Dutch footballer Bergkamp Dennis: biography, sports career

Few of the football players' legionnaires were awarded a monument during their lifetime, and not anywhere, but in the homeland of football - in England. One of them deservedly became Bergkamp Dennis. He for 11 years, faithfully served the London "Arsenal".

Childhood

Born in a family of passionate football fans, namely fans of Manchester United, Bergkamp Dennis from early childhood was fascinated by the great game. Attending matches of the English championship, to which the boy with his father and brother periodically came from Amsterdam, led to the fact that at the age of ten, Dennis became a student of the famous academy "Ajax" - "Future".

Ajax

After 2 years, Bergkamp Dennis was on the pencil of the scouts of the youth team of the club and signed his first contract. In the junior team, Dennis from the defender is re-qualified as an attacker and the Dutch championship wins with partners.

For the main team of "Ajax" Dennis debuted at age 17, and the first memorable ball for the club was held at the gate of "Haarlem".

In the quarterfinal KOC game with "Malmö" Dennis's debut in the European arena took place. "Ajax" lost the meeting with a score of 0: 1, which did not stop him from going further.

The great "Ajax" shone in that season with magnificent stars. For him played - Rijkaard, Witschge, Bosman, Winter, Wouters, genius Marco van Basten, and the famous Johan Cruyff led this company.

In the final match, in which the Dutch met with the "Locomotive" from Leipzig, "Ajax" for the first time in its history won the Cup Winners' Cup. Released on the replacement at the 65th minute Bergkamp game is not spoiled and left a good impression. In the same 1987 Bergkamp Dennis wins with the team the Cup of the country.

In 1990, Bergkamp and his partners for a while break the hegemony of PSV Eindhoven and win the Dutch championship.

1993 again brings "Ajax" the Cup of the country, after which the talented guy goes to the famous "Inter".

"Internationale"

Adapting the player to the viscous defensive style of the Italian championship was very protracted. Accustomed to "Ajax" to permanent domination, Bergkamp could not get used to the hard defensive option - the catenaccio, which is widely used in Serie A and puts the defense at the center of the matter. In closed Italian football throughout the match, the forward is given only a few chances to hit the opponent's goal, and Dennis is not able to fully demonstrate his abilities.

Nevertheless, in 1994, despite the failure in the championship, Inter win the UEFA Cup, and the Dutchman becomes the best scorer of the tournament.

But the new leadership of "Inter" decides to update the team, and Bergkamp Dennis goes to the British Isles.

"Arsenal"

Arsenal coach Bruce Rick decided to make the game team more spectacular, and he needed an attack leader. But Bergkampu took eight matches to score a long-awaited goal. At the end of the season, the "Gunners" from the fifth place are in the UEFA Cup, and at the top of the table dominated by "Manchester United".

The new coach of the team - Arsene Wenger instilled in the "Gunners" an effective manner of the game, turning it into an impeccable mechanism. Nominally counted as the center forward, Dennis is a playmaker and actually the brain of the team. At the end of the season 1996/97, "Arsenal" becomes the third, and Dennis makes 13 assists.

The peak of the British career

The heyday of the Dutch legionary fell for the 1997/98 season. Strengthened by the acquired Anelka and Overmars, the "Gunners" make a golden double, and almost all the goals of the team are directly related to Dennis Bergkamp. Having scored 22 goals, he is recognized as the best player by the versions of the football association and journalists and in addition receives the "Bronze ball".

Then there will be a long annual battle for the championship with the "red devils" from Manchester, which "Arsenal" will lose four times, taking only second place. Two gold medals won in the fight against Chelsea and Liverpool, three FA Cups and the same number of Super Cups are the merits for which the Dutch legionary will be entered into the notorious Football Hall of Fame.

National team of Holland

In the national team Bergkamp appeared in 1990 in a match with the Italians. The first goal was scored in the same year at the gates of the Greeks.

At the European championship in 1992, Dennis scored five goals and becomes the best in the debate scorers.

Thanks to Dennis's three balls in the world football forum in 1994, the Dutch reached 1/4, where they lost to Brazilians 2: 3.

But especially important for Dennis was the 1998 World Cup . Goal, scored in the gate of Argentina, was the decoration of the tournament. Despite the semi-finals lost to the Brazilians, Bergkamp was in the symbolic team of the championship.

After losing to the Italian national team the semi-final of the home Euro-2000, Bergkamp announced the completion of his performances for the national team.

Dennis Bergkamp: goals that have gone down in history

During his long career, Dennis scored 272 goals, but two of them will never forget football fans.

March 3, 2002 after disqualification Dennis went to the game with "Newcastle". Goal Bergkamp "Newcastle" forever remained in the history of football. At the beginning of the match, being in front of the penalty area with his back to the goal and defender, Dennis received the transfer and incredibly flipped the ball in one direction, himself, bypassing the defender, rushed after him on the other, and then just punched into the right corner of the goal.

A real masterpiece, forever included in history, was the amazing goal of Bergkamp Argentina. After the longest transfer of Frank de Boer, Bergkamp burst into the penalty area in one move, took the ball, processed it second, leaving not in the matter of the confused Ayala, and gorgeously struck under the crossbar.

Aerophobia

Until 1994, Bergkamp did not experience any discomfort from staying in the cabin of the aircraft. But everything changed the flight of the Netherlands team to the World Cup in the United States. For unknown reasons, the flight was somewhat delayed, and one of the journalists grimly joked that the aircraft was apparently mined. Since then, Dennis Bergkamp was afraid to fly. He did not play away matches if he could not get to the place of the game by car or train.

Trainer

After completing his career as a football player, Bergkamp categorically refused to master the coaching profession. He rejected the proposal of the leadership of Arsenal to work as a scout in the club system. Two years Dennis devoted to the family, constantly traveling the world. But the idle lifestyle soon bored Bergkampu, and in 2008 he began attending coaching courses, where he mastered the profession under the leadership of Arsene Wenger. As a coach Bergkamp wants to return to England, but for now his main achievement is two championship titles of "Ajax", where he worked as an assistant.

Personal life

Dennis Bergkamp married in 1993 for him. With wife Henrita Roosendaal they bring up four children. Dennis's nephew Roland plays for the Rotterdam Sparta. The best friend of Bergkamp for many years is Mark Overmars. And his grateful son thanked his parents with a luxurious gift in the suburbs of Amsterdam.

Dennis Bergkamp is a football player who is proud not only of his country, but of the whole world. Fans are grateful to him for the wonderful spectacular game. This is a person whose achievements should be sought by the younger generation.