D
eter
There are moments that define entire chapters in the wonderful story of
Arsenal Football Club.
"WE'VE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP. WE'VE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP."
DENNIS BERGKAMP TESTIMONIAL MATCH V AJAX JULY 22, 2006
-Wnoc
David Danskin calling a meeting of his
fellow munitions workers in 1886 to
suggest forming a football club; Sir Henry
Norris persuading the football league that
Woolwich Arsenal should be allowed to
move north to Islington; Herbert Chapman
taking the reins at Highbury; Jon Sammels
scoring the Cup Winners' Cup Final goal
against Anderiecht for our first trophy in
17 years - all hugely significant events in
the Club's rich history and alongside such
moments I believe you can include June
20,1995 and Dennis Bergkamp signing
his first contract for the Club.
Of course you never know the
significance of a memorable moment
until it is given its true historical context
in years to come, and that's true with
Dennis following an astounding
contribution over 11 seasons, but there
was a sense of something very special in
the offing the minute the ink was dry and
we knew Dennis was our player. The Club
had endured a
couple of lean
seasons and were
in danger of
becoming eclipsed
in the fledgling
Premier League by
too many teams. To
bring on board a
player like Dennis
was therefore a
huge boost to
everyone
associated with the
Club. Here was a
truly world class superstar, a player who
transcended the talents of the majority
of top-flight players and was recognised
as a global great - and we'd signed him.
Supporters regularly tell me that, in the
manner of JFK's assassination, they
knew exactly where they were when
'Bergkamp signed'. Dennis's move to
north London was a sign that Arsenal
were still a Club to be reckoned with and
following the arrival of Arsène Wenger,
Dennis was soon proving instrumental in
trophies returning to Highbury.
Reflecting on such a glorious career, it
seems somewhat ironic that the first
month of Dennis's time at Highbury was
notable for the hysteria that surrounded
the fact he didn't score in his first
handful of games for the Club. That
superb first goal, against Southampton
at Highbury, would be one of my
'Bergkamp highlights'; the kind of goal
we all hoped we would see when we
signed him and thankfully the type of
strike we witnessed again and again over
the years - and wasn't it wonderfully
poetic that he scored a sublime 25 yard-
strike on 'Dennis Bergkamp Day' against
West Brom this season?
Other goals which will always live long in
the memory include the hat-trick against
Leicester City and the marvellous effort
against Newcastle in the league when he
totally bamboozled their defence. And
there are plenty of great goals to choose
from, I'm sure everyone has their own
personal favourite.
But it's not been just about the goals
with Dennis, far from it. His team-play
including an uncanny awareness of
others and slide-rule passing have made
him the perfect foil for a succession of
strikers; Ian Wright, Nicolas Anelka and
of course Thierry Henry to name but
three. And his professional attitude
towards the game has been a lesson to
any young Arsenal player who wanted a
role model to help them learn the correct
way to conduct themselves in a
professional manner, on and off the
pitch. I think Dennis's achievement to
have played at such a high level until the
age of 37 is testimony to the wonderful
physical condition he's been in from the
day he joined until his final match.
In short Dennis Bergkamp has been a
truly magnificent servant for Arsenal
Football Club. He has not only proven to
everyone who has watched him that he
is a player of the very highest calibre,
genuinely world class, but he has also
proved that he is an 'Arsenal man'
someone who fell in love with this
unique institution and always respected
the history and traditions of Arsenal
Football Club.
It's sad that Dennis won't be joining us
at Emirates Stadium, but fitting that the
stadium takes a bow in a match
dedicated to his name as football is all
about supporters and there can be few
players in the Club's history who have
been loved by the Gunners fans as much
as Dennis.
Thanks for everything you gave Arsenal
Football Club Dennis and enjoy your day.
