as a feather on the Clyde
Well the sun sets late in Glasgow
And the daylight and the city part
And I think of you in Glasgow
‘Cause you’re all that’s safe, you’re all that’s warm in my restless heart
Thanks GN5 for the fine piece and the embedded videos (it could be TA’s doing, though).
I watched Dennis’ TOP 10 Arsenal goal, and I realized something I previously missed, even though I’ve been a Bergkamp-fan my entire life. (Yes, I’m that young.)
Check those goals again: I honestly think none of them were even half a chance (except for maybe the rocket against Bolton at #8). I don’t want to belittle our recent and current heroes, but if I imagine Giroud or Lacazette receiving the balls in identical situation I wouldn’t expect even a shot on target. So my takeaway from tonight is that Bergkamp’s superpowers – besides his magical ball control, chipping/lobbing skills and overall footballing intelligence – included that he could easily score without needing a proper goal scoring opportunity.
Thanks again for the great article!
17, not sure whether antibody testing will be sufficient. We don’t know whether there is a case for immunity once people have had Covid-19. More research is required, surely?
Nice poem, GN5..
Agreed Pb. Arsenal used to score a lot of goals from outside the box which where at best half-chances. Things changed when Wenger wanted to pass the ball into the net, say from 2008 onwards. Have a look at the best goals of for example Pires and you will see similar sort of goals.
Happy Birthday to Clyde Highbury Terrace.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52322495
It is a start. I feel that players should not earn more than 1/3 of their wages in these sort of circumstances but their contracts will stand in the way. It is a question of morality and the Arsenal players seem to understand that their wages, whilst there being no club income, are a threat to the future of the club.
And then the other side of the Non-Flying Dutchman…
Just a brilliant footballer, amazing 1st , 2nd and 3rd touch, inside and outside of either foot , shots and goals wow everything just flew – except his whole body on aircraft.
17HT
As yet there are no known proven anti covid vaccines and many of the tests have not proven to be effective. It’s been proven that in many instances covid-19 patients who have had covid and then declared “cured” have become re-infected – also some people who have not been infected but have taken a test and declared free of the virus go on to develop it afterwards.
At this point it would be insanity (or Trump) to suggest re- opening the economy until a massive amount of proven testing is available.
Going to any type of sporting event just not make sense to me, imagine somebody several rows behind you coughing – their droplets would rain down on everybody in front of them .
TV and empty stadiums seems to be the only way forward with everybody entering the stadium getting tested.
Seems that China is opening up its economy again which I suppose is handy as it deflects attention away from their true death rate.
Don’t push too far your dreams (or lies), it’s China in your hands! 😉
Good article on George Graham – Mr. “One nil to the Arsenal”
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11096/11973645/alan-smith-why-former-arsenal-boss-george-graham-should-be-ranked-among-the-best
Arsenal players agree to a pay cut.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52322495
Catching up…and not very happy about things due to a return to more wintry weather here where I’m at… 😦
Thanks GN5 for the poem about swimming the Clyde…and to Kev and TA for the birthday wishes for my boy (man?)… It seems like the blog is down to four people now (Hi to PB also)…even after an excellent post about the guy the blog is NAMED for…
Hmmm…maybe I can muse on (and reduce that number even further… 😮 )…
GN5 wrote: “TV and empty stadiums seems to be the only way forward with everybody entering the stadium getting tested.”
And my earlier post (scroll up to the long one…) agrees…except regarding the degree of emptiness in the stadium…though I also agree with TA that more research is needed to determine if having been exposed to the virus assures some level of immunity. Unfortunately, the public health data is woeful in both our countries (I believe the US and UK are just about last and 2nd to last in per-capita virus testing), and, as it has become popular to say, we’re working pretty much in the dark when it comes to predicting how to proceed in mitigating both the (intertwined…) health AND economic crises we’re facing.
