Biography- History from Ajax to Arsenal, the Arsenal history (this page)
- The Arsenal History (continued)
History from Ajax to Arsenal
Dennis Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam on May, 1969. He was named after the famous Manchester United's player Denis Law but there had to add one more 'n' because "Denis" reminds too much "Denise" in the Netherlands. Dennis drilled the ball hour after hour against the garden wall at his family home at a young age or dribbled around his three elder brothers who were also all football fanatics. For years, his parents took him and his brothers to England on holiday and his love for English developed during his childhood years. His family were Manchester United fans, but Dennis admired Glenn Hoddle of Spurs the most. Bergkamp said:Maybe I was...maybe I am, a little different from other players. They will tell you that Pele, Maradona, Cruyff are their idols and I will say Glenn Hoddle. Main thing was that I was a big fan of Glenn Hoddle. When you wanted to see Hoddle play you watched Tottenham. People often assume I'm a Spurs fan but it's not true. I was a fan of Glenn Hoddle, not of Spurs.
Bergkamp is another product of the Ajax youth system. He joined the Ajax youth team when he was 12. Dennis explained:
The normal things for professional players now, I already did when I was 12 years old. I didn't have time to go out. If we had game on Saturday, I would stay in on Friday night. I didn't smoke, I didn't drink. I stayed in on Saturday nights and Sunday to do my homework so I could train two or three times a week.
Bergkamp at AjaxAfter Dennis played few years with the Ajax youth, Johan Cruyff discovered Bergkamp's talent and took him away from the junior-team and asked him to play with the first team. His first league game was in 14th of December in 1986 against Roda JC Kerkade and few months later he made his European debut in the Cup Winners Cup against Malmö FF. In that year he made four goals in the CWC and Ajax won the Cup. In 1990 he won the Championship medal with Ajax and in 1993 the Dutch Cup. He also became an international in the Dutch squad. His international debut was in 1990 against Italy and two months later he scored his first goal for his country against Greece. He was a regular ever since until he retired at international level after Euro 2000. In 1992, the Netherlands went to Sweden as a favourite to win the European Championship. Bergkamp played alongside with his superstar teammates such as Gullit, van Basten, Rijkaard, and Koeman. Dennis played well and scored three goals (top scorer in the tournament with Larsen, Riedle and Brolin) before the Netherlands lost to Denmark in penalty shootout in the semi-finals.
With Ajax Bergkamp won his second European Cup, the UEFA Cup in 1992. He was three times Dutch topscorer (1991, -92, -93) and was voted twice 'Football Player of the Year' by his Dutch collegues (1992 and -93). In Ajax Dennis played right behind the strikers, position what was later taken by another top player, Finnish Jari Litmanen. In the Dutch league Dennis played 185 games and scored 103 goals. Altogether, Bergkamp played 239 games for Ajax and scored 122 goals.
After this great year Bergkamp and his teammate Wim Jonk were sold to Inter of Italy. That was the effect of his excellent performance in Euro 1992. Johan Cruyff disapproved it because he felt that Bergkamp would not play well in the defensive style of Inter. But Bergkamp wanted a challenge and he chose Inter over clubs like AC Milan and Barcelona, where football was played more similar to the attacking Ajax system. Again he played in UEFA Cup final and won it, now with Inter. He stayed in Italy for two seasons, but as Cruyff predicted, Dennis had a difficult time in Milano. The club promised a change of playing style but it didn't happen. Moreover, Bergkamp's releationship with his teammates was not so good. For an example, one of his teammates in Inter, the Uruguayan striker Ruben Sosa treated him more as a rival than a colleague. Dennis also could't go down well with the quite-hungry Italian press; When he wouldn't talk to them, they talked to his gardener who told them that one of Italy's most highly paid footballers liked to stay at home with his wife. Bergkamp received much criticism in Milan. During this unhappy time, he still played well for the Netherlands played an important part in Netherlands' 1994 World Cup campaign, playing every game in the finals. The Dutchmaster scored three goals in five World Cup matches.
After the World Cup, Bergkamp returned to Milan for one more year. At the end of the 1994/95 season, he realized that things will not change at Inter. Having opted to leave, Bergkamp's decision to join Arsenal was made quickly.
I wanted to go to England and as soon as I heard the name Arsenal. I thought of London. I thought of the club, a very successful club.
On the 20th of June 1995, Dennis became Arsenal's record purchase for £7.5m.
I signed when Bruce Rioch was Arsenal manager and he began building a new style of play, but it was really when Arsene Wenger arrived that I felt a new era building at the club,
Dennis talked about his two managers. When asked about his time in Serie A, Dennis refused to look back on that time as a failure.
