Editing Dennis Bergkamp (section)

==Player profile==
===Style of play===
{{quote box
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| quote = "He needs fewer touches to score. Sometimes just one, when others need two or three."</p>
| source = [[Arsène Wenger]] on Bergkamp<ref name="Indy"/>
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Bergkamp was schooled in Dutch [[Total Football]], a playing style and philosophy which relied on versatility. This was primarily to maximise the footballer's potential; players tried out every outfield position before finding one that suited them best.<ref name="Times"/> Every age group at Ajax played in the same style and formation as the first team – [[Formation (association football)#3.E2.80.934.E2.80.933|3–4–3]] – to allow individuals to slot in without effort when moving up the pyramid.<ref name="Times"/> Bergkamp "played in every position apart from [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalie]]" and believed he benefited from the experience of playing as a defender, as it helped him "know how they think and how to beat them".<ref name="Times"/> When he made his debut as a substitute against Roda JC, Bergkamp was positioned on the [[Winger (association football)|right wing]], where he remained for three years.<ref name="Times"/>

During his time at Inter Milan, Bergkamp was switched to the position of a main [[Striker (association football)|striker]], but failed to cooperate with his offensive partner Rubén Sosa, whom he later called "selfish".<ref name="Times"/> Furthermore, due to his introverted character, he was accused of lacking consistency and leadership skills by the Italian press, and struggled to replicate his previous form during his time with Inter.<ref name="FourFourTwo"/><ref name=latimes>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-07-sp-12912-story.html|title=WORLD CUP USA '94 / QUARTERFINALS : A Happy 'Kamper : Dutch Forward Bergkamp Feeling More Confident|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|author1=Helene Elliot|date=7 July 1994|access-date=25 March 2016}}</ref><ref name=treccani>{{cite web|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/dennis-bergkamp_%28Enciclopedia_dello_Sport%29/|title=BERGKAMP, Dennis|publisher=Treccani.it|language=it|access-date=13 January 2015}}</ref> When Bergkamp joined Arsenal in 1995, he enjoyed a successful strike partnership with [[Ian Wright|Wright]], and in later seasons [[Nicolas Anelka|Anelka]] and [[Thierry Henry|Henry]], playing in his preferred position as a creative [[second striker]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/thierry-henry-arsenal-most-premier-league-assists-season-200203-van-nistelrooy-golden-boot |title=Thierry Henry's assist record of 2002/03: how Arsenal's talisman reinvented the Premier League striker |publisher=FourFourTwo |last1=Haugstad |first1=Thore |date=25 October 2019 |access-date=21 January 2020 }}</ref> The arrival of [[Marc Overmars|Overmars]] in the 1997–98 season enhanced Bergkamp's play, as he was getting more of the ball. Between August and October 1997, he scored seven goals in seven league matches.{{sfn|Palmer|p=81}} A similar rapport developed between him and [[Freddie Ljungberg|Ljungberg]] during the 2001–02 season.<ref name="Tele"/>

