Dennis Bergkamp turns 56 today, and there is absolutely no question that he will be remembered as one of the best technicians to have ever played professional football.
The Dutchman started his career with Ajax in 1986, scoring 122 goals in 239 appearances for the Amsterdam outfit, before making the switch to Italian giants Inter Milan in 1993.
Bergkamp went on to score 22 times in 74 appearances for the Serie A team, lifting the UEFA Cup, before a famous move to Arsenal occurred in 1995.
The former forward won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups and three Charity Shields during his time with the Gunners, in addition to finishing as a runner-up in the 2005-06 Champions League, while he scored 120 goals in 423 appearances.
Bergkamp also managed 37 goals in 79 caps for the Netherlands, including goals at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.
The Dutchman was an incredibly classy footballer and will be remembered as one of the best players in the history of the sport.
Bergkamp scored some sensational goals during his brilliant career and, to mark his 56th birthday, Sports Mole has narrowed them down to his 10 best.
10. Arsenal (vs. Tottenham Hotspur)
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A real beauty to start off the list; the strike is made even more special by the fact that it came against Arsenal’s bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury in November 1996.
Ian Wright did brilliantly in a wide position to find a cross to the back post before Bergkamp effortlessly took the ball out of the air and fired the ball into the back of the net.
The touch from the Dutchman in such a big game was simply out of this world.
9. Arsenal (vs. Derby County)
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Another absolute beauty: Bergkamp’s strike against Derby during the 1996-97 Premier League campaign has to be included as one of his 10 greatest goals.
The football in the build-up to the goal was actually quite scrappy as the Rams desperately attempted to clear their lines, but the end result was just stunning.
Indeed, Bergkamp managed to squeeze away from the defender inside the penalty box before lifting a quite wonderful right-footed finish over the goalkeeper.
8. Arsenal (vs. Bayer Leverkusen)
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David Seaman was left clapping, almost in disbelief, as Bergkamp produced a wonderful finish against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League in February 2002.
There are perhaps more spectacular goals on the list, but the forward’s awareness to create the space before lifting the ball over the goalkeeper was just sensational.
The fact that Bergkamp was falling to the ground and still managed to generate the power required to find the back of the net is a further indication of just how special it was.
7. Inter Milan (vs. Rapid Bucharest)
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No list of goals is complete without a spectacular volley.
Bergkamp scored 22 times for Inter before leaving for Arsenal and arguably one of his best for the Italian giants came against Rapid Bucharest in the UEFA Cup in September 1993.
The Dutchman actually scored a hat-trick in that particular clash, and the second was a wonderful bicycle kick into the bottom corner of the net.
6. Arsenal (vs. Sunderland)
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Another special goal from Bergkamp in an Arsenal shirt came in the FA Cup in January 1997.
There was something very familiar about the goal as he picked up the ball in a largely unthreatening position before dancing his way into the Sunderland penalty box.
The finish from almost a standing start was wonderful and deserves to be fairly high on this particular list.
5. Arsenal (vs. Leicester City)
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This one is a little bit different and perhaps not the type of goal Bergkamp was known for.
Indeed, during the Premier League clash away to Leicester City in August 1997, he curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner of the net from distance.
There was nothing fancy about the build-up as he simply collected a short pass, but the finish from the Dutchman was sensational, leaving the goalkeeper with absolutely no chance.
4. Netherlands (vs. Argentina)
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This is a wonderful, wonderful goal, and the fact that it came in the quarter-final of the 1998 World Cup certainly makes it even more special.
Bergkamp’s strike actually sent the Netherlands into the semi-finals of the competition, with the 90th-minute effort leaving Argentina short of time to reply.
The first touch from the attacker is just out of this world and he then needed just two more touches to send the ball into the back of the net, sparking wild celebrations from the Dutch supporters.
3. Ajax (vs. Vitesse)
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Ajax were such a huge part of Bergkamp’s career, and there is no question that he scored some wonderful goals during his time with the Dutch outfit; in fact, there could have been a top 10 just for those.
Arguably his best goal for the Amsterdam club came against Vitesse in 1993.
Indeed, the first touch to take the ball away from the defender is utterly ridiculous and to then have the composure to lift the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper is sublime. A certain Louis van Gaal was the Ajax manager at the time, and the goal left him absolutely delighted.
2. Arsenal (vs. Leicester)
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The second of two stunning goals against Leicester in August 1997 places second on this list.
The football in the build-up was very slick, but the real class came at the end of the move as Bergkamp took the ball away from the defender before finding the back of the net with another incredible finish.
Using both his left and right foot, the Dutchman managed to work the ball into a shooting position before converting, and the effort is very unfortunate to miss out on first position.
1. Arsenal (vs. Newcastle United)
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This was always going to be first in the list.
It is a simply sublime goal for a number of reasons, and there is no question that it will be remembered as one of the all-time great Premier League strikes.
Robert Pires found the pass into Bergkamp, who somehow managed to scoop the ball around Newcastle defender Nikos Dabizas in one movement before slotting the ball past Shay Given.
Pires’s pass was actually slightly behind the Dutchman, but he managed to manipulate the ball into a shooting position before carefully finding the bottom corner.
