Arsenal Legends Series: Dennis Bergkamp (A THREAD)
Our first Arsenal legend is Dennis Bergkamp. A creative genius who was a member of Arsenal’s invincibles. From thriving in Holland to launching Arsene Wenger’s reign. A player capable of producing a moment of magic at any time.

Prior to playing for Arsenal, Dennis Bergkamp started his career in the Ajax academy at the age of 12. His idol Johann Cruyff pulled Dennis up to the first team in 1986 at age 17 where he signed his first professional contract. Bergkamp moved to Inter Milan in 1993.

Arsenal signed Dennis Bergkamp in 1995 for a club record 7.5 Mil becoming manager Bruce Rioch’s first signing as manager.

On joining Arsenal
“I wanted to go to Arsenal to challenge myself. To make a name for myself. To make a difference.”

However, Bergkamp wouldn’t play for long for Rioch. He would be sacked after Bergkamp’s first season at Highbury. Arsenal decided to bring in a new coach, a Frenchman named Arsene Wenger. The rest is history.

On Arsene Wenger
“We both had similar ideas about football. We both loved the creative style of football, the attacking style of football. Off the pitch, we both enjoyed the discipline to give everything for football.”

A perfect match on and off of the pitch.

Dennis Bergkamp’s Premier League Statistics at Arsenal
315 Appearances
87 goals
94 Assists
10 Trophies (1 golden)

Awards and Individual Honors
3 Premier League Titles
4 FA Cups
3 Community Shields
1 PFA Player of the Year in 1998

Here are some of his most historic moments in an Arsenal shirt. Take a few minutes to watch this. What a player. https://twitter.com/i/status/1285283740328046593

“To tell you the truth, when I was at Inter I was thinking of playing until I was about 28 and then going back to Holland. Just take a few years in England. But it all changed once I was in London,” he wrote.

Bergkamp fell in love with Arsenal.

Fun Fact: Famously Bergkamp has a fear of flying, so he only travelled to six European away games with the Gunners. This led him to take up the nickname “The Non-Flying Dutchman.”

Bergkamp retired as an Arsenal player in 2006 at age 37. Bergkamp scored or assisted once every 122 minutes during his Premier League career on average, and is second only to Henry in terms of combined Premier League assists and goals for Arsenal.

Dennis Bergkamp will forever be an Arsenal legend. He was one of the first invincibles to arrive at the club and helped transform Arsenal into an exciting, attacking club. He was honored with a statue in 2014 outside of The Emirates Stadium on the Clock End.

If you want to learn more about Dennis Bergkamp check out this documentary. It is everything you would want it to be and more. Highlights an incredible player.

If you enjoy this series please like, share, and follow! I will determine whether or not to continue based on response. As always, I will be posting more Arsenal threads in the coming days.

Afternote: I have been creating this throughout the week and had no idea until after I posted it that there is a Bergkamp/Ozil debate going on right now. I hope this thread helped you learn more about a player not everyone would have been around to see!