Although he was known for his composure and ability to score several goals for his team as a [[Forward (association football)|forward]],<ref name="Indy"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/euro2000/teams/holland/squad/743887.stm|title=Dennis Bergkamp|publisher=BBC|access-date=13 January 2015}}</ref> Bergkamp was also capable of playing in a free role behind a lone striker, where he essentially functioned in the [[Squad number (association football)|number 10]] role as a [[Playmaker|playmaking]] [[attacking midfielder]] or deep-lying forward, due to his ball skills and creative ability, which enabled him to drop deep between the lines and link-up play, and operate across all attacking areas of the pitch. His tendency to move freely about the entire front-line made it difficult for opposing defenders to mark him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1994/settembre/05/gia_Inter_griffata_Bianchi_co_0_94090511365.shtml|title=e' gia' un' Inter " griffata " Bianchi|publisher=Il Corriere della Sera|language=it|date=5 September 1994|access-date=13 January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Dennis Bergkamp's career in football">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/5200630.stm|title=Dennis Bergkamp's career in football|work=BBC Sport|date=22 July 2006|access-date=29 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="career">{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/features/dennis-bergkamp|title=Dennis Bergkamp|publisher=Arsenal.com|author1=Josh James|date=6 May 2016|access-date=29 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="tuttomercatoweb">{{cite web|url=http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/nato-oggi/dennis-bergkamp-l-olandese-non-volante-che-delizio-i-palati-gunners-827904|title=Dennis Bergkamp, l'olandese non volante che deliziò i palati Gunners|publisher=TuttoMercatoWeb.com|language=it|author1=Simone Bernabei|date=10 May 2016|access-date=29 December 2016}}</ref><ref name="pagelle">{{cite news |url=http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,26/articleid,0721_01_1994_0005_0026_10401328/ |title=Lo zar: di Van Basten ce n'è uno |trans-title=The tsar: There's only one Van Basten |newspaper=La Stampa |page=26 |language=it |author1=Franco Badolato |date=6 January 1994 |access-date=17 November 2018 }}</ref> As such, Sam Tighe of ''[[Bleacher Report]]'' has retroactively compared Bergkamp's role as a free [[centre-forward]] to that of the modern [[Forward (association football)#False 9|false-9]].<ref name="false9History">{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1385356-9-best-false-nines-in-world-football-history |title=9 Best False Nines in World Football History |publisher=Bleacher Report |last1=Tighe |first1=Sam |date=26 October 2012 |access-date=17 April 2022 }}</ref><ref name="false9Best">{{cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1802653-complete-guide-to-the-false-9-and-who-plays-it-best |title=Complete Guide to the False 9 and Who Plays It Best |publisher=Bleacher Report |last1=Tighe |first1=Sam |date=8 October 2013 |access-date=17 April 2022 }}</ref> A quick, elegant, intelligent, and gifted player, who was regarded as one of the most technically accomplished players of all time, he possessed an excellent first touch, which – allied with his quick feet, [[Dribbling (association football)|dribbling]] ability and change of pace – enabled him to beat defenders in one on one situations, while his attacking movement, physique, balance, and close control allowed him to hold up the ball and create space for teammates; his vision and passing range with both feet, despite being naturally right-footed, subsequently allowed him to provide [[Assist (association football)|assists]] for on-running strikers.<ref name="Burgcamp"/><ref name="FourFourTwo"/><ref name=latimes/><ref name=treccani/><ref name="first touches">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/11/joy-of-six-first-touches-bergkamp|title=The Joy of Six: football first touches|newspaper=The Guardian|author1=Rob Smyth|date=11 November 2011|access-date=22 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="Gunners' Greatest">{{cite web |url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/greatest-players-no-2.-dennis-bergkand |title=Gunners' Greatest Players 2. Dennis Bergkamp |date=17 July 2008 |access-date=18 December 2011 |publisher=Arsenal.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130517020650/http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/greatest-players-no-2.-dennis-bergkand |archive-date=17 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/dream-team-we-reveal-the-first-striker...|title=Arsenal Dream Team: 10. Dennis Bergkamp|publisher=Arsenal.com|access-date=25 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/1999/feb/06/match.sport5|title=Bergkamp swoops to conquer|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 February 1999|access-date=15 January 2015}}</ref><ref name=training>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/when-dennis-came-what-training-bergkamp-was-really|title=When Dennis came: What training with Bergkamp was really like|magazine=FourFourTwo|author1=Adrian Clarke|date=19 June 2015|access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> Bergkamp often stated he preferred playing in this deeper role, as he derived more pleasure from assisting goals, rather than scoring them himself.<ref name="FourFourTwo"/><ref name="first touches"/>

Throughout his playing career, Bergkamp was accused of [[Diving (association football)|diving]], and was referred to as a "cheat" and "dirty player" for retaliating against players who had previously challenged him, something his former manager [[Arsène Wenger|Wenger]] denied.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bergkamp cleared in dive cheat row |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60706357.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602221544/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-60706357.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 June 2013 |newspaper=The Mirror |location=London |date=20 January 1998 |access-date=30 April 2012}} {{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bergkamp treats the Newcastle fans to wrong kind of trickery |url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-97384039 |newspaper=The Mirror |location=London |date=10 February 2003 |access-date=30 April 2012 |last=Holt |first=Oliver }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{subscription required}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bergkamp is not dirty, says Wenger |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/3036972/Bergkamp-is-not-dirty-says-Wenger.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/3036972/Bergkamp-is-not-dirty-says-Wenger.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=[[Telegraph.co.uk]]|date=29 October 2002 |access-date=30 April 2012 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> In an interview with ''[[The Times]]'' in 2004, he said that while he was at Inter, he realised the importance of being mentally tough in order to survive: "A lot of people there try to hurt you, not just physically but mentally as well, and coming from the easygoing culture in Holland, I had to adopt a tougher approach. There, it was a case of two strikers up against four or five hard defenders who would stop at nothing."<ref name="Times"/> Bergkamp says his aggression often stems from frustration.<ref name="Times"/>

