It's Dennis Bergkamp's 51st birthday. A true legend.

Here's a thread on people praising one of the greatest ever.

[1/n]

"Dennis is a player who is admired by all the other players and was the first push of Arsenal into the modern, international era. [ . . . ] He brought creativity to this group of very strong players and it was a good marriage."

– Arsene Wenger

[2/n]

"One of the best players ever produced by the Netherlands. Had a marvellous technique and goalscoring ability, but above all great situational awareness; he always knew where his team-mates were and how to bring them into the game..."

[3/n]

"...Wasn’t always a prolific goalscorer, but some of the goals he scored were incomparable. He was very clever at finding space and making himself available. He never stood still when he received the ball and that made it very difficult playing against him."

– Jaap Stam

[4/n]

"Our technical leader, the one who would bring the small magic that would help us win something."

– Patrick Vieira

[5/n]

“If Ryan Giggs is worth £20million, Dennis Bergkamp is worth £100million.”

– Marco van Basten

[6/n]

"Played football like it was all a dream – you couldn’t even imagine some of the things that he was capable of doing with a football."

– Peter Schmeichel

[7/n]

“An enormously talented footballer: intelligent, always drifting between the lines and with fantastic distribution. He really opens up doors.”

– Tony Adams

[8/n]

"He saw the picture so quickly, adjusted to any sort of strikers in front, whether Wright, Henry or Anelka, or others. Such a clever player, who scored brilliant goals, and had a steel about him too.”

– Alan Smith

[9/n]

“He’s the best I’ve ever played with by a long, long way. I can’t talk high enough of the bloke – he was absolutely phenomenal. I think he’s the greatest Arsenal player of all time. You talk to Thierry or Ian and they can’t speak highly enough of the man.”

– Paul Merson

[10/n]

“His touch, his skill and his awareness were a level above other players, something you can’t teach. I was in goal when he scored an incredible goal against Newcastle, by knocking it round Nikos Dabizas. We just stood there looking at each other, amazed..."

[11/n]

"...He’s probably the only player who could have pulled it off.”

— Shay Given

[12/n]

“An amazing player with sublime skill; comfortably the best I’ve played with. Not only did he score brilliant goals, but when he played, those around him scored more.”

– Ian Wright

[13/n]

“When you see how he lives it’s a great example… he is fantastic on the pitch and off the pitch.”

– Robin van Persie

[14/n]

“You just didn’t know what he was going to do next. I still don’t know whether he meant that goal against Newcastle or not. [ . . . ] When Arsenal signed him, it gave us a great lift.”

– David Seaman

[15/n]

“Because of longevity and because I saw him every day in training for more than seven years, Dennis Bergkamp. Why? Because he was always doing what the game was asking him to do. What I mean by that is he can showboat sometimes and score a goal that you guys..."

[16/n]

"...would have gone ‘oh wow!’, but we knew it could have been something better for the team. [ . . . ] I admired why Dennis was always trying to respect the game. He could score but he could pass, past, [pick the] right moment..."

[17/n]

"...He was always trying to respect the game when he could do other stuff and that’s why I respected him a lot for that. But also the way he trained. The way he used to train was just not normal..."

[18/n]

"The guy didn’t want to lose the ball, if he loses the ball he would foul you, get in your face, he wants to be first in the run, first to touch the mannequin in training.”

– Thierry Henry

[19/n]

"The best player in the world does not exist; in terms of an end-state, someone who reaches the final or even beyond that.

Many people exist who say “but Player X had more of this and Player Y had more of that”.

[20/n]

"You can say, okay, a series of great players existed, whether you take Beckenbauer, Di Stefano, Maradona or Pele and say ‘those players had so many various qualities, so they belong to an “executive elite”‘ – that is a possibility."

[21/n]

"There is, of course, never a ‘best’ one. Many different components and aspects have a say in the game, and a role to fulfil.

However, if you think about the word ‘footballer’, you have to have something in mind."

[22/n]

"It is not the definition of a player – you do not publish a picture of Pele in the dictionary and say ‘this is the footballer’, he would just be a representation of the word. The form, the shape of the idea.

"They will accuse me of short-sightedness..."

[23/n]

"..., but if I think about a guitarist,I see Keith Richards; if I think about a painter, Johannes Vermeer.

But if someone were to wake me up and ask me ‘footballer’, I tend to see Dennis Bergkamp. He looks like a footballer to me."

– Johan Cruyff

[24/n]

I'm glad if you made it this far. Thanks for reading. :)

[End of Thread]