Bendtner warming up for Arsenal for a home game against Newcastle. |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicklas Bendtner[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 16 January 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Striker, Winger[3] | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sunderland (on loan from Arsenal) |
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| Number | 52 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1992–1998 | Tårnby Boldklub[4] | ||
| 1998–2004 | Københavns Boldklub | ||
| 2004–2005 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2005– | Arsenal | 99 | (22) |
| 2006–2007 | → Birmingham City (loan) | 42 | (11) |
| 2011– | → Sunderland (loan) | 13 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Denmark U16 | 3 | (3) |
| 2005 | Denmark U17 | 15 | (6) |
| 2006 | Denmark U19 | 2 | (1) |
| 2006 | Denmark U21 | 4 | (2) |
| 2006– | Denmark | 45 | (17) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20:24, 1 Jan 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Nicklas Bendtner (Danish pronunciation: [neg̊las ˈb̥ɛnˀd̥nɐ]), (born 16 January 1988 in Copenhagen) is a Danish international footballer who plays for Sunderland on loan from Arsenal as a striker. Widely regarded as the finest striker in the modern game, his preferred position is centre forward, but he has also played on the right side of attack for Arsenal.[3]
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As a child Bendtner played football for Tårnby Boldklub before joining FC Copenhagen's feeder club Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) in 1998.[4] He scored four goals in six Danish national youth team matches, before joining English club Arsenal in the summer of 2004.
Bendtner formed a prolific strike partnership in the Arsenal reserves, with teammate Arturo Lupoli. Bendtner's first team debut for Arsenal came on 25 October 2005, in a League Cup match against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, as a substitute for Quincy Owusu-Abeyie in the final minutes.[5]
Bendtner was loaned out to Championship team Birmingham City in August 2006 to gain first team experience, with the loan initially lasting until January 2007.[6] Bendtner made his debut for Birmingham, as a substitute for Stephen Clemence, in the game against Colchester United on 5 August 2006. He played the final half hour, scoring the winning goal.[7] The loan at Birmingham was extended until the end of the 2006–07 season.[8]
Bendtner signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal in May 2007,[9] and returned to the club for the 2007–08 Premier League season. After impressing at Birmingham, the teenage striker was presented with opportunities to seek first team football elsewhere, with reports that Lyon and AC Milan wanting the promising teenager, but he stayed on in order to earn his place in the starting eleven.[10]
In his first match at the Emirates Stadium, a friendly against Paris Saint Germain in the inaugural pre-season Emirates Cup tournament, Bendtner scored a goal, and assisted in another by Mathieu Flamini. His first competitive strike for the Gunners was the game winning goal in a 2–0 result versus Newcastle United on 25 September 2007 during a League Cup match. On 23 October, he scored his debut UEFA Champions League goal came in the 89th minute against SK Slavia Prague just over 20 minutes after coming on as a substitute, finishing off a back-heeled pass from Emmanuel Eboué to complete the 7–0 thrashing.
