Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp; born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who is the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. Originally a wide midfielder, Bergkamp was moved to main striker and then to second striker, where he remained throughout his playing career. Bergkamp has been described by Jan Mulder as having "the finest technique" of any Dutch international and a "dream for a striker" by teammate Thierry Henry...
NationalityDutch
ProfessionSoccer Player
Date of Birth10 May 1969
CityAmsterdam, Netherlands
You have to shoot, to want to score goals no matter how. Just score that goal! You can't be afraid to miss.
My goals in Holland were known as 'stiffies', which means something quite different in England of course.
When I played in Holland, I always tried to lob the goalkeeper. People used to say, 'Oh, you're always only trying to make a nice goal'. But I said, 'Listen, if the goalie is a little bit off his line, how much space do you have on his left or right?' It's not a lot. 'And how much space do you have above him?
We created some chances in the first half and the sending-off made it difficult for us to get going. They equalized but we kept fighting and there was a good spirit. Maybe in the end we would have been happy with a point.
At the time I played with him (Ian), I didn't think I would ever play with another quite like him. I really didn't think that his record would ever be broken,
I am just happy to play in any game (but) I can't talk about games in Europe when I'm not even playing at home at the moment.
I feel we are getting better in that we are getting more experience in it,
They equalized but we kept fighting and there was a good spirit. Maybe in the end we would have been happy with a point.
I love the balance I have as a player. I come in and train in the mornings and then, in the afternoons, I live a very ordinary life.
In the past few weeks, you can see that the spirit and the football are coming back.
If you look at the whole package, with what Thierry has, I don't think you can find that anywhere else. You give him the ball in the right place, and his acceleration will take him past any defender.
When I retired in 2006, I stayed for a further two years in England. I stayed because I wanted to be in England without being a footballer, without the rhythm. I wanted to enjoy the city.
What a ball from Frank. Frank and I go back years. He used to do that when I was at Ajax.
It's fantastic for Arsenal, and for English football as well. You've got an English club with a lot of young English talent committing themselves to a club.