32 Greatest footballers in the history of the English Premier League - Part 22
16. Dennis Bergkamp:
Dennis Bergkamp was a professional footballer who retired after playing for the English club, Arsenal. His abilities were very well acknowledged and got him a spot in the Dutch national team. The Dutch footballer used to play as a striker but it wasn’t the
“goal scoring” that led him to the fame that he got, it was the way he used to find the striker right in front of him for goals. He was simply a fabulous finisher and also a great passer of the ball.
Dennis Bergkamp started playing football when he was only 12 years old and he started from the Dutch youth academy, Ajax. The club Ajax was producing one the best talents in Europe and Dennis Bergkamp was one of them. One of the best footballers in the
history of the game, John Cruyff helped him out during his time in Ajax and the advice that he gave him turned him into a striking beast.
He finally made it to the Ajax first team in 1990 after warming the bench and coming on as a “power sub” for the team. He managed to score 50 goals during his “bench warming” times and the tally became even better when he started to come on as a regular
player. The Dutch striker managed to find the net 103 times in only 185 appearances.
Bergkamp’s position wasn’t really of a “centre forward,” he used to position himself right behind the striker, as a side striker for the team in case they were playing a 4-4-2. Even though he was playing in a position that doesn’t produce too many goals,
he was still the highest goal scorer for his team.
In 1990, he managed to win the Dutch league with Ajax. After two years he also won the UEFA Cup and later in 1993 he won the golden boot award in the Dutch League. For two consecutive years, 1992 and 1993 Dennis Bergkamp was voted as player of the year in
the Dutch League.
He then joined the Italian side Inter Milan after a 12 million pound deal was agreed to between the two teams. His time in Inter Milan wasn’t as glorious as it was expected and after winning a UEFA Cup with the Italian side in 1994, Dennis decided to make
a move to the English Premier League side, Arsenal.
The player wasn’t really performing well along with Inter Milan and he dropped his value as Arsenal got him for 7.5 million pounds. After joining Arsenal, his stars started to shine and Dennis became the unstoppable force he once was. The amazing Dutch star
managed to win an “invincible” season with Arsenal when they managed to win the Premier League without losing a single game.
After being a part of the best team in the English Premier League, the Dutch star Dennis Bergkamp decided to retire at the peak of his career. His “magical” goal against Newcastle United is still in the hearts of the Premier League fans. He managed to dodge
three defenders with just a single flick that he made while turning, and then he managed to finish it off after being one-on-one with the goal keeper.
Dennis Bergkamp wasn’t only a success at club level, and he proved himself time and time again alongside the Dutch team. He was included in the FIFA world Cup 1994 squad. Even though the Dutch team didn’t win a lot during the game, he still managed to prove
himself after scoring a fabulous last minute goals against England.
Later, he managed to appear in the Euro 1996 and FIFA World Cup 1998. Dutch team was filled with talented players but they still didn’t manage to win much in both these tournaments. However, he was acknowledged for his efforts with the Oranges.
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