The Tottenham Hotspur star is very much his country’s top football star, with the former Arsenal man now playing his trade at Nottingham Forest.
Christian Eriksen celebrates after scoring for Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur star Christian Eriksen has been joking about his international teammate Nicklas Bendtner’s fall from grace at Arsenal, in Danish publication BT.se via an interview with Euroman.dk.
Spurs’ Danish playmaker has long been the darling of the Scandinavian country’s football team, having demonstrated his technical quality from an early age at Ajax. However, like Bendtner, he has had his critics when it comes to the national team, with Denmark failing to make the last World Cup and the last European Championships and Eriksen, undoubtedly the highest profile player in the squad, often bearing a larger portion of blame than others.
Eriksen and Bendtner line up for the Denmark national team – Picture Supplied by Action Images
But at club level it is a different story. Tthe 24-year-old is already arguably the most successful Danish import to the Premier League since Peter Schmeichel, and has outshone his international colleague and one time North London rival Bendtner, who himself was once a lauded prospect.
“Me and Bendtner are very different,” Eriksen is quoted as saying by BT.se. “And now I have consumed his city. London was his city. I have taken over the throne after Nicklas Bendtner.”
His comments surely come with tongue very much in cheek, conscious of the jokes aimed at “Lord” Bendtner over the years.
And a quick look at the Premier League statistics of the two players only underlines how much more of a successful ruler Eriksen was than his compatriot, with a similar goals per game ratio despite the Spurs man playing from midfield.
| Position | Team | Goals | Goals per Game | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Eriksen | MF | Tottenham | 23 | 0.23 | 102 |
| Nicklas Bendtner | FW | Arsenal | 24 | 0.23 | 108 |
Eriksen moved to London in 2013, with Bendtner already very much out of favour at the Emirates. The striker played just 14 times in the 2013-14 season, scoring twice, and he left at the end of the contract for Wolfsburg, where his struggles would continue.
The 28-year-old is back in English football with Nottingham Forest this season, eager to rebuild his career, and he came up against his former employers on Tuesday night as the Championship side lost out to the Gunners in the League Cup.
Right now, it seems like there was only ever one real Danish lord, and he has been ruling from White Hart Lane since he landed there.
Nottingham Forest’s Nicklas Bendtner
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