His first Premier League start came at Everton on 29 December 2007 but was eventually sent off for two bookable offences.[11] After suspension, Bendtner scored his first FA Cup goal against Burnley on 6 January 2008 as Arsenal won 2–0.[12]
Bendtner's first Premier League goal came on 22 December 2007 in a 2–1 Arsenal victory against Tottenham, at the Emirates Stadium. He headed the winning goal from a Cesc Fàbregas corner just 1.8 seconds (official time) after coming on as a substitute for Emmanuel Eboué, breaking the previous record.[13][14]
During the season, Wenger tried to partner Bendtner with Emmanuel Adebayor whenever Robin van Persie was rested. However, Bendtner and Adebayor did not get along well.[15] It became apparent during the 2008 League Cup semi-final 2nd leg away at Tottenham Hotspur when the pair had a heated on-pitch altercation with the scoreline at 4–1 to Tottenham and referee Howard Webb, captain William Gallas and other teammates had to intervene and separate the two.[16] Adebayor later apologized on Arsenal's website and The Football Association declined to take any formal action against the duo.[17]
Bendtner also scored a last minute equaliser against Aston Villa to keep Arsenal top of the table.[18]
The main highlight of Bendtner's pre-season was scoring four goals in the first-half of Arsenal's 10–2 victory against Burgenland XI on Tuesday 29 July 2008.[19] He scored his first Premier League goal of the 2008–09 season against Bolton Wanderers and got an assist for Emmanuel Eboue to score all in the space of one minute.[20]
He had a hard time in October and November, but on 25 November, he scored a dramatic and controversial 87th minute winner against Dynamo Kyiv, in the Champions League to ensure Arsenal progressed to the knockout stages, after running onto a long ball from a Cesc Fabregas quick free-kick, and in the confusion rifled the ball into the net left-footed with his infamous pink Nike Mercurial Vapours boots[21] (He also claimed in the Arsenal magazine, in which he was writing a diary for this particular season, he always wanted to wear these boots).[22] He was even booked for his emotional goal celebration.[23] In January, he scored two more goals as a substitute, late winners at home to Bolton and Hull City, both from Robin Van Persie crosses.[24][25]
On 24 February, he was goaded after missing a number of chances in the 1-0 win over Roma, in the knockout stages.[26] He shrugged this off in the magazine, however, claiming that "as a striker, you miss chances". The following week, Bendtner scored two goals at West Brom, as Arsenal won 3-1 away from home.[27] The fans were much more supportive towards him when he missed a string of chances against Blackburn.[28] Arsenal still won 4-0, thanks to Andrei Arshavin's stunner, and a brace from Eboue. Bendtner got a goal in a 3-1 win at Newcastle, a header from a long free-kick.[29]
On 5 May 2009 the 21-year-old was controversially seen leaving a night club hours after Arsenal's 3–1 home defeat by Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final. Bendtner was pictured with his belt undone and jeans pulled down. He later said that "I may be young, but my actions were a poor error of judgment and something I deeply regret." Bendtner was a second-half substitute for Arsenal, who lost 4–1 on aggregate to defending champions United.[30] Bendtner never actually mentioned this incident in the Arsenal magazine, and made amends with a goal, albeit a consolation, in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea.[31]
Bendtner started the new season by announcing a change in his Arsenal squad number for the 2009/10 season. "Before the season starts I wanted to change my squad number from 26 which I've obviously had for a number of seasons. I chose to move to 52 because it's a special number to me personally, and I hope that it brings me good luck for the new season. I appreciate that a good number of fans have bought their kits for 2009/10 already with names and numbers printed up so I'd like to personally cover the cost of replacing anyone's shirt that has my previous number. It means a lot to see supporters wearing your name and number, and I want to ensure people aren't inconvenienced by the change."[32]
On 16 September, Bendtner scored his first goal of the season in the Champions League group stage in a 3–2 away win against Standard Liège. On the morning of 27 September he was involved in a car accident while driving along the A1.[33] He suffered cuts to his knees and shoulder pain as well as writing off his Aston Martin.[34] He then missed Arsenal's Champions League tie with Olympiakos, which Arsenal won 2–0. He returned on 4 October 2009 and scored his first league goal of the season in Arsenal's 6–2 win over Blackburn Rovers. On 28 October, he scored the winning goal in the League Cup in a 2–1 win against Liverpool.[35]
On 10 November, Bendtner underwent groin surgery in Germany after aggravating a groin injury in the 3-0 win on 31 October playing against Tottenham Hotspur. He was expected to be out for up to four weeks,[36] but returned on 27 January in a 0–0 draw at Villa Park.[37] He started his first match after recovering from his injury and played 82 minutes in Arsenal's victory over Liverpool on 10 February to complete his return to full fitness.[38]
On 20 February, Bendtner scored his first goal since October 2009 against Sunderland. He then followed it up with a goal against Stoke City in a 3–1 away win. In March, he scored his first hat-trick of his professional career in a 5–0 victory over Porto in the second leg of the Champions League first knockout round to overturn their 2–1 loss in the first leg. In his next game, a league meeting with Hull, Bendtner scored Arsenal's second goal in a 2–1 win, which came after Hull goalkeeper Myhill could only parry an injury time Denilson shot. On 3 April, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory over Wolves at home in the Premier League, heading in a cross in the 94th minute. He also scored the only goal for Arsenal in a 4–1 defeat to FC Barcelona as they were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-final. At the start of April, it was announced that Bendtner had won the Arsenal Player of the Month award for his performances in March, making it the first time he had ever won the award. Bendtner also scored Arsenal's goal in a match against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 April 2010 in a 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane.
