IN THE PANTHEON of great Premier League players, Dennis Bergkamp’s name will always remain very close to the top.
And two decades ago to the day, he stepped out and made his competitive top-flight debut in English football.
The Dutch attacker was Arsenal’s record signing, brought to the club by Bruce Rioch for a fee of £7.5 million. But it wasn’t all plain sailing, despite what the rose-tinted glasses would have you believe.
On the opening day of the season, the London side were faced by new-boys Middlesbrough, managed by Bryan Robson, who had impressed in the First Division. And they proved a tricky opponent.
Though Bergkamp and David Platt (also making his first appearance for the hosts) were the big draws, there was another player experiencing a club debut – Nicky Barmby.
And the club’s record signing stunned Highbury by opening the scoring on the half-hour mark – a terrific move saw Jan-Aage Fjortoft deftly flick into his path before the diminutive attacker neatly pushed it inside David Seaman’s near post.
But Rioch’s charges hit back almost immediately.
Ray Parlour’s right-wing cross was met firmly by the head of Ian Wright and the game would finish 1-1.
Bergkamp didn’t enjoy his first month in English football. He failed to score in Arsenal’s first seven league games.
But finally, there was a brace in a 4-2 win over Southampton on 23rd September and he’d finish the season with nine more, helping the club finish 5th and qualify for the Uefa Cup.
It was redemption for the striker. After his slow start, Bergkamp was heavily-criticised by the press before finding his feet and settling in.
Maybe we haven’t changed that much in twenty years.
Originally published a t 4.30pm
