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Nicklas Bendtner
Personal information
Bendtner with Rosenborg in 2017
Full name	Nicklas Bendtner
Date of birth	(1988-01-16) 16 January 1988 (age 37)
Place of birth	Copenhagen, Denmark
Height	1.94 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1992–1998	Tårnby Boldklub
1998–2004	Kjøbenhavns Boldklub
2004–2005	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2005–2014	Arsenal	108	(24)
2006–2007	→ Birmingham City (loan)	42	(11)
2011–2012	→ Sunderland (loan)	28	(8)
2012–2013	→ Juventus (loan)	9	(0)
2014–2016	VfL Wolfsburg	31	(3)
2016–2017	Nottingham Forest	15	(2)
2017–2019	Rosenborg	57	(24)
2019	Copenhagen	6	(0)
Total		296	(72)
National team
2004	Denmark U16	3	(3)
2004–2005	Denmark U17	15	(6)
2006	Denmark U19	2	(1)
2006	Denmark U21	4	(2)
2006–2018	Denmark	81	(30)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Nicklas Bendtner (born on 16 January 1988) is a Danish former professional footballer. He played as a forward, usually as a centre-forward. He was known for being tall and strong, great at heading the ball.

Bendtner started his football journey in youth teams like Tårnby Boldklub and Kjøbenhavns Boldklub. He then joined Arsenal in 2004. He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in 2005 and made his first team debut that October.

He played for several clubs during his career, including Birmingham City, Sunderland, Juventus, VfL Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, Rosenborg, and Copenhagen. He also played for Denmark's national team at different age levels and for the senior team. He was part of Denmark's teams for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012.

Club Career Highlights

Starting in Youth Football

Nicklas Bendtner was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He began playing football at Tårnby Boldklub. In 1998, he joined Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB), which is linked to F.C. Copenhagen. He scored four goals in six matches for Denmark's national youth teams. In August 2004, he moved to the English club Arsenal.

Playing for Arsenal

Bendtner played well in Arsenal's reserve team. He made his first team debut for Arsenal on 25 October 2005. This was in a League Cup match against Sunderland.

Loan to Birmingham City

In August 2006, Bendtner was loaned to Championship team Birmingham City. This was to help him get more experience playing in first-team matches. He made his debut for Birmingham on 5 August, scoring the winning goal. His loan was extended, and he scored eleven league goals. Birmingham was then promoted to the Premier League.

Back at Arsenal: 2007–08 Season

In May 2007, Bendtner signed a new five-year contract with Arsenal. He returned to the club for the 2007–08 Premier League season. He scored his first goal at the Emirates Stadium in a pre-season tournament. His first official goal for Arsenal was the winning goal in a League Cup match. On 23 October, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a big 7–0 win.

Bendtner scored his first Premier League goal on 22 December 2007. It was the winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur. He scored just 1.8 seconds after coming on as a substitute, which was a new record.

2008–09 Season with Arsenal

In the 2008–09 season, Bendtner scored four goals in a pre-season friendly. He scored his first Premier League goal of the season against Bolton Wanderers. On 25 November, he scored a late winning goal against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League. This helped Arsenal move to the next stage of the competition. In January, he scored two more late winning goals as a substitute.

On 24 February, he played against Roma in the Champions League. The next week, he scored two goals against West Bromwich Albion. He also scored a goal in a 3–1 win against Newcastle United.

2009–10 Season with Arsenal

Bendtner changed his Arsenal squad number to 52 for the 2009–10 season. He scored his first goal of the season in the Champions League against Standard Liège. He was involved in a car accident but returned to play on 4 October. He scored his first league goal of the season in a 6–2 win over Blackburn Rovers.

On 9 March, Bendtner scored the first hat-trick of his professional career. This was in a 5–0 victory over Porto in the Champions League. He then scored a winning goal in stoppage time against Hull City. He won the Arsenal Player of the Month award for March.

2010–11 Season with Arsenal

After an injury, Bendtner's first game of the 2010–11 season was on 16 October. He scored his first goal of the season against Manchester City. On 2 March, Bendtner scored another hat-trick. This was in an FA Cup match against Leyton Orient. He wanted to leave Arsenal in August 2011 to play more first-team football.

Loan to Sunderland

In August 2011, Bendtner joined Sunderland on a one-year loan. He said he would not play for Arsenal again. His first goal for Sunderland came on 1 October. He finished the season as Sunderland's top scorer in Premier League matches with eight goals.

Loan to Juventus

In August 2012, Bendtner joined Italian club Juventus on loan. He made his debut on 22 September 2012. He had limited appearances and did not score any goals for Juventus. He returned to Arsenal after the loan.

