DENNIS BERGKAMP:THE ELECTRIFYING DUTCH FOOTBALLER WITH A BEAUTIFUL FIRST TOUCH & A DAZZLING FOOTWORK
The beautiful game of football with its unifying power has witnessed legendary icons from different eras of the ever evolving game.The indescribable passion and burning desire exhibited by gifted footballers have beautified the game over the years.
The marvellous continent of Europe has consistently held the setting of global football under a spell with its elite list of impressive football talents who exhibited the beauty of the round leather game with their enchanting spontaneity and productive flair on the field of play.
Damn!!!,he was so good with those deft touches during his glamorous playing days and he was almost unstoppable during his prime while covering every blade of grass on the pitch against all manner of adversity.
Dutch football has generally offered fantastic football talents as priceless gifts to world football over the years and one of such rare gem is Dennis Bergkamp.
The electrifying son of an electrician was the last son from four siblings and was named after Scottish football great,Denis Law,but he had to portray a name with a double ‘n’ due to the customs of naming children according to Dutch naming tradition.His birthplace is an iconic European city known globally for cycling but his heart was made up to play the exciting game of football thus he honed his enchanting skillset as a non professional before he went on to become a living icon of the game.
The little shining light of young Bergkamp was noticed by Ajax at the tender age of 11 and he featured in his first ever match for the Amsterdam based club as an adolescent in the mid 1980’s.
An impressive football talent never goes unnoticed by a national team and as such he received an invitation to represent his beloved country in 1990 and this gave him an avenue to prove his worth.His promising talent tickled the fancy of several top clubs in his continent.
In 1993,the Amsterdam born football prospect put pen to paper with a deal to play for Inter Milan but his stint with the Milan club was ephemeral as he didn’t showcase his brilliance thus he underperformed in the colours of the Nerazzuri.
Nevertheless,in 1995 he switched allegiance to Arsenal in the English Premier league when Arsene Wenger showed belief in his talent and the astute French gaffer consented to his transfer.His newly found football adventure in North London helped to steer his career back on track and once again he ignited a burning desire to play at an optimum level of performance which earned him plaudits within England and beyond.
Without mincing words,the lanky and fleetfooted forward was an impressive student of the world renowned philosophy of Total football championed by the cerebral Johann Cruyff.Cruyff’s unique Total football template groomed Bergkamp’s technique to exhibit versatility on the field of play i.e the ability to be deployed in various playing positions on the pitch and offer the same work-rate geared towards radiating the beauty of football and ultimately securing victories.
Bergkamp who stands at a height of 1.83m was a quick,clever and gifted professional who showed elegance with a beautiful first touch.He illustrated enchanting spontaneity with his lovely range of passing with both feet,smart movements and amazing ball control thus giving him the much needed edge over his opponents.
To set the records straight beyond doubt,he was placed third in the 1993 and 1997 FIFA world player of the year award.During his time in the Dutch Eredivisie,he was adjudged to be the MVP for two consecutive years and he sat pretty at the top of the scorer’s chart for three consecutive seasons.
In English football,he left an indelible legacy at Arsenal which saw him receive the accolade of FWA footballer of the year and PFA players' player of the year in April and May 1998 and he earned a well deserved spot in the PFA team of the year in Arsenal’s triumphant 1997/1998 season.
It is quite fascinating to note that the Dutch football virtuoso suffered from a unique phobia for flying and this affected his involvement with the Arsenal squad especially on away match duties which required the team to travel via air transportation.
His undying love for football gave him the impetus to venture into coaching though he initially declared a lack of interest to manage football teams.In 2011,he was appointed as a subordinate to Frank De Boer at Ajax Amsterdam.Subsequently,his role was altered with the Dutch club when Peter Bosz was hired.In 2017,he and his fellow assistant Hennie Spijkerman were relieved of their duties.
Interestingly,he is the father to the romantic partner of former Ajax midfielder,Donny Van de Beek.
A stellar football career which spanned around two decades saw Bergkamp score over 200 goals in over 600 matches for club and country.
Two months ago,one of the most widely read football tabloid,FourFourTwo ranked the dazzling Dutch star as 68th on a list of 100 football greats across all eras.
He was wonderfully described by a football analyst for having the finest technique by any Dutch footballer and his globally recognised strike partner at Arsenal,Thierry Henry waxed lyrical about his impressive technical ability.
His goal in the English Premier league against Newcastle in 2002 and another screamer against Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 1998 FIFA world cup hosted in France remains memorable and exemplifies the amazing skillset of Bergkamp.
His playing time with Ajax,Inter Milan and Arsenal saw him win 13 major football honours and he was an integral part of a Dutch team which came third twice in UEFA Euros tournament in the year 1992 and 2000.
©GS. Maverick
