Arsene Wenger can never speak highly enough of Dennis Bergkamp when prompted to talk about the Arsenal legend.
Though Wenger wasn’t responsible for bringing Bergkamp to Arsenal, the Frenchman oversaw the magic that the Iceman unleashed in the Premier League.
Bergkamp left Wenger and many others stunned during his time in North London, making his way into the Premier League’s Hall of Fame.
The Dutchman will forever be remembered in N5 and celebrated by Wenger as one of the pioneers of the Premier League, but things weren’t always so sweet for the Arsenal icon.
Dennis Bergkamp was once shocked by Arsene Wenger
Ally McCoist dubbed Bergkamp ‘the most intelligent’ player he’d ever seen, which was a review that the player had heard many times.
There were very few faults in Bergkamp’s game, which is what made him so special, but when things got too much for the playmaker, the decision to retire was made.
Bergkamp retired in 2006 at the conclusion of the 2005/06 season, Arsenal’s last at Highbury, a period of time that he spoke heavily about in his autobiography.
As written in Stillness and Speed, published in 2013, Bergkamp was left puzzled by Wenger during his final years at Arsenal.
The Gunners legend recited a conversation he had with the manager at the time, sharing how Wenger would deliver the awkward news about him being left out of the Arsenal squad.
“Do you still want to come to the game? Do you want to be on the bench?’ And he’d leave the decision to me. I don’t know what he was thinking,” Bergkamp wrote.
“Was it like ‘I’d rather not have you there’ or ‘I’ve got so much respect for you?’ Of course, I knew when I was 35 or 36 that I couldn’t play every game. But within yourself, you think you can.”
Bergkamp retired at the age of 37 but still made 24 Premier League appearances in his final term as a Gunner.
Bergkamp still tormented the Premier League in his penultimate season
April 15th will forever be remembered as Dennis Bergkamp Day, the day that saw Highbury pay homage to their hero and an occasion that marked the Dutchman’s final goal in red and white.
Though the 2005/06 campaign was slightly beyond the then-37-year-old’s capabilities, the season prior was quite the opposite.
In 2004/05, when Bergkamp was in his mid-thirties, the Netherlands international recorded 20 goal contributions in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and recording 12 assists.
Some players’ quality needs little explanation, and Bergkamp is certainly one of them, as Wenger’s admiration for his playmaker portrays.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
