Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (; born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch professional football coach and former player. Originally a wide midfielder, Bergkamp was moved to main striker while still a teenager and then played as a deeper lying forward for the remainder of his career.
Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam and played as an amateur in the lower leagues. He was spotted by Ajax at age 11 and made his professional debut in 1986. Prolific form led to an international call-up with the Netherlands in 1990, attracting the attention of several European clubs. Bergkamp signed for Italian club Inter Milan in 1993, where he had two underwhelming seasons. After joining Arsenal in 1995, he rejuvenated his career, helping the club to win three Premier League titles (one unbeaten), three FA Cup trophies, and reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League final. Despite noting a desire to not go into coaching, Bergkamp served as an assistant at Ajax between 2011 and 2017.
With the Netherlands national team, Bergkamp was selected for Euro 1992, where he impressed, scoring three goals as his country reached the semi-finals. and a "dream for a striker" by teammate Thierry Henry. Bergkamp finished third twice in the FIFA World Player of the Year award and was selected by Pelé as one of the FIFA 100 greatest living players. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, one of the greatest players in Premier League history and amongst Ajax's and Arsenal's greatest ever players. In 2007, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame, the first and only Dutch player ever to receive the honour. Bergkamp was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2017, Bergkamp's goal against Newcastle United in 2002 was voted as the best Premier League goal in the league's 25-year history: it involved a flick around Newcastle defender Nikos Dabizas before the ball was calmly sent into the net.
Early life
Born in Amsterdam, Bergkamp was the last of Wim and Tonnie Bergkamp's four sons. He was brought up in a working-class suburb, in a family aspiring to reach middle-class status. To comply with Dutch given name customs, an extra "n" was inserted in Bergkamp's first name by his father after it was not accepted by the registrar. Bergkamp was raised as a Roman Catholic by his family and regularly attended church during his childhood. Although in later years he said visits to church did not appeal to him, Bergkamp still maintains his faith.
Club career
Ajax: 1986–1993
thumb|188x188px|Bergkamp at Ajax in 1989|left
Bergkamp was brought up through Ajax's youth system, joining the club at age 11. Bergkamp scored his first senior goal for the club against HFC Haarlem on 22 February 1987 in a match Ajax won 6–0. He went on to make 23 appearances in the 1986–87 season, including a European debut against Malmö FF in the 1986–87 European Cup Winners' Cup, earning him praise.
In later seasons, Bergkamp established himself as a first-team player for Ajax. This culminated in a period of success for the club, which won the Eredivisie title in the 1989–90 season for the first time in five years. Bergkamp scored 29 goals in 36 matches the following season and became the joint top scorer in the league, sharing the accolade with PSV striker Romário.
Ajax won the 1992 UEFA Cup final, beating Torino through the away goals ruling. They then defeated Heerenveen 6–2 in the final of the KNVB Cup on 20 May 1993. Bergkamp was the top scorer in the Eredivisie from 1991 to 1993 and was voted Dutch Footballer of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In total, he scored 122 goals in 239 matches for his hometown club.
Inter Milan: 1993–1995
thumb|upright|Bergkamp holding the [[UEFA Cup trophy after Inter Milan's win in the 1994 UEFA Cup final]]
Bergkamp attracted the attention of several European clubs as a result of his performances for Ajax. Fellow Dutchman and then FC Barcelona Johan Cruyff, in an attempt to encourage Bergkamp to sign for Barcelona, advised him not to join Spanish rivals Real Madrid, one of the teams said to have been interested in him, but Bergkamp was primarily interested in a move to Italy. Bergkamp considered Serie A "the biggest league at the time" but after the success of fellow countrymen Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard at AC Milan he preferred a move to either Juventus or Inter Milan to help distinguish himself. Upon signing, Bergkamp said Inter "met all my demands. The most important thing for me was the stadium, the people at the club and their style of play." He scored his first goal for the club against Cremonese in September 1993 but had a difficult time against the highly organised and resolute Italian defences, scoring a further seven goals in the league. This was partly due to manager Osvaldo Bagnoli's inability to find a stable forward partnership, preferring Bergkamp in a three with Rubén Sosa and Salvatore Schillaci. Inter's poor league form culminated in the sacking of Bagnoli in February 1994 and his replacement by Gianpiero Marini, a member of Italy's 1982 FIFA World Cup-winning squad. The club finished 13th in Serie A, one point away from relegation, but enjoyed success in the UEFA Cup, beating Austria Salzburg in the final over two legs. Bergkamp was the competition's joint top scorer with eight goals and scored a hat-trick against Rapid București in the first round.
