Throwdowns > Forfeited

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  • April 28, 2008 04:14 PM ET

SoccerNation Tourney- 3rd Round (List your man first, then argue on 2nd and 3rd. Good luck. Who is the greatest foreign player in EPL history?

Keeper (17-10-1) vs Officer Farva (5-2-0)
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I'm not really a huge fan of this man, but I'm going to have to go with Thierry Henry. I had another in mind, but he is much too young.


Although we might look back in 20 years and we will probably say it is CR7 I will go with Dennis "The Iceman" Bergkamp.


Well, you are a little bit right. Thierry Henry has scored 174 goals in EPL matches. Now in my opinion, if he continued, he would probably end up in second and possibly, but highly unlikely 1st all-time. His goal scoring ability is one big factor, but I look at another thing to be more important.

While at Arsenal, Henry has carried the team. This was especially true when he led Arsenal by himself last season. Without him, I think Arsenal doesn't advance to this year's UEFA Champions League. Yes, I know he wasn't the leading goal scorer on his team that season, but his apt ability to come through in the clutch coupled with his leadership ability as a captain really pushed Arsenal to 4th place. Arsenal, without Henry would have been very different. Henry is currently the greatest EPL player of all-time because of his Leadership and Goal Scoring Ability.


After Arsenal's mediocrity in the 90's Arsenal made a move in 1995 to sign Bergkamp the first world-class foreign player to join an english club since the Heysel ban. Him and the arrival of Ars??ne Wenger in 96' led a immediate turnaround for Arsenal success. They won a Premiership and FA cup double in the 97-98 season and Bergkamp was awarded PFA Player of the Year.

That season he scored 16 goals and was the first and still only player to ever to receive 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Match of the Day Goal of the Month competition. During his tenure Arsenal then went on to win a double again in 2002, the FA Cup in 2003, and Premiership for third time in 2004.

Bergkamp scored a total of 87 goals in 315 games while being at Arsenal and 238 career goals lifetime between clubs and country. But it was not the goalscoring alone that led Bergkamp to be nicknamed "God" by the English faithful. It was his leadership, intelligence, and mostly his unmatched creativity with incredible passes to set up other people. If u look at the numbers u can see while Henry had more goals alone Bergkamp had more assists and better set up ability. Bergkamp is better OVERALL w/ ability to score and pass.


Forfeited Turn


Being a fellow teammate of Bergkamp's for 7 years no one would know more about Berkamp's skill and class as a player than Theirry Henry himself.

Thierry said this about Bergkamp, "Dennis Bergkamp has been regarded as the greatest foreign player ever in the English game. One could even say he is one of the classiest strikers ever to grace the game."

http://www.bergkamp10.net/

Dennis Bergkamp was a constant professional on and off the pitch and he always put the teams success before any individual achievments. His knack for big goals and ability to shred defenses with a single pass was unmatched during his time with Arsenal.

He also played 315 games with Arsenal more than any other club in his career. More games for the english side than Henry's 254 or many other foreign players who jumped from club to club for money or other reasons and thats why he was probably so beloved by Arsenal and English fans because of his loyalty.

Just because he was quiet off the pitch and not very flashy he might not have gotten the recognition he deserved but his play on the field spoke for itself and any player will tell u what a great player he was.

Comments (18) Add A Comment

April 28, 2008  04:29 PM ET
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CR7 is better then Henry but if he is the one Keeper is referring too, then yes he is way too young.

April 28, 2008  04:35 PM ET
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Dwight Yorke deserves mention. Yes, he has less goals then Henry but he set the EPL on fire when he was at Manchester United. He has 140 goals in the Premiership. Behind Henry's 174 and ahead of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's 127.

April 28, 2008  04:36 PM ET
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I stand corrected. He scored 123 in the Premiership. His first 17 goals came before the EPL was started in 1991.

April 29, 2008  02:41 PM ET
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If it's Henry over Bergkamp, I would have to go Henry. I really wish Hasselbaink or Yorke was argued by Officer Farva. Both of them did more then Bergkamp did.

April 29, 2008  03:45 PM ET
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Well he obviously took Henry cause he had first choice and hes going to argue goals and more goals.
I could have tried yorke with his scoring prowless in his prime years but talking about better overall player and most important to his team Bergkamp is def better all time than Yorke. I would have argued Peter Schmeichel who i thought was one very best gk's ever but its tough to argue keeper vs striker.

April 29, 2008  03:46 PM ET
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Glory Glory Man U up 1-0 at half!!!

April 29, 2008  04:58 PM ET
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I could argue that Bergkamp is only more important because he stayed at Arsenal while Yorke bounced around (Aston Villa, United, Birmingham, Sunderland...and I am forgetting one more I am certain),

April 29, 2008  04:58 PM ET
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Peter Schmeichel would have been good as well. You do have a point about Bergkamp, but I got to go on Henry with this.

April 29, 2008  05:13 PM ET
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I think a Peter Schmeichel vs Thierry Henry wouldve been just as entertaining but i def see your point that keeper vs striker is tough to argue...

April 30, 2008  04:35 PM ET
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I still stick with Henry. I never cared for Bergkamp. He wasn't all that impressive to me.

April 30, 2008  04:44 PM ET
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No love for King Eric? Of course, I'm old school... but I think on the 10-year anniversary of the Premier League (2003) he was voted Best Foreign Player of the first ten years... that's gotta count for something...

So, until the arguments are finished, I'm leaning towards Oooooo Aaaaaaaa Cantona... practically hauled the team on his back once he returned from his "kung-fu kick" ban in '96. He was gone by the treble in '99, but you can't deny his impact on the club and bringing it up to another level those first few years in the Premier League.

Haha J. HOVA I was just gonna mention Schmeichel too... ;-)

April 30, 2008  05:34 PM ET
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Ohh man i was this close to using Cantona funny u should mention him i love that guy. Plus he was the first and only to start poppin collars haha what badass

April 30, 2008  08:02 PM ET
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Funny, I almost decided to use him too.

April 30, 2008  08:31 PM ET
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Would George Best count as a foreign player, wasn't George Best North Irish?

April 30, 2008  08:37 PM ET
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Ya he was born in Belfast

May 1, 2008  09:22 AM ET
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Ze King Eric wouldve been sweet to argue. I think Ryan Giggs deserves a mention here as well. Also I thought we were supposed to wait for both to have all their arguments down before voting?

May 1, 2008  06:57 PM ET
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Sorry for not responding. I just ran out of time, good win Officer Favra. You deserved it more.

 
May 1, 2008  07:25 PM ET
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i hear yuh with the "life" obligations im sure we'll have another go at it sometime.

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