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Both Sides
Known as 'Lord Bendtner' to his fans and haters alike, Nicklas Bendtner has been lauded for his football skills at super clubs like Arsenal and Juventus. But his career was haunted by his rocky behaviour and tendency to self-sabotage.
Very much a fable of the modern game, Bendtner talks with disarming honesty about the darker side of football and his own difficult fall from grace; about what it's like to have so much promise that you lose touch with reality altogether.
It's is about growing up in a working class neighbourhood and what happens when you give a troubled, overconfident teen millions to spend. It's about fighting to reach the top in the worlds' toughest league but having no respect for hierarchy.
It's about friendship, rivalry, and the constant quest for an adrenaline kick. It's about money - having too much of it - and an industry that has lost sight of what really matters.
A modern footballing fable, it's a story of decline, temper, talent, great football and ultimately the tragedy of unfulfilled potential.
Very much a fable of the modern game, Bendtner talks with disarming honesty about the darker side of football and his own difficult fall from grace; about what it's like to have so much promise that you lose touch with reality altogether.
It's is about growing up in a working class neighbourhood and what happens when you give a troubled, overconfident teen millions to spend. It's about fighting to reach the top in the worlds' toughest league but having no respect for hierarchy.
It's about friendship, rivalry, and the constant quest for an adrenaline kick. It's about money - having too much of it - and an industry that has lost sight of what really matters.
A modern footballing fable, it's a story of decline, temper, talent, great football and ultimately the tragedy of unfulfilled potential.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
32 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
October 3, 2021
This biography by footballer Nicklas Bendtner made interesting reading with plenty of behind the scenes stories from his time in football. For me personally it was interesting to read about his time at my local club Birmingham but I also enjoyed the rest of the book. An honest account from a footballer who appears to have that marmite syndrome with a love, hate relationship from supporters and media alike. Seen by many people as a talent who didn’t make the best of the opportunities and squandered a career by being too fond of the money and women. It is obvious from his own account that lots of money was spent on gambling and following the glamourous lifestyle rather than pursuing his football career. Shows a complete disrespect for both the clubs he played for and women in general. The book doesn’t help his case to be admired but made interesting reading all the same.
October 31, 2020
I have read many footballers’ biographies, but never one about someone who has so little regard for anyone, not even himself. Only Arsene Wenger, Steve Bruce and a couple of others are shown any respect in the book, although he let both down badly. Bendtner clearly had talent and was given far more chances than he deserved but preferred to throw his career away on booze, gambling, cars and endless women which he treated abominably. It seems incredible with the way he describes women that this is written by a man who’s only now 31. Endless sex parties, one night stands and photos from porn magazines on his wall as a teenager. Such a waste. I only hope he turns his life around for the sake of his young son.
August 8, 2020
3,5. Ikke noget litterært mesterværk, men et slående ærligt og personligt indblik i en verden, der langt størstedelen af tiden foregår i enten overhalingsbanen eller nødsporet.
November 17, 2019
Bente, Bente, Bente. Ak, ak,ak.
Når man nu selv bor på Amager, er det jo lidt interessant, at læse om en vaskeægte Amagerdrengs op- og nedture. Niklas Bendtner træffer mildest ikke altid de mest intelligente valg i løbet af sin karriere, men en del af det kan forklares af en noget kaotisk barndom med måske ikke verdens bedste far på sidelinjen. Det minder umådeligt meget om Amy Winehouse’s far som i den grad prøvede at kapitalisere på barnets talent.
Selvfølgelig er der også alle skandalerne og et hav af stikpiller mod både med- og modspillere, men det virkelig forbløffende i min optik, er Bendtners enorme og konstante alkoholforbrug på ugebasis. Hvordan kan man som fodboldspiller i en benhård, moderne fodboldverden, hvor marginalerne spiller så stor en rolle, konsumere så meget alkohol og så stadig performe? Det kunne han så vel heller ikke til sidst. Men gudskelov for hans fortællestil: Det er spontant, ureflekteret, og uigennemtænkt, men også stærkt underholdende, og måske den bedste fodboldbiografi siden Tøffes ”No Regrets”.
Når man nu selv bor på Amager, er det jo lidt interessant, at læse om en vaskeægte Amagerdrengs op- og nedture. Niklas Bendtner træffer mildest ikke altid de mest intelligente valg i løbet af sin karriere, men en del af det kan forklares af en noget kaotisk barndom med måske ikke verdens bedste far på sidelinjen. Det minder umådeligt meget om Amy Winehouse’s far som i den grad prøvede at kapitalisere på barnets talent.
Selvfølgelig er der også alle skandalerne og et hav af stikpiller mod både med- og modspillere, men det virkelig forbløffende i min optik, er Bendtners enorme og konstante alkoholforbrug på ugebasis. Hvordan kan man som fodboldspiller i en benhård, moderne fodboldverden, hvor marginalerne spiller så stor en rolle, konsumere så meget alkohol og så stadig performe? Det kunne han så vel heller ikke til sidst. Men gudskelov for hans fortællestil: Det er spontant, ureflekteret, og uigennemtænkt, men også stærkt underholdende, og måske den bedste fodboldbiografi siden Tøffes ”No Regrets”.
December 28, 2020
He’s very honest and open but he’s still unrepentant and deluded. Having watched him come on as a substitute against Spurs and score that towering (look how far he got off the ground) header there was no doubting his prodigious ability. But he absolutely squandered it. A blend of his failings, cultivated by his parents and the absolutely toxic football culture resulted in a player who really could have been close to Ibrahimovic quality falling well short. Yes, there were career highs which are impressive but they could have been so much higher. And when it comes to why things ALWAYS fell apart, at EVERY club, who is to blame? It’s never Nicklas Bendtner.
