Guardian Unlimited Football | News | Age cannot wither the subtle art of a Dutch master
There's an interesting article on the Guardian website about the reemergence of Dennis Bergkamp over the past few years. After having a few quiet years at Arsenal he's started to peak again, and provides an important counter point to the speed of Henry.
The goal they talked about that he scored against Newcastle a few years ago was simply breathtaking. It was perhaps the most perfect goal I've ever seen. His back was to the goal, he received the pass, kicked the ball one way and spun the other and then received his own pass and scored. It was incredible.
Pitches will deteriorate, the weather will worsen, opponents will get nastier and Arsenal will grow careworn. This is Bergkamp's hour, when everything about him, including his strength, is taking other teams aback. It was all on show even in the Community Shield, when he plopped ideal passes two or three yards behind the Manchester United defence.He is not the very greatest footballer his country has produced but he may be the perfect embodiment of the Dutch concept of the game. Bergkamp has that spatial imagination. He is hyper-sensitive when sizing up position, angle and possibility. The very best of his goals are hymns to geometry.
