Micah Richards says people keep forgetting just how good £7.5m player was at Arsenal

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Micah Richards grew up watching Arsenal and became a fan of the club.

The pundit was eight years old when Arsene Wenger took charge, and he saw the Gunners produce incredible moments season after season.

Richards has regularly expressed his admiration for Thierry Henry over the years. The legendary Frenchman is the first name that comes to many people’s minds when they think about Arsenal.

That is not a bad thing, but the former Manchester City defender believes it has led to people forgetting all about another legend – Dennis Bergkamp.

Micah Richards says people keep forgetting Arsenal legend Dennis Bergkamp

Arsenal signed Bergkamp from Inter Milan for £7.5 million in 1995.

That was a club record deal at the time, and everyone at Highbury knew that they had signed an absolute superstar.

Bergkamp spent over a decade as a Gunner. He played 422 games, scored 120 goals, provided 116 assists and helped Arsenal win 10 trophies, including three Premier League titles.

Every fan who watched the North Londoners play between 1995 and 2006 will remember Bergkamp and how good he was.

However, Micah Richards believes many people have forgotten about him.

He said on the Rest is Football podcast: “Even Bergkamp, though. Everyone talks about Henry, and Henry was probably the best we’ve ever had in the Premier League.

“But Bergkamp, people forget about Bergkamp.”

What Thierry Henry said about Dennis Bergkamp explains why he’s one of the best ever

Henry is Arsenal’s greatest-ever player – there is no debate there.

The Frenchman is the club’s record goalscorer, and the way he performed under Wenger in his prime was unlike anything we had ever seen before.

Henry went on to play with icons like Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o and even Ronaldinho, but when asked who the best player he ever played with was, he only had one answer: “Dennis Bergkamp!”

That should tell everyone – even those who never watched the Dutchman back in the day – just how good he was.

Richards definitely has a point, though. When rival fans are discussing the best players in Premier League history, Bergkamp’s name doesn’t often come up.

That is a shame, but for Arsenal fans, he will always be an icon.