Nicklas Bendtner has admitted he is NOT the best player in the world! The big Dane says he made mistakes during his Arsenal career – but insists becoming a dad has changed him for the better.
Bendtner was seen as a flash character who was over-confident about his ability and quick to make irksome statements concerning his talent.
And he was even reported as saying he was the best striker on the planet, a claim which he has now denied.
He said: “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.”
It isn’t too harsh to say the Denmark striker became the butt of a good few jokes even amongst Gunners fans and it was no surprise when Arsene Wenger allowed him to leave and he went on loan to Sunderland and Juventus.
But there were no takers for the forward in the summer and Bendtner returned to north London, got his head down and started the Capital One Cup game at West Brom and scored in the penalty shoot-out win.
And he even featured in the latter stages of the 1-1 draw against West Brom in the Premier League on Sunday when he replaced Olivier Giroud.
Now Bendtner has spoken of how much he has changed since the arrival of his son.
He said: “First of all I had a baby, which changed me a lot. I think a lot of people say that you have babies and they change you but for me I could really feel a big difference to my life.
“Being abroad showed me a lot of different things and different aspects of how to live and how to cope with problems and things like that. I think that has given me a lot more as a man.
“I don’t like that I keep getting put up on comments I’ve made which have been wrongly said – that I still to this day have to see it and listen to it.
“If people don’t like me, that’s fair enough. If people can’t accept that sometimes you’re young and make mistakes and move on, that’s not up to me.
“I try to do my best and that’s basically all I can do for my family and my friends and everyone around the club.
“I think every football player wants to achieve the most within what he can do. That’s what makes you. If you have a dream and try to do everything you can to be the best that you can, that’s you trying to make the best out of your job or what you do.”
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