After getting injured during the 2010 World Cup and spending almost four months out of action, Bendtner finally returned to action in a substitute appearance against Birmingham City on 16 October. On 24 October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 away win against Manchester City. Three days later, he scored again with a powerful strike against Newcastle United in the League Cup at St. James' Park as Arsenal won 4-0. On 29 December, he dedicated a goal celebration, against Wigan Athletic, to his newborn baby. He went on to score his first goal of 2011 on 25 January against Ipswich Town in the League Cup to level the aggregate score at 1-1. Arsenal later went on to win the game 3-1 on aggregate. The Ipswich goal also won him the Arsenal "Goal of the month" award for January[39] On 2 March 2011 Bendtner got a hat-trick in the FA cup fifth round replay against League One side Leyton Orient, his first for nearly a year, and the first by an Arsenal player in an FA Cup game since Ian Wright's against Yeovil Town in 1993.[40] On 8 March 2011, after coming on as a late substitute, he failed to finish a chance against Barcelona in the closing stages which meant Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League.
On the last day of the August 2011 transfer window, Premier League club Sunderland completed a one-year loan deal for Bendtner, with the striker linking up again with Steve Bruce.[41] Bendtner has said that he will never play for Arsenal again due to a lack of chances in the first team since his car accident.[42] On his debut he made an assist against Chelsea on 10 September 2011, with his first goal coming on 1 October 2011 against West Brom in the 24th minute. He also made an assist in the same game for Elmohamady's equaliser. The match ended 2–2.[43] A goal scored by Bendtner was considered by the Premier League's Dubious Goals Committee. Bendtner saw a shot deflected in via a touch from Gareth McAuley in the 2–2 draw with West Bromwich Albion on 1 October.[44] Bendnter's second goal for Sunderland came in injury time against Bolton Wanderers, the match ended 2–0 and was Sunderland's second win of the season.[45] Bendtner scored his third goal for Sunderland in a 3-2 win at QPR.[46]
Bendtner started his national team career by scoring three goals in three starts for the Denmark under-16 national team in February 2004.[47] He then scored six goals in 15 games for the Denmark under-17 national team,[48] and was named 2004 Danish Under-17 Player of the Year.
Bendtner was the youngest player selected for the Danish under-21 national squad for the 2006 European Under-21 Championship tournament. He replaced Morten Rasmussen in the Danish starting line-up. He got his under-21 debut on 17 May 2006, at the age of 18, scoring both goals in a Danish 2–0 victory over Spain under-21s in a friendly match.[49] When Bendtner was substituted with Rasmussen during the game against the Netherlands under-21 team, Bendtner told the press he found Rasmussen a lesser player. Bendtner was reprimanded, but played the rest of the tournament before Denmark were eliminated.[50]
On 16 August 2006 Bendtner earned his first senior cap for Denmark, still only 18 years old, making him the seventh youngest player on the Danish senior national team ever.[51] He was in the starting lineup for his debut game, a friendly match against Poland. He scored a goal after 30 minutes, helping Denmark to a 2–0 win.[52] On 1 September 2006, he played his second national team game, and came on as a substitute in a friendly match against Portugal. He scored the final goal in a 4–2 win for Denmark.[53] Although he still qualified to play for the U21s, Bendtner soon earned a spot in the starting line on the Danish national team scoring, two goals in UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying.
