A tribute to “The Best Striker in the World” - Nicklas Bendtner

Nicklas Bendtner: The Fallen Hero

Graced with silky movement and a classy build, there are very few who can match his pedigree. His Henry-esque cutting runs from the right can pierce terror through the heart of the meanest of defenses. At still the young age of 25, he has played for established names in England and Italy and was a driving force behind Juventus’s recently won scudetto.

He is the shining light for his country, the youngest player to reach 25 caps, boasting a healthy record of 0.5 goals per game. National Player of the Year at both U17 and Senior Level, he is a man who scores when he wants. His name starts and ends with B & R just like Ballon d’or

This piece is a eulogy of a player who was destined to be the best in the business before his audaciously arrogant personality came in the way. Someone who was able to score a 10 on ‘self-perceived competence’ in a test that only went 0-9 is indeed a man to be looked at in awe.

Nicklas Bendtner : From “Wonder kid” to “Talent Wasted”

The rise and fall of this quixotic character in a span of just seven years as an Arsenal player has been strange to witness. For long Nicklas has been suffering from a very perplexing disease called “Foot in the mouth”.

He has been famously attributed to quotes like

- ‘If you ask me if I am the one of the better goalscorers in the world, I would reply “yes”, because I believe it.

- I would only like to be transferred to a club of the stature of Real Madrid or Barcelona.

- I deserve £50k a week as I can’t go skiing because of football.

- I should start every game, I should be playing every minute of every match and always be in the team.

- I have never seen Arshavin. I did not watch Euro 2008. I’ve no idea what sort of player he is.

One would expect more from a player who has demanded reporters to stop asking him boring football questions, when the only interesting bits in his life are the riches of embarrassing moments that he keeps showering us with.

• He famously stripped naked beside the wreckage of his car, to check whether he had received any injuries or not
• He was famously thrown out of a London night club with his trousers falling down, on the same night when Arsenal was knocked out of the Champions League by their rivals Manchester United.
• He pulled down his shorts to reveal Paddy Power-branded underwear in a bizarre and stupid publicity stunt after scoring for Denmark at the European Championships in 2012.
• He was caught on video while drunkenly begging for pizza at a restaurant in Copenhagen.

We would have loved him, if only his histrionics could match his talents like Mario Balotelli and Zlatan Ibrahimovich. But then, nature does not paint everyone with the same brush.

Though all is not lost for him just yet, after all he is part of an Arsenal line-up on resurgence. It might be a marriage of convenience, but one that could be instrumental in changing the fortunes of both the club and the player. Like the Gaffer said, “We know that when he has the mind on the game, he has the qualities. When he is physically sharp, he can compete with anybody. I believe in his quality and when he has that commitment and attitude, his quality shows.”

As has been shown by the turnaround of Ramsey’s fortunes, Wenger is generally right in his judgement.

Bendtner did confirm that belief by scoring against Hull recently, but it is not enough. He needs to do it consistently. His remaining few months at Arsenal could be his last at a big club for a long time to come.

Nicklas Bendtner scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Hull City at Emirates Stadium.

Every opportunity should be treated as if his life depends on it. He is definitely a drowning man, fighting against the tide and there are not enough straws left in the sea to prevent his descent.

But as Bendtner prophetically once said, “I want to be among the best strikers in the world. Trust me, it will happen. I look around at other players, I see my own ability and I can’t see anything that tells me it won’t happen, I’m sure people will think ‘What is he talking about?’ But as I have done before, and as I will do again, I will sit at the other end and laugh at those people when it is all done.”

At the moment the odds are against Bendtner, but stranger things have happened in the world of football.

Time is still on his side. To be the best striker in the world is not a walk in the park. He is competing with the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Suarez, Van Persie and Ibrahimovich to name a few. They will not concede their ground easily. It would require immense hard work, commitment and sacrifice and still it might not be enough.

But before all that, Bendtner needs to act more like a footballer and less like a celebrity that he thinks he is.