AttackAttacking Midfielder: Dennis Bergkamp
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This was again a difficult choice between two greats of the game, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany) and Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands). Their position in the FIFA 100 list also indicates how close they were to each other – Bergkamp at no. 34 and Rummenigge at no. 35. They had near identical goal-scoring records as well; Rumenigge scored 293 goals in his club career while Bergkamp hit 272.
At international level, Rumenigge scored 45 to Bergkamp’s 37. Although the German edges the goal-scoring stats and has won two Ballon d’Ors, Bergkamp makes it to the list because of his ingenious footballing brain. While Rummenigge was a pacy winger/forward, the Dutchman but compensated his lack of pace with his intelligence, awareness and technical ability.
Bergkamp was well known for being the focal point of attacks, making assists and brining his team-mates into play. He was a classic No. 10, who could also play as a striker. He played 11 seasons for Arsenal from 1995-2006, scoring 120 goals for the London club, winning three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.
The Dutchman was in the Gunners’ team that reached the 2006 Champions League final, falling to Barcelona. Bergkamp has been described as having the ‘finest technique’ of any Dutch player in history, which adds to the reasons for his entry into this list
Striker: Thierry Henry
This was another no-brainer. Thierry Henry is the greatest player in the history of Arsenal Football Club. The French striker had it all – pace, power, guile and supreme finishing. The former Arsenal striker is the club’s all-time highest goal-scorer with 228 goals in 376 games for the London outfit.
He won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups with the Gunners before winning two La Liga titles, one Copa Del Rey and a Champions League trophy with Barcelona. For the France national team, Henry scored 51 goals in 123 caps for Les Blues and won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000 with his country.
He was also in the team that reached the 2006 FIFA World Cup final but lost to Italy after Zinedine Zidane’s historic head-butt red card. Henry was the scourge of many Premier League and European teams in his time with Arsenal and remains a distinguished legend at the London club.
Striker: Gerd Muller
Nicknamed ‘Der Bomber’ by Bayern Munich fans, Gerd Muller is perhaps football’s greatest ever finishers. The one constant in Muller’s game was goals and lots of goals. Der Bomber averaged 0.93 goals a game throughout his career and was renowned for scoring the majority of his goals inside and around the six-yard box.
He had a turn of pace and a good touch to add to his lethal and clinical finishing. He won four Bundesliga titles and three European Cups for Bayern Munich. However, at international level, his record is even more staggering – Muller scored 68 goals for Germany is 62 games averaging nearly 1.1 goals a game.
He won the Euro trophy in 1972 (where he finished as top scorer) and the World Cup in 1974 with Die Mannschaft as well. He also won one Ballon d’Or in 1970 and was named in the FIFA 100 at no. 15.