In Bergkamp's second season at Inter, the club changed managers again, appointing Ottavio Bianchi. Bergkamp endured a disappointing campaign, troubled with stress injuries and fatigue from the 1994 World Cup. He managed to score 5 goals in 26 appearances. Off the field, Bergkamp's relationship with the Italian press and fans became uncomfortable. His shy persona and his propensity to go home after matches was interpreted as apathy. Because of his poor performance on the pitch, one Italian publication renamed their award given to the worst performance of the week, L'asino della settimana (Donkey of the Week) to Bergkamp della settimana. Inter ended the league season in sixth position and failed to retain the UEFA Cup, with the club eliminated in the second round. In February 1995, the club was purchased by Italian businessman and fan Massimo Moratti, who promised to invest heavily in the squad. Bergkamp's future in the first team was uncertain following the signing of Maurizio Ganz a month after the takeover.
Arsenal: 1995–2006
As Moratti prepared to make wholesale changes at the club, Bergkamp left Inter and signed with Arsenal in June 1995 for a transfer fee estimated at £7.5 million. He became manager Bruce Rioch's first signing at Arsenal and broke the club's prior transfer fee record of £2.5 million. Bergkamp ended his first season with 33 appearances and 11 goals, helping Arsenal finish fifth and earn a place in the UEFA Cup by scoring the winner against Bolton Wanderers on the final day of the season.
The appointment of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager in September 1996 marked a turning point in Bergkamp's career. Wenger, who had been a successful manager in France and Japan, recognised Bergkamp's talent and wanted to use him as a fulcrum of the team's forward play. Bergkamp received his first red card against Sunderland in January 1997 for a high tackle on midfielder Paul Bracewell in the 26th minute. Arsenal went on to lose the match 1–0, but a run of 8 wins in their final 16 matches gave the club a third-place finish, missing out on a spot in the UEFA Champions League via goal difference.
Bergkamp was instrumental the following season in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. He became the club's top scorer with 22 goals and recorded a strike rate of 0.57. Arsenal's achievement was all the more astonishing given the team, written off by many in December 1997, had made ground on reigning Premier League champions Manchester United. Early in the season away to Leicester City at Filbert Street on 23 August 1997, Bergkamp scored his first hat-trick for the club. The third goal, which he regarded as his favourite for Arsenal, required just one touch to control the ball in the penalty box, another to flick it past his marker Matt Elliott before juggling it with his feet and shooting past goalkeeper Kasey Keller. After the match, Leicester manager Martin O'Neill was gracious enough to admit Bergkamp's was "the best hat-trick I've ever seen". In an FA Cup quarter-final replay against West Ham United on 17 March 1998, Bergkamp was sent off for elbowing midfielder Steve Lomas and missed three matches due to suspension. He played no further part in Arsenal's season after overstretching his hamstring against Derby County on 29 April 1998, missing the 1998 FA Cup final. Bergkamp was consoled with the PFA Players' Player of the Year award, becoming only the third non-British player to be recognised by his fellow professionals as the outstanding performer in English football.
After an effective 1998 World Cup campaign with the national team, Bergkamp had another productive season in 1998–99. Although Arsenal failed to retain the Premier League after losing the title on the final day of the season to Manchester United, Bergkamp was the club's second-top scorer in all competitions, with 16 goals, and finished the season as the top assist provider in the Premier League, alongside Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with 13 assists. Arsenal were also defeated in a FA Cup semi-final replay against Manchester United in April 1999. After this miss, Bergkamp did not take another penalty for the remainder of his career.
thumb|270x270px|Bergkamp playing for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal in 2001]]
The 1999–2000 season proved to be a frustrating one for both Arsenal and Bergkamp. The club finished second in the league, 18 points behind Manchester United, and lost in the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Turkish opponents Galatasaray on penalties. The departure of compatriot Marc Overmars and French midfielder Emmanuel Petit in the close season led to speculation over Bergkamp's future. He ultimately agreed terms on a contract extension in December 2000. Despite an array of new signings made in the 2000–01 season, Arsenal were runners-up in the league for a third year in succession. The emergence of Thierry Henry and Sylvain Wiltord as the main strikers saw Bergkamp's first-team opportunities limited as a result. He was used as a late substitute in Liverpool's win over Arsenal in the 2001 FA Cup final.
