By Brian Bariyo Tumuramye
Former Arsenal striker Dennis Bergkamp has admitted that it is impossible to name the very best player he had the privilege of playing alongside during his rich and colourful career.
The Dutchman, who isn’t currently working in football, enjoyed a glittering 20-year career, which saw him play alongside some of the most gifted players the world of football has ever seen, including the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.
To have been able to share a pitch with names of such magnitude is an achievement in itself and one that Bergkamp, who won nine trophies during his time with the Gunners, will look back on with great fondness.
Now, though, the Dutchman, who scored over 100 goals during his Arsenal career, has been asked to pinpoint the very best player he ever had the privilege of calling his teammate.
As expected, the Dutchman, who was most recently the assistant coach at Ajax, struggled in his attempts to pick out just one.
“I find it very difficult to say who was the best,” Bergkamp said. “I was lucky enough to play with the back four we had during the beginning of my career at Arsenal because I’ve never seen that. A back four and a goalkeeper that was so connected with each other, it was amazing.”
“I saw it not only in games but in training sessions, most of the time it seemed like he was training at 70 per cent or 80 per cent and he was still by far the best player.
“It was a ridiculous time because he was so good. I played with Patrick Vieira who was a player who could change games, even in those days he would change the whole midfield by himself.
“Everyone knows his first game when he came on at half-time and he completely changed the game, how can you compare those players to each other? Henry to Vieira? Or to the back four? I find it very difficult… Pires? What a player he was.
“Freddie Ljungberg? Maybe he wasn’t the most gifted player but how effective, how decisive was he? The defenders who came after like Kolo Toure or Sol Campbell?
“As I said, I’ve been lucky to play with a lot of good players but to name the best player, it is really difficult. It’s impossible. Each and everyone in their own position was very important to the team.”
