June 20 is the anniversary of perhaps one of our most significant transfers - Dennis Bergkamp.
The Dutch master arrived in north London from Inter Milan in 1995 and across his 423 appearances he was pivotal to a new style of football at Highbury, finding the net 120 times - many of ehich were simply breathtaking.
His arrival signalled a daring change in outlook from the men in charge at Arsenal. George Graham had been replaced by Bruce Rioch and ‘Boring, Boring Arsenal’ was to be replaced by something altogether more beautiful. Bergkamp was the catalyst.
Of course Rioch’s Highbury sojourn came to an abrupt end and in September 1996 Arsène Wenger took the reins. Bergkamp needn’t have fretted over his place in the Frenchman’s plans, though, and Wenger later claimed Dennis’ presence in the ranks had been “a blessing, a gift when I arrived”.
And so it was that under the tutelage of Wenger, Bergkamp redefined football in England’s top division. His textbook technique, physical prowess and second-nature for picking out the killer pass made him the ultimate symbol of fantasy football. Our double season in 1997/98 saw Dennis scoop both major Player of Year awards to go with his championship and FA Cup medals.
The highlight of his campaign was a sensational hat-trick at Leicester City, three of 120 during his time in N5, making him the 10th highest goalscorer in the club’s history; quite the achievement for a man who doesn’t do tap-ins.
The swivel at St James’, the lob against Leverkusen - goals coming just four days apart - and of course the belter against Bolton that assured us a place in Europe. Everything Bergkamp did oozed class. From his rifle-sight accuracy with either foot or his exploitation of space, the Dutchman was the hub of our creativity for a decade.
He would end his time at the club with further league titles in 2002 and 2004 - the latter seeing him rightly so become Invincible - as well as three FA Cups. We waved goodbye to his talents on the same day we said farewell to Highbury, but his legacy lives on at Emirates Stadium. His testimonial in 2006 was the maiden first-team match held at the venue, while a statue of him was unveiled outside the Clock End in 2014.
Some players elicit admiration, some provide inspiration, and a precious few can do both. Bergkamp was one such individual. His cast-iron technique was forged on the youth team training ground at Ajax and his steely character developed at Inter. But his best years will always belong to Arsenal.
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Bergkamp on being King Henry's backing band](https://www.arsenal.com/news/bergkamp-being-king-henrys-backing-band?utm_source=arsenaldotcom&utm_medium=embedded-article&utm_campaign=news)
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