Bergkamp: I still have something to prove

He also netted three FA Cup goals in a campaign that ended in triumph at Cardiff.

Bergkamp recalled: "It was very satisfying because I didn't start in the team but when the team really got going in the second half of the season I was playing, so I really felt part of it.

"When all the big games and all the big prizes came I was there. That was a big victory for me."

Bergkamp is keenly aware that the test for Arsenal this season is to prove that they can retain their trophies. But Bergkamp is confident. He said: "Now, we are a stronger squad and I believe we can successfully defend the title this time.

"During our pre-season tour in Austria and in the Community Shield, I saw a real hunger in the team. No one here is resting on their laurels, we mean business and we're out for another title.

"Losing Tony Adams and Lee Dixon is a big blow, not only football-wise but in the dressing room where those two were so dominant. They always had something to say, the way they coached young players and new foreign players.

"They taught them a lot about defending in England and about the English game. I learned from them as well when I first got in. Those were two players who you listened to because they had been here for so many years.

"I think you will miss that. It is one thing learning from a manager but learning from fellow players is very valuable. But we have Patrick Vieira as captain and he will carry on as he did last season. Martin Keown is another who will encourage his team-mates. Sol Campbell will come into his own more and more as well."

Bergkamp turned 33 in June and has had his share of niggling injuries, so how is he feeling before another demanding campaign? He said: "In the the last couple of games last season I felt my Achilles a little bit but before that I felt 100 per cent. For me, that was quite amazing because the seasons before I had some problems. It makes such a difference to have nothing bothering you. Your mind is clear."

Bergkamp, who spent the summer on holiday in France, is now considering committing the rest of his football future to Arsenal and staying in England where his wife and three children are happy.

Bergkamp is the longest-serving big-name foreign player in the Premiership and his burning ambition is to conquer Europe with Arsenal and retain the championship-Bergkamp said: "We have to realise that we are a very good team and it should not just be a one-off thing.

"We have to go out now, especially in Europe, and show that we are the champions of England. We have to go out with the same ideas as we showed at home.

"We don't have to be scared of foreign teams because we can dominate the game. We have players to do that. The Champions League is becoming a bigger and bigger target, not just personally but for the club as well.

"It would be tremendous if we could do well in that.

"That would really make us a big club in Europe."