===Reception===
Widely regarded by pundits as one of the greatest players of his generation,<ref name="The Fifa 100 - Guardian">{{Cite news |title=The Fifa 100 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/mar/04/newsstory.sport15 |website=The Guardian|date=4 March 2004 }}</ref> one of the greatest players in [[Premier League]] history and amongst [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]]'s and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]'s greatest ever players.<ref name="Bergkamp named Hall of Fame inductee">{{Cite web |title=Bergkamp named Hall of Fame inductee |url=https://www.premierleague.com/news/2147141 |website=Premier League}}</ref><ref name="Gunners Greatest 50 Players">{{Cite web |title=Gunners Greatest 50 Players |url=https://www.arsenal.com/history/gunners-greatest-50-players |access-date=10 April 2023 |website=Arsenal.com}}</ref><ref name="Ultimate Ajax dream team">{{cite web |url=https://www.goal.com/en/lists/ultimate-ajax-dream-team-bergkamp-van-basten-in-ibrahimovic-suarez-out/blt5bbdbd8ecd496607 |title=Ultimate Ajax dream team - Bergkamp and Van Basten in, Ibrahimovic and Suarez out |publisher=www.goal.com |date=14 February 2023 |access-date=10 November 2023 }}</ref> Bergkamp has received several accolades during his playing career. He twice finished in third place for the [[1993 FIFA World Player of the Year|1993]]<ref name="FWPOTY93"/> and [[1997 FIFA World Player of the Year|1997]]<ref name="FWPOTY97"/> [[FIFA World Player of the Year]] award and was named in [[FIFA 100]], a list compiled by footballer [[Pelé]] of the 125 greatest living footballers.<ref name=Fifa100>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/mar/04/newsstory.sport15 |title=The Fifa 100 |date=4 March 2004 |access-date=15 December 2011 |work=The Guardian|location=London}}</ref> In his club career, Bergkamp won two successive [[Dutch Footballer of the Year]] awards in 1991 and 1992 and was the [[Eredivisie#Top scorers|Eredivisie top scorer]] for three consecutive seasons (1990–91 to 1992–93). He was named the [[FWA Footballer of the Year]] and [[PFA Players' Player of the Year]] in April and May 1998 and made the [[PFA Team of the Year]] for the 1997–98 season. Bergkamp also achieved a unique feat in being voted first, second and third on [[Match of the Day]]'s [[BBC Goal of the Month|Goal of the Month]] competition in August 1997.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Joy of Six: classiest hat-tricks |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2007/sep/11/newsstory.sport9 |work=[[guardian.co.uk]] |location=London |date=11 September 2007 |access-date=18 December 2011 }}</ref> For his national team, Bergkamp was the joint top scorer at Euro 1992<ref name="Season 1992 UEFA EURO"/> and was selected in the [[FIFA World Cup awards#All-Star Team|All-Star team]] for the tournament,<ref name="UEFA 1992 Team of the Tournament"/> an honour he also received at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.<ref name="MasterCard All-Star Team"/>

In April 2007, Bergkamp was inducted into the [[English Football Hall of Fame]] by viewers of BBC's ''[[Football Focus]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/dennis-bergkand-voted-into-hall-of-fame |title=Dennis Bergkamp voted into Hall of Fame |date=3 September 2007 |access-date=15 December 2011 |publisher=Arsenal.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603204724/http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/dennis-bergkand-voted-into-hall-of-fame |archive-date=3 June 2013}}</ref> A year later, he was voted second by Arsenal fans behind Thierry Henry in a list of the ''50 Gunners Greatest Players''.<ref name="Gunners' Greatest"/> In February 2014, Arsenal unveiled a statue of Bergkamp outside the Emirates Stadium to honour his time at the club.<ref>{{cite news|title=Arsenal unveil Dennis Bergkamp statue|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-26303200|work=BBC Sport|access-date=9 October 2014|date=22 February 2014}}</ref> A statue of Dennis Bergkamp will be erected outside the KNVB headquarters in Zeist, as he has been chosen as the best Dutch international player from 1990 to 2015. The statue will join those of ''the eleven of the century'', erected in 1999, alongside statues of [[Johan Cruyff]], [[Ruud Gullit]], [[Frank Rijkaard]] and [[Marco van Basten]], amongst others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4508/Sport/article/detail/3811022/2014/12/13/Bergkamp-krijgt-standbeeld-bij-KNVB.dhtml|title=Bergkamp krijgt standbeeld bij KNVB|work=TROUW|date=13 December 2014}}</ref> In September 2023, ''[[FourFourTwo]]'' magazine ranked Bergkamp 68th in their list of the "100 best football players of all time."<ref name="fourfourtwo">{{cite news|last=White|first=Mark|url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ranked-the-100-best-football-players-of-all-time/4|title=Ranked! The 100 best football players of all time: full list|edition=356|work=[[FourFourTwo]]|date=5 September 2023|accessdate=17 November 2023}}</ref>

Bergkamp has been described by Jan Mulder as having "the finest technique" of any Dutch international<ref name="Burgcamp"/> and as a "dream for a striker" by former Arsenal teammate Thierry Henry.<ref name="Indy"/>