Nicklas Bendtner feels the paparazzi could have damaged his Arsenal career – but he feels he is now winning over the club’s fans.
The 21-year-old Denmark striker has suffered criticism at times this season, and many were unhappy with him when he was photographed with his trousers down during a night out following The Gunners’ Champions League exit this season.
However, he says he was set up for the photo and feels he has been judged unfairly as a result of the image.
“I am sorry that people have the wrong impression of me,” he told BT.
“That photo did not represent the reality. I was just caught in a trap set by the photographers.
“The trap worked very well.
“Of course I don’t run around with my trousers down – why would I do that?
“There was just one who pulled my pants down as I stepped out into the street, and then there were 10 to 15 photographers just standing there waiting to take the picture, as if they were awaiting the situation.
“There was clearly something agreed beforehand.
“Generally speaking, I don’t mind too much if the press writes lies about me, and I usually just laugh when they, for example, make fun of my pink boots or whatever, but this crossed the line.
“It was the first time I’d encountered anything like this and, although I know this kind of thing isn’t uncommon in England, it was still very strange to see myself deliberately misrepresented.
“What makes me really upset is that people have an opinion of me that is not based on the reality. What they saw in the pictures is not the person or the footballer that I am.
“The people who know me – my friends and family – know that I am really serious and fully focused on football.
“Pictures like that can damage my standing in the game.”
Despite the actions of the photographers, though, Bendtner accepts that he should not have been drinking after the match.
“I made a huge mistake that night,” he said.
“Although we have our leisure time, it was not acceptable for me to go into the city after the defeat.
“It was stupid and wrong.”
However, although Bendtner knows fans have been unhappy with him at times this season, he feels confident that he has their support now.
“I wasn’t too upset with the Arsenal fans because, for two months, I wasn’t happy with how I was playing myself,” he said.
“They were just frustrated, like me, that I didn’t play as well as both they and I knew I should, but I eventually recovered my form and then improved further still.
“I learned a lot from that and came out stronger as a result – and I definitely got the fans on my side again.”