‘Alexis Sanchez, the new Bergkamp’ – That’s the headline for a Wednesday article from Catalan newspaper Sport.
Are they comparing Sanchez’s style to that of the Arsenal legend? No.
Do they think the Chilean can have the same impact at Manchester United that Bergkamp had at Arsenal? No.
Sport believe the two men are both money grabbers who turned down a better sporting opportunity for a healthier bank account.
In 1993, Dennis Bergkamp left Ajax for Inter Milan when he could have gone to Barcelona instead, and Jordi Costa clearly hasn’t got over it.
Therefore, the Sport journalist explains Sanchez has committed a similar football crime by turning Manchester City down for a move to Old Trafford.
Jordi explains: ‘The one I understand the least is the soccer player. Being able to go to the team that will win the Premier League, and which today is a benchmark in Europe for the football that it plays, he prefers to go to compete with Lukaku, Rashford, Martial,
Ibrahimovic or Lindgard, and put himself under the orders of a coach like Mourinho, who does not prioritise the attacking elements.’
The Catalan media are of course big fans of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and not so keen on Jose Mourinho, which helps explains the reaction.
Johan Cruyff is said to have told Bergkamp to go to Barcelona if he wanted to have fun, and to Inter Milan if he wanted money, the footballer chose the latter option and moved to Arsenal two years later.
It didn’t work out too badly for Bergkamp. After turning down Barcelona in 1993 he won the UEFA Cup with Inter Milan, and then with Arsenal he picked up 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups.
