Arsenal legend Bergkamp amazed one ‘unbelievable’ Wenger prediction came true

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Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp has reminisced about one prediction made by Arsene Wenger.

In 2003/04, Arsenal became the first side in modern history to go through an entire top flight campaign unbeaten, earning Arsene Wenger’s squad the ‘Invincibles’ nickname. 

That great team featured many players who are now considered club legends. Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry both now have statues outside the Emirates Stadium, as does Wenger himself, whilst the likes of Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva, Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann, and many others, are fondly remembered.

The notion of going through a Premier League season undefeated was considered all but impossible. However, Wenger not only believed it could be done, but predicted that Arsenal would pull it off. As quoted by The Guardian in 2002, Wenger said, “it’s not impossible to go through the season unbeaten and I can’t see why it’s shocking to say that.”

The iconic French manager, who was at the helm for Arsenal from 1996 to 2018, was convinced that his side had what it took to win the title without losing a match.

Dennis Bergkamp recalls Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles foresight

Bergkamp has now given his take on that prediction. In conversation with fellow Arsenal icon David Seaman on the Seaman Says podcast, the Dutchman revealed, “the Invincibles season, you were expected to be in the top two again. Maybe expected to be champions. But to do it the Invincibles way, yeah it was unbelievable.”

Seaman then asked, “how crazy is it that Arsene believed you could go unbeaten and he said it didn’t he?”

The former forward then replied, “I know. That, I never can understand. As a player you know as well, you don’t think about that. You think about competing for the championship, maybe. But to think about going unbeaten, it’s not really a target.”

Bergkamp himself played a key part in that famous campaign, despite being in the latter years of his playing career. He contributed four goals and seven assists across 28 Premier League outings and was instrumental in tying the Gunners’ attacking play together.

Arsenal have not been crowned champions of England since the Invincibles made football history. Now, under the watch of Mikel Arteta, the north London club have emerged as genuine title contenders again. 

Whilst no one would dare to suggest the current Arsenal side could go unbeaten through a season, and indeed it is already impossible for them to do so this time around, they are now in the middle of a title race and sit at the top of the table at present. They also narrowly missed out on becoming champions last season, as Manchester City pipped them to the post.

Plenty believe in this Arsenal team though, including former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, who came up against the Invincibles on the pitch, and has now tipped Arteta’s side for the title.