Nowadays, Nicklas Bendtner is less a footballer and more a walking parody. Despite having done nothing even remotely eye-catching for the last two-or-three years (on the pitch, at least), Bendtner still boasts an almighty, all-consuming confidence.
His off the pitch antics, misdemeanors and comments have made him a subject of much ridicule. His willingness to flash his boxer shorts is also something that’s won him plenty of negative attention.
It’s almost as though Bendtner feels a need to compensate for his lack of end product on the pitch, by producing headlines off of it. The Danish striker just can’t seem to bear being out of the spotlight.
His new Samurai haircut almost screams, ‘pay attention to me!’. His whole attitude and demeanour is one of effortless, unearned self-reliance and poise.
Recently, however, Bendtner has attempted to fix his image. Since arriving back at Arsenal following his loan move to Juventus, he has said all the right things. Check out these recent quotes:
“I basically said that I think that anybody who plays football in the world would love to be the best. I think that’s a normal statement and that got [changed] to me saying that I was the best player in the world.
I don’t know where that came from. I still listen to it now and again and still see it. If people want to believe that, then that’s that. I have changed and learned a lot.” (Source: The Metro)
I hope he has changed. On his day he’s still capable of being effective. His performance for Arsenal during his League Cup outing against West Brom was rather good for a man who hasn’t played much football in the last twelve months. His curled assist for Thomas Eisfeld was sumptuous and his penalty during the shoot-out was well taken.
But there’s still plenty of work to be done. Bendtner has to do more than simply say the right stuff. He has to perform in training day in and day out. And when he gets another opportunity, he needs to take it.
I’m not sure he will have a long-term career at Arsenal. But if he plays his cards right, he could still land at a half-decent club and re-build his reputation.
Or he could continue down this dark path and waste his career. The choice is his. One thing’s for sure: it’ll be interesting to watch his next move.
What’s your take? Can Nicklas Bendtner rebuild his career? Can he still make it at the Emirates?
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