Dennis Bergkamp played his best football in the 97-98 season. The 29-year-old Dutchman became the most dominating player in English Premier League. He led Arsenal into the Premier League champions and the F.A. Cup winners, although Bergkamp was injured during the last few games, including the cup final on Wembley. He made a sensational start for the Gunners as they mounted an impressive challenge to Manchester United's supremacy in the title race. (上一次的雙冠王:97~98) (最近的一次是上季:01~02) Dennis got many awards along the way to the double: he was voted 'Player Of The Year' by his collegues, the biggest personal award a player can get in the UK. He ended third in the voting for 'FIFA player of the year'. In September Dennis was named player of the month for the second time, the first player to win the award in consecutive months. Before that, BBC's Match of the Day programme had voted his strikes first, second and third in their goal of the month, a feat unaqualled by any other player in the 25-year history of the competition. "During the first half of the 1997-98 season, I played what must be the best football of my career. Everything I was trying seemed to work, my body felt fine and everything went for me. I was on form and it was a great feeling." Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger agreed he was simply the best: "He scores his goals from outside the penalty box like a midfielder, and also he needs fewer touches on the ball to score. Sometimes just one, when others need two or three. He is the peak of his career and I don't think there's anybody better in the world", said. (原來97~98是Bergkamp的顛峰,真可惜我錯過了,那時候我才剛學習當個投入的足球迷) (從上面的文章看來好像真的超猛~~~~) (嗚,越看越可惜我錯過了) But by the winter, thanks to a series of suspensions and a foot injury, the spark had gone, despite his third place in the FIFA 1997 World Player of the Year awards, having earlier been named fourth-best European. Some over exaggerated diving and a petulant elbow that saw him sent off in March did little for his standing and earned him a second three-match ban just as Arsenal were finding their form. Bergkamp himself has repeatedly claimed he is being targeted by referees and defenders in England. Nonetheless in spring he returned to his most bewitching form to help the Gunners overhaul United in the Premier League title run-in. He ended the '97-98 season as he started -in fantastic form. He is very happy since he went to play in the Premiership after playing in The Netherlands and Italy. "England is a country where they play attacking football and people want to see that rather than games that end in a draw. You get space and that suits my game and I am very pleased with the way things are going." And even more important to all Arsenal fans: "I am thinking of finishing my career in England. It suits my game and I feel fine. I am not thinking of playing in any other country or for any other team at the moment." (果然一呆就是呆到今天,他多打一年對我們都是福音; Chelsea的Zola也是老將的典範) --

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