Iconic Moments in Football No.15

This goal looked accidental on first glance. It has since been rated by many as one of the best in the history of the Premier League’s 27 year history.

Dennis Bergkamp joined Arsenal from Inter Milan in the summer of 1995 and was signed by Bruce Rioch. After a slow start at Highbury, he eventually found his feet and quickly established himself at Highbury. Bergkamp had scored several fantastic goals in his time at the club but in terms of skill, this goal at St James’s Park was probably the best.

The game was 11 minutes old and with the game goalless, Robert Pires had the ball out wide on the left wing and played it forward to Bergkamp who was racing through the middle. Bergkamp had his back to goal near the penalty spot as he received the ball from Pires. Newcastle defender Nikos Dabizas was marking him tightly behind him.

As he received the ball, Bergkamp flicked the ball to his right, knocking the ball past his marker. In the same movement, he dropped his left shoulder, spun round to his left to face goal. Dabizas was half a second slower having not fully processed what had just happened and Bergkamp outmuscled him. The Greek defender fell to the floor leaving the Arsenal man 8 yards out with just Newcastle’s goalkeeper Shay Given to beat.

Bergkamp side footed the ball with his right foot across Given and into the far corner of the net. Many people claimed that Bergkamp hadn’t intended to pull off the moment of skill but he has always maintained that it was intentional. Others say that he got lucky but as he managed so many other fantastic moments of outstanding skill over the course of his illustrious career, I believe that he fully intended it.

Arsenal went on to complete and League and Cup Double at the end of the 2001/02 season, their second Double in four years. Two years later they would go the whole season unbeaten and Dennis Bergkamp was part of this historic team. He retired from the game at the end of the 2005/06 season.