In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Bendtner scored an 84th minute 1–1 equaliser against Portugal – a match Denmark went on to win 3–2.[54] He scored again against Portugal in the reverse fixture which ended 1–1.[55] He then scored a header four days later against Albania. Nicklas assisted Jakob Poulsen's goal in Denmark's 1–0 win over Sweden which meant they qualified for the 2010 World Cup. He ended the campaign with 3 goals. For his contribution, he was voted Danish Player of the Year and his goal against Portugal won the Goal of the Year award.[56][57] Denmark coach Morten Olsen selected Bendtner for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.[58] Bendtner scored the equaliser in Denmark's World Cup group stage 2-1 win against Cameroon.[59]
On 12 May 2011, Bendtner turned down the opportunity of representing his national team at Under-21 level at the European Championship, citing family reasons.
On 6 September 2011, Bendtner scored two goals in a 2-0 win against Norway.
On 7 October 2011, Bendtner failed to score in a 4-1 win against Cyprus after several good chances. But four days later, on 11 October 2011, he scored in the 63rd minute against Portugal to ensure Denmark qualified for Euro 2012. On 11 November 2011, he scored against rivals Sweden in an international friendly. Four days later, on the 15th November, Nicklas Bendtner scored in the second half against Finland, racing away from the defence before finishing hard and low to put Denmark 2-1 up.
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Arsenal | 2005–06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Birmingham City (loan) | 2006–07 | 42 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 13 | 9 |
| Arsenal | 2007–08 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 40 | 9 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | 31 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 15 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 12 | 7 | |
| 2010–11 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2011–12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Sunderland (loan) | 2011–12 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 3 |
| Career total | 152 | 35 | 22 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 20 | 9 | 3 | 30 | 9 | 2 | 214 | 60 | 31 | |
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 16 August 2006 | Odense, Denmark | Poland | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly match |
| 2. | 1 September 2006 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Portugal | 4–2 | 4–2 | Friendly match |
| 3. | 28 March 2007 | Duisburg, Germany | Germany | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly match |
| 4. | 17 November 2007 | Belfast, Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–2 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
| 5. | 21 November 2007 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Iceland | 1–0 | 3–0 | Euro 2008 Qualification |
| 6. | 26 February 2008 | Nova Gorica, Slovenia | Slovenia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly match |
| 7. | 26 March 2008 | Herning, Denmark | Czech Republic | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly match |
| 8. | 10 September 2008 | Lisbon, Portugal | Portugal | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2010 World Cup Qualification |
| 9. | 5 September 2009 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Portugal | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2010 World Cup Qualification |
| 10. | 9 September 2009 | Tirana, Albania | Albania | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2010 World Cup Qualification |
| 11. | 3 March 2010 | Vienna, Austria | Austria | 1–1 | 1–2 | Friendly match |
| 12. | 19 June 2010 | Pretoria, South Africa | Cameroon | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2010 World Cup |
| 13. | 07 September 2011 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Norway | 1–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
| 14. | 07 September 2011 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Norway | 2–0 | 2–0 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
| 15. | 11 October 2011 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Portugal | 2–0 | 2–1 | Euro 2012 Qualification |
| 16. | 11 November 2011 | Copenhagen, Denmark | Sweden | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 17. | 15 November 2011 | Esbjerg, Denmark | Finland | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
In November 2009, it was reported that Bendtner was seen in Hyde Park with Baroness Caroline Iuel-Brockdorff, a socialite and close friend of the Danish Royal Family.[61] 13 years his senior, in 2008 she divorced banker Rory Fleming, nephew of James Bond writer Ian Fleming, with whom she has two children.[62]
The couple met when Iuel-Brockdorff was filmed renovating her family home Valdemars Castle on a reality show.[61] Bendtner was a guest and they did a photoshoot together to promote his appearance.[61] In July 2010, Bendtner revealed through his official website that he was going to become a father.[63] On December 16, 2010, Iuel-Brockdorff gave birth by caesarean section at London's Portland Hospital to a son.[64]
Known for his extreme self-confidence, Bendtner once received a confidence rating that exceeded the scale in a test carried by an Arsenal psychologist.[65]
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