Success finally came in the 2001–02 season. Arsenal regained the league, beating Manchester United at Old Trafford in the penultimate game of the season to complete the club's second double under Wenger; Arsenal defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the FA Cup four days prior. Bergkamp played in 33 league matches, setting up 15 goals, one of which was against Juventus in the second group stage of the Champions League. Holding off two markers, he twisted and turned before feeding the ball to Freddie Ljungberg in the penalty box to score. Bergkamp headed in the winner against Liverpool in a FA Cup fourth-round tie on 27 January 2002, but was shown a red card for a two-footed lunge on defender Jamie Carragher, who himself was sent off for throwing a coin into the crowd. He was subsequently banned for three matches (two league, one FA Cup round). Bergkamp appealed for his ban, but was unsuccessful. He made his return against Newcastle United on 3 March 2002. Early in the match, Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires played a low pass from the left flank to Bergkamp in the edge of the opponent area with his back to goal. Under pressure from his marker Nikos Dabizas, Bergkamp controlled the ball with one flick and went around the other side before placing the ball precisely into the bottom right-hand corner to score. Wenger described the goal as "unbelievable", adding "It was not only a magnificent goal but a very important one – I enjoyed it a lot".thumb|Bergkamp with Arsenal in 2003|left|224x224px
Bergkamp reached a personal landmark during the 2002–03 season, scoring his 100th goal for Arsenal against Oxford United in a FA Cup third-round tie on 4 January 2003. In the league, Arsenal failed to retain the championship despite having led by eight points in March 2003. However, they did win the FA Cup for a second successive year, beating Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup final. On 20 July 2003, Bergkamp signed a one-year extension at the club. The 2003–04 season ended on a high point for Bergkamp as Arsenal reclaimed the league title, becoming the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire domestic league season unbeaten. Against Leicester City in the final league match of the campaign with the score tied at 1–1, Bergkamp set up the winner with a pass to captain Patrick Vieira. Vieira rounded the goalkeeper and scored. The team, dubbed "The Invincibles" Bergkamp committed himself to Arsenal at the end of the season, signing a further extension to his contract.
Bergkamp started in 29 league matches in the 2004–05 season, but Arsenal's title defence ended unsuccessfully. The team finished second, 12 points behind Chelsea. At home against Middlesbrough on 22 August 2004, Bergkamp acted as captain for the injured Vieira in a match where Arsenal came back from 1–3 down to win 5–3 and equal Nottingham Forest's record of 42 league matches undefeated. Against Sheffield United in the FA Cup on 19 February 2005, Bergkamp was shown a straight red card by referee Neale Barry for shoving defender Danny Cullip. His appeal of the decision was rejected by The Football Association (FA), meaning he missed the club's next three domestic games. In Arsenal's final home match of the season, against Everton, Bergkamp had a man of the match game, scoring once and assisting three of the goals in a 7–0 win. Bergkamp was moved by Arsenal supporters chanting "one more year", describing it as "quite special". "They obviously feel there is another year left in me, so that's great as it shows they're really behind me," he said. Following Arsenal's penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup final, he signed a one-year contract extension.
thumb|200px|The [[Emirates Stadium filling up during Bergkamp's testimonial match between Arsenal and Ajax in July 2006]]
The team finished fourth in the league in Bergkamp's final season at Arsenal. Bergkamp scored an injury-time winner against Thun on Matchday 1 of the Champions League, having come on as a substitute in the 72nd minute. After much campaigning from Arsenal supporters, the club designated one of its Highbury matchday themes, organised to commemorate the stadium's final season as home of Arsenal, to Dennis Bergkamp. "Bergkamp Day" took place on 15 April 2006 and saw Arsenal up against West Bromwich Albion. It celebrated the player's contribution to Arsenal; fans were given commemorative orange "DB10" T-shirts – the colour of his national team, his initials and his squad number. Bergkamp was an unused substitute in his final match for Arsenal against Barcelona in the Champions League final; Barcelona scored twice in the last 13 minutes to overturn Arsenal's early lead and win the competition.
