The former Arsenal player has discussed his feelings towards one of his former teammates
Former Arsenal striker Niklas Bendtner has named Emmanuel Adebayor as the only teammate he has never seen eye to eye with. The two strikers played alongside each other for several years, but despite both representing the Gunners, their well-documented animosity memorably boiled over on the pitch.
Bendtner came through the academy to make his first-team debut in 2005, with Adebayor later arriving from Monaco. Following the Dane’s return from his loan spell at Birmingham City, the pair became Arsene Wenger’s two forward options during the 2007/08 campaign, although it quickly became clear that the pair were at odds.
Denmark international Bendtner spent nine years in Arsenal’s first team before returning to England with Nottingham Forest, who host the Gunners on Sunday. The 38-year-old also had spells in Italy, Germany and Norway before hanging up his boots in his homeland with Copenhagen, but the forward has openly admitted that Adebayor is the only player he has never contacted.
Their tumultuous relationship came to a head in January 2008, when Spurs continued their challenge for the trophy, losing 5–1 to rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the semi-finals of the League Cup. The heavy defeat ignited tempers as the two strikers were embroiled in a heated confrontation.
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Speaking to TalkSPORT in 2021, Bendtner said: “There’s only one guy I look up to and that’s Adebayor. We never liked each other. Other than that, I got on with most people.” “We were sitting next to each other in the dressing room. He was 25, I was 26, it was always a bad vibe from the first moment we saw each other.”
Focusing on their clash against Spurs, he continued: “There were a few little tumults in the dressing room and it was quite big at Tottenham. We lost 5-1 here, we were very bad and the frustration of letting the fans and the team down got out of control between us.
“We had that cramp on the field, then we felt it a little bit in the dressing room and we went in the next day. [Arsene] Wenger’s office is fined. It was explained that we need to learn how to deal with each other on a professional level and on a personal level.
“It was a really good way to learn to work with someone you didn’t really like.”
Adebayor scored 30 goals in all competitions for Arsenal in 2007/08, but failed to gift Wenger’s side silverware. He left for Manchester City in 2009 and followed the striker’s infamous celebration against his former club. Adebayor then twisted the knife further by moving to Arsenal’s rivals Spurs in 2011.
Bendtner scored 47 goals in 171 appearances for the Gunners before leaving for Wolfsburg when his contract expired in 2014. The striker secured the DFB-Pokal in his first campaign but found regular game time difficult.
He returned to England to join Forest, finding twice in 17 appearances in his only year at the City Ground. There was a revival late in his career with Rosenborg as his goals guided the team to two league titles and the Norwegian Cup. The striker chose to hang up his boots in 2020 after a short final against his hometown Copenhagen.
Bendtner could be keeping a close eye on Arsenal’s next match as the Gunners continue their bid to retain the Premier League title against their other former club. Mikel Arteta’s side will aim to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City to three points with a win over Forest.