Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner admitted that Emmanuel Adebayor was the only teammate he had a serious clash with during his career. Despite being just a year apart in age, the two often competed for the same spot in Arsenal’s attack, and their rivalry peaked in a heated confrontation during a 2008 Carling Cup match against Tottenham.
In 2020, Bendtner revisited the conflict with Adebayor, offering more details on their infamous clash. The 36-year-old Dane, who made 171 appearances for Arsenal between 2005 and 2014, shared that he rarely held grudges against other players, but Adebayor was the exception.
Their rivalry came to a head in January 2008 during a Carling Cup semi-final against Tottenham. The flashpoint occurred in Arsenal’s penalty area, resulting in a cut on Bendtner’s nose and blood on his shirt. Tensions reached their peak late in the match when Arsenal, trailing 4-1, was preparing to defend a corner. Bendtner, who had earlier scored an own goal, and Adebayor began pushing each other near the far post.
The altercation escalated, with reports suggesting that Adebayor headbutted Bendtner before captain William Gallas intervened and separated them. Gallas also confronted Bendtner, while Eduardo da Silva and Bacary Sagna pulled Adebayor away. The incident soured the match, as Arsenal was eliminated from the competition with a 5-1 defeat to their North London rivals. For Bendtner, it remains a frustrating moment that he has found hard to forgive.
Reflecting on the fractured relationship with Adebayor, Bendtner explained in a 2020 interview on Arsenal’s ‘In Lockdown’ podcast, “He’s not really my cup of tea. I got along with most people on the team, but me and him? Probably not so much.”
Bendtner described a key moment when Adebayor was substituted on and had a heated exchange with him. “A lot was said between us, and then we squared up to each other. He sort of headbutted me on the nose,” Bendtner recalled. “Gallas came in, split us up, and took us apart. I was very upset. We had a terrible performance, losing 5-1, and that incident didn’t help,” he added. The two tried to discuss it in the dressing room, but it ended in more tension. The next day, they were called into the boss’s office, fined, and that was the end of it. From then on, they had no further interactions.
“We never tried to patch things up,” Bendtner continued. “We just learned to respect the club and the team, playing together for the greater good. We weren’t friends, but I would always pass the ball to him if it was in the team’s best interest.”
In another interview that same year with TalkSPORT, Bendtner reflected on the incident positively, saying, “It taught us how to work with someone we really disliked on a professional level, which was a valuable lesson.”
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