A tribute to Dennis Bergkamp, a hero at Arsenal & ultimate football genius

There are some footballers for whom statistics and even words just can’t do justice. Arsenal hero Dennis Bergkamp is definitely one of those players.

Football has become so driven by data that, at least within the media and by the general public, players are increasingly being judged on their tangible contributions. For a forward, that means goals and assists.

There are, of course, thankfully far more variables taken into consideration by those within the inner circle of football, but as supporters we must never allow ourselves to be too fixated by statistics. To do so would be to forget why we watch the game in the first place: to be entertained, to be inspired, to experience joy.

For that, we need artists. The footballing Da Vincis and Picassos so to speak. Players that mesmerise us. Players we’ll remember. Players we try to emulate on the pitch.

Dennis Bergkamp sits at the forefront of that genre. As a No.10 for most of his career, his statistics are mightily impressive, but they still don’t do him justice. They can’t describe his brilliance.

He set the bar for what it means to be a footballing artist.

Growing up in the suburbs of Amsterdam, Bergkamp was once just another kid with a dream of one day becoming a professional footballer. He cites Glenn Hoddle as one of his biggest childhood inspirations, and he played with obsessive regularity in an effort to emulate him.

Just like Hoddle, Bergkamp worked hard to become known for his ball control, vision and ability to use either foot, but genius, of course, does not come through nuture. It was already inside of him.

By the age of 11, Ajax had already begun to take notice of Bergkamp with intent to recruit him for the academy, but his parents weren’t too keen on the idea of him joining a competitive football environment at the time.

First step to greatness

A year later, however, in 1981, Ajax came calling again, and this time Bergkamp accepted the offer and took the first step to making his footballing dream a reality.

At the academy, there was an emphasis on enjoying the game amid a competitive environment, something which clearly resonated with Bergkamp and remained evident throughout his career. “I love playing football, being out on the pitch with a ball,” he said later in his career. That much was obvious.

He was clearly one of the better players in the academy and made his debut for the senior team in 1986, aged 17, when he was handed his professional debut by the…