The Great Bergkamp

This is my favorite goal that my favorite player, Dennis Bergkamp, ever scored.

I still remember going to Nevada Smiths (a bar in New York City that shows a lot of the soccer games from Europe) with TJC one Saturday morning in March 2002 in order to catch the Arsenal-Newcastle game live. Arsenal, of course, is my favorite team, while Newcastle's is TJC's.

Newcastle was dominating the game, having most of the possession and had Arsenal on their heels until Bergkamp worked his magic against the run of play. The crowd could not stop oohing and aahing after seeing the goal, and the t.v. folks were kind enough to replay it 10 million times, to the consternation of TJC and the other Newcastle fans.

Newcastle was done after that goal, which was about 10-15 minutes into the game, as they just lost all confidence. 5 years later, and I still love watching this goal. The sublime skill of Bergkamp in controlling that ball and just embarrazing Dabizas (the Newcastle defender) by flicking the ball past him and then going around him is a thing of beauty. Overlooked in all this was Bergkamp rolling the ball oh so calmly past Shay Given, one of the best goal keepers in the world, after that.

Man, I miss watching him wearing the #10 in the Arsenal red and white.