Bergkamp was the focus of the first match at Arsenal's new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium as Arsenal played his old club Ajax. Bergkamp kicked off the match with his father, Wim, and son, Mitchel. All four children acted as the match's mascots. The first half was played by members of Arsenal and Ajax's current squads, while the second was played by famous ex-players from both sides, including Ian Wright, Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit and David Seaman for Arsenal; and Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Danny Blind, Frank and Ronald de Boer for Ajax. Arsenal won the match 2–1 with goals from Henry and Nwankwo Kanu. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar had earlier opened the scoring for Ajax, making him the first goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium.
International career
Bergkamp made his international debut for the Netherlands national team against Italy on 26 September 1990 as a substitute for Frank de Boer. He scored his first goal for the team against Greece on 21 November 1990. Bergkamp was selected for Euro 1992, where his national team were the defending champions. Bergkamp impressed, scoring three goals in the tournament and finishing as one of the joint top goalscorers of the competition. However, his team lost on penalties to eventual champions Denmark in the semi-final, following a 2–2 draw; during the match, Bergkamp scored the first Dutch goal to tie the match 1–1, and also netted his penalty in the shootout. He also scored the only goal of the match in the Netherlands' opening win against Scotland, and the final goal in a 3–1 win over Germany in their first round match, which allowed them to top their group. Bergkamp was named in the Team of the Tournament for his performances. and another one in a 2–0 win against the Republic of Ireland in the round-of-16. Bergkamp scored the first goal for the Netherlands against eventual champions Brazil, but the team lost 3–2, exiting in the quarter-finals. At Euro 1996, Bergkamp scored against Switzerland and set up striker Patrick Kluivert's consolation goal against England, who advanced into the quarter-finals as first in their group while the Dutch finished second and faced France, being eliminated after a penalty shootout, following a 0–0 draw.
Against Wales in the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification on 9 November 1996, he scored his first hat-trick for the national team. The Netherlands finished first in their group and qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, held in France. Bergkamp scored three times in the competition, including a memorable winning goal in the final minute of the quarter-final against Argentina.
He took one touch to control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, brought the ball down through Argentine defender Roberto Ayala's legs, and finally finished by firing a volley with the outside of his right foot, past keeper Carlos Roa at a tight angle from the right.
The goal, cited by Bergkamp as his favourite in his career, was his 36th for the national team, overtaking Faas Wilkes as the record scorer. Bergkamp had also previously set-up Kluivert's opening goal with his head.
His other two goals of the tournament came in the Netherlands' 5–0 victory over South Korea on 20 June, in the team's second group match (scoring the third goal, in addition to setting up Phillip Cocu's opener), and in the 2–1 win over Yugoslavia on 26 June in the round of 16, in which Bergkamp opened the scoring in the first half. He also assisted Cocu's opening goal in the final group match, a 2–2 draw against Mexico, on 25 June. In the semi-finals, the Netherlands lost to defending champions Brazil on penalties after drawing 1–1 in normal time, with Bergkamp netting his spot-kick in the shoot-out. Bergkamp made the All-Star team of the tournament, alongside compatriots Frank de Boer and Edgar Davids. As the Netherlands were co-hosts for Euro 2000, the team automatically qualified for the tournament and were considered favourites. Bergkamp went scoreless throughout the competition, but assisted three goals: he set-up Kluivert's goal in the Netherlands' final group match, a 3–2 win over eventual champions France, which allowed them to top their group, and also assisted two goals (Kluivert's opener and the first of Marc Overmars's two goals) in a 6–1 win over Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals. In the semi-finals, the Netherlands lost 3–1 on penalties to Italy, following a 0–0 draw. Following the defeat, Bergkamp announced his retirement from international football, choosing to focus on his club career. His final goal tally of 37 goals in 79 appearances was overtaken by Patrick Kluivert in June 2003.