4 days to go…
We’re counting down to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ by showcasing a golazo from the global finals each day.
Dennis Bergkamp
Netherlands v Argentina
France 1998 | Quarter-finals
Stade Velodrome, Marseille
“You never play the perfect game,” Dutch legend Dennis Bergkamp recalled. “But the moment itself was, I think, perfect.”
With three divine touches of the ball, Bergkamp reached football immortality with a masterful 89th-minute winner to put the Netherlands into the semi-finals after a titanic tussle with Argentina.
As extra-time loomed, with the scores tied one apiece, Dutch captain Frank de Boer launched a pinpoint pass from inside his own half to the team’s talisman.
After plucking the ball from out of the sky with his right foot, Bergkamp instinctively cut inside the onrushing Roberto Ayala with the deftest of touches, before firing an unstoppable effort past Carlos Roa with the outside of his right boot.
As a sea of brilliant orange exploded in the stands, Bergkamp thrust his hands over his face in shock at his Marseille masterpiece. Meanwhile, Dutch commentator Jack van Gelder was so lost for words he repeatedly screamed “Dennis Bergkamp” to the equally-stunned viewers back at home.
Highlights: Netherlands 2-1 Argentina
Bergkamp on his otherworldly goal against Argentina