2013–14 Season with Arsenal

On 22 September 2013, Bendtner was a substitute for Arsenal. Three days later, he played his first Arsenal game in two years in a League Cup match. He scored his first Arsenal goal since March 2011 on 4 December. On 1 January 2014, Bendtner scored his last goal for Arsenal. He left Arsenal at the end of the season when his contract ended.

Playing for VfL Wolfsburg

On 15 August 2014, Bendtner signed a three-year deal with VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. He made his debut on 30 August. On 6 November, he scored his first two goals for Wolfsburg in the Europa League. He scored his first German league goal on 22 November.

Bendtner started his second season at Wolfsburg by scoring the winning goal in the 2015 DFL-Supercup against Bayern Munich. Wolfsburg ended his contract in April 2016.

Playing for Nottingham Forest

On 7 September 2016, Bendtner signed a two-year deal with English club Nottingham Forest. He said he moved to Forest because he wanted to be closer to his son in London. He also wanted to get his football career back on track. His former manager, Arsène Wenger, said Bendtner could still return to the top level if he stayed fit.

Playing for Rosenborg BK

On 6 March 2017, Bendtner signed for Norwegian club Rosenborg. He made his debut and helped his team win 2–0. He also scored his first league goal in his first game in the Norwegian league. On 12 August, Bendtner scored a great goal from outside the penalty box.

He won his second Mesterfinalen trophy in 2018, scoring the only goal.

Playing for Copenhagen

On 2 September 2019, F.C. Copenhagen signed Bendtner until the end of the year. He scored his only goal for the club in a cup game. In December 2019, Copenhagen decided not to extend his contract.

Retirement from Professional Football

In June 2021, Bendtner announced he was retiring from professional football. He said it was hard to stop playing after doing it his whole life. He also mentioned that the pandemic made it difficult to do things he enjoyed.

International Career for Denmark

Youth Teams

Bendtner started playing for Denmark's national youth teams in February 2004. He scored a hat-trick in his third game for the under-16 team. He scored six goals for the under-17 team and was named Danish Under-17 Player of the Year in 2004.

He made his under-21 debut in May 2006, scoring two goals. He was the youngest player in Denmark's squad for the 2006 European Under-21 Championships.

Senior National Team Debut

On 16 August 2006, Bendtner made his first appearance for the senior Denmark team. He was 18 years old, making him one of the youngest players to debut. He started the friendly match against Poland and scored after 32 minutes, helping Denmark win 2–0. He scored again in his second senior match against Portugal. He soon became a regular starter for the senior team.

World Cup and Euro Qualifiers

In the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, Bendtner scored a late goal against Portugal. He scored again in the return game against Portugal. He also scored a header against Albania. He helped Denmark qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was voted Danish Player of the Year for his efforts. He played in all three of Denmark's group matches at the World Cup and scored against Cameroon.

For qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012, he scored two goals against Norway. He scored a goal against Portugal to help Denmark qualify for Euro 2012.

UEFA Euro 2012 Tournament

Bendtner was chosen for the Denmark squad for Euro 2012. He was described as a tall and powerful player who could play in different attacking roles. On 13 June, he scored two goals in Denmark's match against Portugal.

Later International Career

In March 2013, the Danish Football Association (DBU) suspended Bendtner from the national team for six months. This was due to an incident outside of football. On his next appearance, he scored both of Denmark's goals in a 2–2 draw against Italy.

In March 2015, he scored a hat-trick as Denmark beat the United States 3–2 in a friendly. He was named in Denmark's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, an injury meant he was not included in the final team.

Playing Style

Bendtner was a flexible forward who could play in different attacking spots. He was often a centre-forward but could also play on the sides. He was a big, tall, and strong player, known for his excellent heading ability.

When he was younger, he was seen as a very talented player. He was quick, smart, and worked hard. He had good control of the ball and could score goals or help create chances for others. His former Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, once called Bendtner a potentially "unstoppable striker." Wenger said he had "good technique, good stature, good pace, ... good link play."

Despite his talent, Bendtner sometimes had injuries. He was also known for his confidence in his own skills.

Personal Life

In December 2010, Bendtner had a son with Caroline Iuel-Brockdorff. The couple later separated.

Bendtner has a group of fans who jokingly call him "Lord Bendtner." In March 2015, a Danish newspaper bought him a small piece of land in Scotland to give him the title of "Lord." His agent said it was a "fun gimmick." Bendtner has also joined in the joke, posting funny pictures of himself. During his time at Rosenborg, he was sometimes called "Emperor."

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bendtner started playing the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. He even became the owner of a small team called Prosapia Esport.