I don't think so. Of course I couldn't bring the football I am bringing now or I brought at Ajax, but as a player I think I learnt a lot. I think I wouldn't have been the footballer I am now if I didn't go there.
At this time, Dennis took a decision to never fly again.
A lot of people think that I've never flown but that's not true. I have flown before and just suddenly decided not to do it again. Nothing happened to cause me to make that decision. I had just come to realise that flying was affecting me a lot and affecting my game. In the days leading up to the game I was worrying about the flight and then during the game I would be worrying about the flight back. That was no good for me or the team. To me there is no problem. In deciding not to fly again I've made a solution to a problem. I felt free again after I'd made that decision and I believe it's not a coincidence that I've played the best football of my career at Arsenal, since I made that decision. Okay, so sometimes I miss a few games but then I could be missing games through suspension or injury,Dennis said. Now he could play matches in foreign countries only if they could be reached by car, train or boat. That's why one of his nicknames is "The Non-Flying Dutchman".
His move to Arsenal was one of the biggest and most talked about transfers to the Premiership. Therefore, when he didn't score at the start of the season, he was higly criticised. Massimo Moratti, the president of Inter, said:Arsenal will be lucky if Bergkamp scores 10 goals this season.
Dennis scored 16 times that season. Others said Bergkamp was not aggressive enough. Those criticism were actually quite unfair. As Ruud Gullit pointed out, Bergkamp is neither a target man or creative midfield. His strength is to be in the right place at the right time. He would create more goals than he would score. Statistic also showed that Bergkamp was involved in 75% of the Arsenal's goals at the beginning of the season. Finally, in his 8th Premier League game, he silenced the critics with two stunning goals, his first two for Arsenal.
I didn't exactly hit the ground running in England and it took me a while to get going. There was a lot of pressure on me and I remember the newspapers running 'Bergkamp Watch' features, asking how many hours it would take me to score. In the end, I scored against Southampton and I remember running away from the goal with all the pressure coming off my shoulders,
Dennis said. He adapted well into the team and got support from his new teammates. He and his striker partner Ian Wright formed a strong attack combination in the league. The two also became very good friends off the field. Overall, Bergkamp had a good first season with Arsenal.
The Arsenal history Dennis Bergkamp played his best football in the 1997/98 season. The 29-year-old (at the moment) Dutchman became the most dominating player in English Premier League. He led Arsenal into the Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners, although Bergkamp was injured during the last few games, including the cup final on Wembley. He made a sensational start for the Gunners as they mounted an impressive challenge to Manchester United's supremacy in the title race.
Dennis got many awards along the way to the double: He was voted 'Player Of The Year' by his collegues, the biggest personal award a player can get in the UK. He also ended third in the voting for 'FIFA player of the year'. In September, Dennis was named player of the month for the second time, the first player to win the award in consecutive months. Before that, BBC's Match of the Day programme had voted his strikes first, second and third in their goal of the month, a feat unaqualled by any other player in the 25-year history of the competition.
During the first half of the 1997/98 season, I played what must be the best football of my career. Everything I was trying seemed to work, my body felt fine and everything went for me. I was on form and it was a great feeling.
Dennis got many awards along the way to the double: He was voted 'Player Of The Year' by his collegues, the biggest personal award a player can get in the UK. He also ended third in the voting for 'FIFA player of the year'. In September, Dennis was named player of the month for the second time, the first player to win the award in consecutive months. Before that, BBC's Match of the Day programme had voted his strikes first, second and third in their goal of the month, a feat unaqualled by any other player in the 25-year history of the competition.
During the first half of the 1997/98 season, I played what must be the best football of my career. Everything I was trying seemed to work, my body felt fine and everything went for me. I was on form and it was a great feeling.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger agreed he was simply the best:
He scores his goals from outside the penalty box like a midfielder, and also he needs fewer touches on the ball to score. Sometimes just one, when others need two or three. He is the peak of his career and I don't think there's anybody better in the world.But by the winter, thanks to a series of suspensions and a foot injury, the spark had gone, despite his third place in the FIFA 1997 World Player of the Year awards, having earlier been named fourth-best European. Some over-exaggerated diving and a petulant elbow that saw him sent off in March did little for his standing and earned him a second three-match ban just as Arsenal were finding their form. Bergkamp himself has repeatedly claimed he is being targeted by referees and defenders in England.
