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A world
class player, Dennis Bergkamp is Holland's all-time leading
goalscorer. He started his career as a winger with Dutch
side Ajax Amsterdam before moving into a more central
position and finding his forte as an attacking midifelder
and playmaker. Bergkamp joined Arsenal in 1995 after two
poor seasons in Serie-A with Inter Milan and quickly returned
to his best form.
Bergkamp
had one of the best times of his career in the 1997-98
season, when he won the PFA and the Football Writers'
Player of the Year Awards in Arsenal's double winning
year. Though he was unfortunate to miss that season's
FA Cup Final after breaking down with an injury during
training. Bergkamp is a master of the long range shot,
but there is so much more to his game than that and most
of Arsenal's moves come through him. He rounded off the
1997-98 season with Holland at the 1998 World Cup in France,
where he scored the winning goal against Argentina in
the Quarter Final before Holland were knocked out by Brazil
on penalties in the Semi-Final.
At
the start of the 1998-1999 season Bergkamp suffered a
loss of form, probably as a result of playing too much
football without a break, and a subsequent back injury
meant that he missed several early season games for Arsenal.
He returned to form with outstanding displays in the Premiership
games against West Ham United and Leicester City and finished
the season with twelve Premiership goals after striking
up a good partnership with Nicolas Anelka.
Bergkamp
started the 1999-2000 season fully fit, but again suffered
from a series of minor injuries that troubled him throughout
the mid-season but he finished the season well after forging
a good partnership with Thierry Henry. He rounded off
the year with appearances in all of Holland's Euro 2000
games, where they were eliminated by Italy at the Semi-Final
stage. He announced his retirement from International
football at the end of the tournament. His Champions League
and other European appearances will always be limited
by his fear of flying, which was triggered at the 1994
World Cup in the USA.
Bergkamp
was named after the former Manchester United and Scotland
striker Denis Law.
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