All of which leads to boredom…and writing about stuff…
(On a “normal” Saturday morning in mid-April with not very appetizing weather here in the mountains, I’d watch English football from wake-up time until nearly noon–and then, perhaps, a game from the continent–meaning Spain–if I really wanted to avoid exercise or work around the house. All of that *might* lead to some football writing. I could do a live-blog if Arsenal were playing–or maybe just one of my too long posts about the state of the Arsenal. Today, instead, I’m thinking about Covid-19 and the future…and actually wishing I was in more tropical climes…)
What I was trying to say (a couple of days ago) is that we shouldn’t underestimate the cynicism of our (free-market based) economic system. IF (a bit of) research shows that antibody testing (might) guarantee(s) (a bit of) immunity from future disease, there will be a rush to get folks tested–to see if those people can participate in activities alongside others. The US PGA is already planning to resume play in June. By July they want spectators on the course
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/16/golf-returns-in-june-with-first-four-pga-tournaments-behind-closed-doors)…
Football, of course, is another thing. Will golfers (and caddies and announcers and tournament workers…and then spectators) who have NOT been exposed to the virus (sign a waiver and) get out there (and keep traveling to the next tournament, etc. etc…)?… Well, that’s the TRUE test. Will English footballers who lack the antibody protection (if it’s determined that such a thing actually exists) be allowed to play (or, more importantly, be allowed to sit out yet still collect their wages)?… Well, that’s to be seen also…
And, in fact, doing this “thought exercise” I now feel like we’re looking at no (PL) football until August of 2021…and that’s assuming there’s a widely available vaccine by that time. If it (a vaccine) comes a hair earlier, maybe the 2019-20 schedule is completed (approximately where it left off)… A year from now Liverpool could be getting crowned as champions and Arsenal starting up again with at least a mathematical chance of making the top 4 (or is it 5?, perhaps more will be known about Man City and FFP their flagrant FFP violations)…
That said, I’ve completed (only) a month of shelter-in-place AND (compared to many) it’s not all that different than my normal lifestyle AND I’m pretty much losing my mind (not really, but this is NOT what I’d prefer to be doing). Meanwhile, others are doing WAY MORE crazy sh*t (see protests at various US State Capitols, for example…showing, perhaps, that, generally, our societies are a tad less controllable than, say, China’s…) If this (one) month has felt like a long time, imagine a full YEAR (or more)…
So, in my opinion, something’s gotta give, AND if there’s a way to make money (even if it puts people’s health at risk–but that risk can be put back onto the, er, “consumer”…) someone or some group of someones (i.e., Stan Kroenke and the other owners and all the other “vested interests”…) will find a way to make it happen…and, perhaps, sooner than later…
I think…maybe…
In the meantime, it’s time to bundle up and get the dog out on the trails…
Thanks for reading… 😀
great comment, 17HT. The commercial and political pressure to keep everybody as happy as possible are indeed enormous. But players (and spectators) need to be safe otherwise they will drag their employers/entertainment sellers to the courts or simply refuse to work/ turn up. So we need a sensible and controlled way back and this requires patience and continuation of lockdowns for a while longer. I guess DT is feeling very exposed right now and will do everything to get back to ‘normal’ as soon as possible. Scary and worrying times.
On a much more positive note: Did the Clyde have a nice birthday party?
Fine comment 17HT – To clarify when I wrote “everybody entering the stadium needs to be tested” I was referring to only the people involved in the game and then they would play in front of an empty stadium.
Re: Covid, we have a very good grocery store and pharmacy 5 minutes from our home but our son refuses to let us go shopping as we are both old farts – my wife at 78 yrs old is so healthy she does not even take a single pill – but he is worried that if she gets exposed she would pass it on to me and I take so many pills that I rattle.
Good article on Mari –
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11670/11974971/pablo-mari-i-want-to-stay-at-arsenal
Fine stuff GN5. It was only yesterday that I watched youtube videos of Bergkamp and oh boy he is a magician. The video that I saw last night was a historical footage of Bergkamp.
I hope that we can get this virus under control soon and get everything back under control. Life will not be business as usual, we still need to be on certain control measures to ensure a second massive outbreak is prevented.
Stay safe everyone.
Weird.. why my avatar name got renamed as Array.
You have to be very careful njk – there are bugs everywhere.
Bergkamp is one of those players who you could never get bored watching.
I watched a match of the day programme yesterday with Lary Ginneker, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer debating who the best premier league imports had been. To my shock they both chose Roy Keane as the nr.1 (Shearer and IW) and Henry as second, with no space for Bergkamp in Wright’s top-5 would you believe it! The fans have of course a much more balanced top-ten, with Henry on 1 and Bergkamp on 3….
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52279932
Hey Total, I hope that you’re all well and healthy up there in Jockoland.
I was just wondering, your old friends on ArsenalArsenal, are they ok?
The site seems to have shut down, nothing posted since April 9th, is this because of a lack of interest, football, news or is it because people are not well?
