For some reason, Nicklas Bendtner is a difficult player to like. Perhaps it's the pink boots. Perhaps it's the way he whined to the referee when he had a row with Emmanuel Adebayor last year. Perhaps it's just the suspicion that he's not as good as he thinks he is.
But just how good does he actually think he is? That's a question being asked a lot this week after the Arsenal striker was quoted as saying to The Daily Mirror:
''I should start every game, I should be playing every minute of every match and always be in the team.''
Strong stuff. And there was more:
'''I've never seen Arshavin. I did not watch Euro 2008. I've no idea what sort of player he is.'''
The newspaper was savage in its appraisal, branding Bendtner 'arrogant' as it mockingly headlined him declaring 'I'm Arsenal's best striker'.
'Bendtner is unpopular with Arsenal fans and his outburst is likely to be met with disbelief,' it added for good measure.
In that at least, there is no argument because, after enduring two days of ceaseless slagging on internet forums and the like, a story appeared on the Arsenal website yesterday titled 'Bendtner: I'm upset and annoyed by reports'.
"None of it was said like that," the player complained. "Basically I did a long interview for the Danish press recently, they asked me a lot of questions and the press over here have taken my answers and twisted them out of proportion. I was happy with the article in the Danish magazine and if you saw it you would realise that what was reported over here was not true."
And upon that invitation, Mediawatch popped off to the Danish press to find the interview in question, conducted by newspaper BT on February 9.
Although we're somewhat reliant on Babelfish's translation service, the quotes from that interview do have an uncanny resemblance to those in the Mirror. There is, though, a rather subtle difference in the quotes attributed:
"I still believe that when I play to my best, I will play from the start no matter who is ready or injured and each time I try to show that I should play from the start."
Note the similarity but also the added qualifications. It's not quite the arrogant boast as depicted in the Mirror, is it?
And what of the Arshavin reference? Does Bendtner really not "know what sort of player he is"? Well, if the translation service is trustworthy, then Bendtner's answer ran along the lines of: "I was not at the European Championships so I did not see him play but I have heard that he is a good player and if Arsenal are paying £12m, and other top clubs were after him, then it is because he can do something."
All in all, then, it would seem that a considerable fuss has been generated over some fairly reasonable quotes. Does it matter? Perhaps not. But then again, the next time the media in general complains about their lack of access to players and the absence of co-operation, perhaps they ought to wonder why footballers are so increasingly reluctant to open up.
