Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner says the birth of his son has changed him a lot and has helped him get his career back on track.
The 25 year old made his first Premier League appearance of the season at West Brom last weekend after spending the last two seasons on loan at Sunderland and Juventus respectively.
The Denmark international has credited the birth of his child as a crucial factor in his growing maturity and says he should be judged on the present.
Speaking to Arsenal official website, 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.
Bendtner believes the perception that he is arrogant is wrong and insists some of his previous comments have been misinterpreted. He added:
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.
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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.
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.
Bendtner was expected to leave the club in the summer with many clubs putting up late bids but due to some unexpected events he was forced to stay at the Emirates but the player seems to have taken it in his stride and has now featured a couple of times for the Gunners this season.
Despite having a pretty decent goals to games ratio Bendtner has had an erratic career at Arsenal, saying and doing things that didn’t do much to endear him to the Arsenal fans. But the Dane does look a changed man this season as he is looking calm and composed and maybe this is actually the result of him feeling more responsible after the birth of his son and the fact his career has faltered.
He just has one year left to prove his worth at the Emirates and with his contract expiring at the end of the season; it is not looking particularly likely he will get an extension unless he does something exceptional. However a good season will be vital for the striker if he wants to progress his career either here or elsewhere.
Can Bendtner make an impact for Arsenal this season? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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