Btw, the rumour seems to be that Amazon might become the sponsors of Middlesex FC…
The Spuds, sponsored by tax avoiders, just perfect for Joe Lewis methinks…
I wonder if that might encourage a few more Arsenal fans to go back to normal shopping? 😉
Arsenal and staff agree on wage cuts.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52361126
I am not sure of the process that it took to come to this agreement, but I feel that the players are not that unwilling to temporarily forgo the 12.5% salary. Yes, they are still working at home everyday, sweating it out and making themselves more accustomed to Arteta, but it seems that it is ok for them to temporarily forgo the small portion of the salary for now.
I am unsure that is the media making things up to stir resentment. Maybe the media are s*** fans?
The wage cut is a nice gesture. 12.5% is not too much though, especially compared to AS Roma’s measures.
Anyway, I know that is not cool playing with other people’s money, but I wouldn’t impose a flat rate, but a bit more differentiated one. For example under a certain threshold people should have no or just a symbolic cut like 5%. Above that maybe 10%, and the highest earners should take 15% or even 20%. It’s still not a big deal from the club’s perspective, but it would be a generous favor for the youngsters and the backroom staff.
Players – 12.50%
Özil – 43.750
Aubameyang – 25.000
Lacazette – 22.500
Bellerín – 13.750
Leno (GK) – 12.500
Kolasinac – 12.500
Pepe – 12.500
Luiz – 11.250
Sokratis – 9.375
Torreira – 8.750
Holding – 8.125
Mustafi – 7.500
Ceballos – 6.875
Chambers – 6.875
Martinelli – 6.875
Kieran Tierney – 6.250
Xhaka – 5.625
AMN – 5.000
Guendouzi – 5.000
Mavropanos – 3.750
Smith-Rowe – 3.750
Martinez (GK) – 3.125
Bola – 2.500
Willock – 2.500
Burton – 2.500
Nelson – 1.875
Balogun – 1.875
Macey (GK) – 1.250
Saka – 1.250
PB above shows the effect the weekly wage cut will have on each player, Ozil and the top players contribute a disproportionate amount. Overall it works out to just over a million pounds a month from the players alone.
Kev, all good here in the divine country. Not in touch with AA people so not sure what has happened/ is happening. Maybe they are opting for silence in these challenging times. 😕
Agreed on the tax-dodgers being a nice combo for the silverware-dreamers. Shite times shite makes a lot of shite!
A nice sum of money every week, GN5!!
New Post 🙂
A very comprehensive take on the great DB10, GN5. I must say it was easier to just watch the clips, in the time I could muster, rather than post a comment. The times are so dreary, the news not so encouraging and it’s almost as if the lockdown won’t end, given all the prognosis that suggest shut down till we are sure and better to be safe than sorry.
Back to the great man. A lot has been said already but it is hard not to love Dennis both as a man and as a footballer. He was deceptively quick and strong; he had this ability to fend off defenders before curling one or giving an impossible pass, or flicking the ball into goal. He had a brilliant mind, very evident when he plays because he is one of the few players who always seem to make the right decision each time they are allowed to execute an action to the full. It is credit to his great ability that he always appeared to have too much time to make the pass or score, in a “cold blooded” manner, earning him the nickname “Iceman”.
It was a joy to have him at Arsenal (Inter’s Loss) playing alongside such brilliant players as Vieira, Pires, Kanu, Ljungberg, Wright and Henry. He complemented them all with his style and guile. You know you are good when two great goal scorers describe you as a Striker’s dream.
I commend the boys for accepting a conditional pay cut and deferral at a time as this. This period calls for sacrifice and selflessness and despite the PFA defending players who initially rejected the proposals by different clubs, it came down to morality and good conscience. Saw a report which claimed Ozil was one of three players who rejected the offer; as is to be expected (where Ozil is mentioned and the click bait set), the other two weren’t named; I thought it was in poor taste that such an internal matter should leak to the press when it is a personal thing.
Anyone who criticizes Ozil for trying to protect a legally binding contract (at least, till he is sure of how long this situation lasts) is being a hypocrite, in my view. Very few players match the work he does for Charity and other great causes, even funding surgical operations for children of different countries, which cost will certainly top the cuts to his salary. I guess it still has to do with his package being the highest at the club and the press (and some fans) still can’t forgive him for negotiating his way to a good final pay day.
TA, ever tried to find out the real story behind Dennis’ fear of flying?
Sorry guys…. New Post New Post!!!
Super comments, Erismus 🙂
I think Dennis had a really bad experience in a plane once and then he said never ever again…
I seem to remember a plane crash that killed many young Dutch or Suriname players. Dennis might have had friends or acquaintance on the plane.
I checked it, and turns out to be true:
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-bergkamp-admits-to-flying-phobia-1356877.html
Nice one, Pb!