FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Holland’s Dennis Bergkamp has rediscovered his zest for football at Arsenal.

In a stunning season, the 28-year-old took the London side to the Premiership title, winning himself a host of honours including being slected player of the year by his peers as well as winning the same title from the football writers association. And Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists that the best is still to come from the Dutchman.

“He will still improve as he is a perfectionist. He is at the age, from 28 to 32, where you perform – where you have the skill and the maturity and are still physically very strong. “There are no barriers to stop him improving and I think in the next three years he will improve a lot because physically he is still young,” says the Frenchman.

There is little doubt he will be a key figure in Holland’s World Cup campaign in France this summer. He is just four goals short of Johan Cruyff’s all-time international goalscoring record for the Dutch and coach Guus Hiddink considers him so vital that he’s fully prepared to allow his star-turn to miss any match that requires air-travel.

It is because of his fear of flying that Bergkamp, who has scored 22 goals this season in the Premiership, will probably be playing in his last World Cup. Although he will only be 32 come the next World Cup, the fact that it will be co-hosted by South Korea and Japan makes it all but impossible for him to be able to get to it. His transformation at Arsenal after a nightmare sejour at Inter Milan, bodes well for Holland, who have never quite managed to go the whole way in the World Cup.

With the striker having the season of his life, Holland might finally shake off their bridesmaid tag.