Nonetheless in spring he returned to his most bewitching form to help the Gunners overhaul United in the Premier League title run-in. He ended the 1997/98 season as he started - in fantastic form.
He was very happy since he went to play in the Premiership after playing in the Netherlands and Italy.
England is a country where they play attacking football and people want to see that rather than games that end in a draw. You get space and that suits my game and I am very pleased with the way things are going. I am thinking of finishing my career in England. It suits my game and I feel fine. I am not thinking of playing in any other country or for any other team at the moment.Then there was the World Cup in France. At the beginning of the tournament Dennis had a knee injury but he got over it and got back his good form. Bergkamp scored three important goals against South Korea, Yuogoslavia and Argentina and also assisted three goals.
We went out to Brazil again, this time in the semi finals, and that was a little bitter. But I feel it was a wonderful experience for me and of course I scored that goal against Argentina,
Bergkamp commented on his amazing goal. Sharp and clever Bergkamp showed that the success in Arsenal wasn't luck. Because in France there wasn't very long distances between the venues of the matches Dennis didn't even suffer his fear of flying. Now there was no doubt that he was a world class goalscorer.
The following season at Arsenal wasn't so great. At the beginning of the season Bergkamp was most of the time injured and suffered badly from the demands of the World Cup finals during the previous summer. A subsequent back injury caused him to miss a number of matches during the first half of the campaign. But once he returned to full fitness, he struck up a good understanding with his main strike-partner Nicolas Anelka and his precision passing created a number of goals for other team mates as well. When Bergkamp found his best form again, Arsenal caught up Man United and there was a superb title race again, like in the double season.
After losing the FA Cup semi-final to Man Utd the Dutch striker was devastated after missing the last-minute penalty that would have secured a Wembley place for the current Cup holders and could not bring himself to talk about the miss. But Peter Schmeichel's brilliant save acted as an inspiration for United who won the epic semi-final replay with a sensational individual goal from Ryan Giggs in extra time.
If I had scored that, Manchester United would not have gone to Wembley for the FA Cup Final and so could not have won the treble. Maybe they would have won nothing - who knows?
Then missing the last few games because of injury, the Dutchman returned at the crucial moment and produced two wonderful goal-making passes against Tottenham. Bergy was in a different class to any Spurs outfield player and, indeed, to most of his own team-mates. Well-deserved, he was chosen as Man of the Match. But bitterly, in the next match Jimmy Hasselbaink scored the winner to Leeds - One-nil. Because of Man Utd's draw with Blackburn the title was out of Arsenal's hands, but The Gunners fighted a win from Aston Villa. Now United had to draw, but Spurs couldn't stop them: 2-1 to United. No glory, but a memorable season for ever.
The 1999-2000 season was just very frustrating. We went out of the Champions' League at the first stage after losing to Fiorentina. We missed a penalty in a crucial match in that competition and then ended up going out of the FA Cup, Worthington Cup and losing the UEFA Cup Final through penalty shoot-outs,
Dennis sealed up the next season.Bergkamp released a statement after the tournament:
After last night's bitter disappointment, I've decided to hang up my international boots. I'm pretty tired of the relentless flow of games to be honest. With all the domestic competitions we play and the challenge of the Champions' League football I have enough games to play, enough travelling to do. I want to spend more time with my family, but you never know what the future might hold. If I get the itch to come back at any time in the next few months, I'll let the new coach know.That itch never came.
So how do I sum up Euro 2000? I really am lost for words. It's been a pretty rough ending to the tournament for us and I'm not able to give any proper assessment of it at all. So many parts of Euro 2000 were enjoyable and I think we could have done so much better as a team. It's a puzzle that we couldn't fulfil that promise. Frank Rijkaard quitting is very sad, but it's very hard to know what to say about it because we're all feeling so empty.Off the Pitch
Dennis is totally different off the pitch, once people know him.
I think I'm quite emotional. What I don't show on the pitch when I score a goal. I'm a different person in private.Bergkamp's inner feelings are clearly something for his wife, Henrita, and his three childs, Estelle, Mitchel and Yasmin, alone. Dennis first met Henrita in Spain when he was 21. A few years later, they got married and their first child, Estelle, was born when Dennis was 26. He became a father for the second time in September 1998 when Henrita got a boy, Mitchel, and the second girl, Yasmin, was born in April 2002. While Bergkamp was still a professional footballer he demured at the suggestion that his profession was a main topic of conversation round the dinner table.
The other things in life are very important to me as well, so we talk more about them than about football. i.e. family matters and my hobbies such as tennis and golf.
Dennis has three brothers who have all played Dutch amateur soccer.
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