May 27, 2020
*3.5 for Lord-effekt
December 28, 2024
Havde virkelig lave forventninger. Læste den udelukkede fordi jeg fik den i gave. Virkelig positivt overrasket, en hudløs ærlig Bendtner med en utrolig fed form for selvindsigt ift det liv han har levet. Giver en følelse af modenhed, som sjældent er set hos stjernen, der normalt har så ondt af sig selv. Fed læsning.
August 1, 2025
Lidt anderledes læsning for mit vedkommende, men faktisk spændende nok. Det er et vildt liv manden har levet på sine 35 år. Bogen var lidt for lang synes jeg, men det var interessant at få et andet syn på en person man allerede har en forudindtaget holdning til - hvem har ikke en mening om Bendtner??
June 21, 2022
Interesting insight into the dark side of footballer's lives but he still comes across as extremely arrogant.
May 18, 2022
Honest, raw.
This is one of the most honest and raw football autobiographies I have ever read. Bendtner presents a side of football we don't get to see often as fans. He narrates his come up in the game from Denmark, his move to England to join the Arsenal academy, his Arsenal dream that never came to full fruition as well as his loan spells at Birmingham and Juventus and the clubs he joined after leaving Arsenal.
He mentions his life at the top of the game, the could-have-should-have beens and blames himself and others for not reaching his full potential. He gives the reader a picture of the life of a footballer at the top, the privileges and doors it opens as well as the many temptations that lie in that line of work. Being an Arsenal fan, I found this book interesting to read and it gave me an understanding of the demands footballers have to meet and how many fall short due to the temptations that come with that life particularly women (he refers to some as gold-diggers), the bottle and/or gambling. He reflects on his life and is philosophical. A good book.
This is one of the most honest and raw football autobiographies I have ever read. Bendtner presents a side of football we don't get to see often as fans. He narrates his come up in the game from Denmark, his move to England to join the Arsenal academy, his Arsenal dream that never came to full fruition as well as his loan spells at Birmingham and Juventus and the clubs he joined after leaving Arsenal.
He mentions his life at the top of the game, the could-have-should-have beens and blames himself and others for not reaching his full potential. He gives the reader a picture of the life of a footballer at the top, the privileges and doors it opens as well as the many temptations that lie in that line of work. Being an Arsenal fan, I found this book interesting to read and it gave me an understanding of the demands footballers have to meet and how many fall short due to the temptations that come with that life particularly women (he refers to some as gold-diggers), the bottle and/or gambling. He reflects on his life and is philosophical. A good book.
May 5, 2021
One of the best Arsenal player biographies I’ve read. It’s real, raw and raucous. Bendtner tells it like it is, whether it’s antics from the dressing room, trouble off the pitch or confronting his demons. His bad boy nature, his unfulfilled potential, his conflicts with others. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t advocate for his behaviour, but it makes for entertaining reading. Overall though, this is actually a sadder story than I would’ve imagined and there are some important lessons in this book, buried in the pages.
November 18, 2020
Really good read indeed
Recommend to all football fans who like a bit of a drama, Bendtner tells it how it is. The Lord!
Recommend to all football fans who like a bit of a drama, Bendtner tells it how it is. The Lord!
July 5, 2021
If you're expecting breakthroughs or apologies about his personal life, don't bother. The book is a long rant from a player who consider himself a huge talent despite his evident limits on the pitch.
April 2, 2025
As someone who is devilishly handsome and who has also completely wasted their career, I could empathise in parts.
February 26, 2025
“I felt my fathers love when I was the best at something.”
“Both Sides” is hard to put down sometimes and just as predictable a lot of the time, but as a whole I have to say I enjoyed it.
Now to give a little context, I’m an Arsenal fan but that had little to do with my interest in reading Bendtner’s autobiography up to his late 30’s. It was cool to get some insight into the way that world works and especially the world of Arsenal, but in general I was actually much more into learning about who Bendtner is and the paradoxical status that seems to follow him as much as it precedes him. The “Lord” prefix was something I more or less figured was bestowed upon him as a joke, knowing that his cult following are the sort to do something of that nature. I didn’t know it was actually a function of his child producing relationship with a Danish noble, which in itself is pretty fucking wild. The three words I used at the end of that prior sentence are valid descriptors of a lot of what Nicklas Bendtner’s relatively short time on this Earth have been like. If you play the odds, most of his experiences are rare enough as sole events, let alone the astronomical, when multiplied, probability of them happening to one man. Whether I agree with his assessment of the impact of these situations on a human being, I have to take it for what it is because you can’t find a huge pool of people who have the experience Nicklas does. I found his real life stories as interesting as anything, and that’s a big reason why I sort of flew through this book. I have to give him and his co-writer credit, they found the formula to entertain with this book.
If there’s an aspect of the novel that’ll stick with me though and define what I think of Nicklas Bendtner, the person instead of the player, it’s the lifelong battle he’s had with the mentality that probably hampered his natural talent and advantageous life position more than anything physical could ever come close to. It’s evident that there’s a fine line where the perspective of self importance and “do no wrong” that was drilled into him from the start of his life by people you’ll come to find think nothing is off limits, meets the more adult perspective of assuming responsibility not only when you have no other choice, but when it’s correct. You can quickly surmise through a few chapters that the old Nicklas and the new Nicklas, who blend together into a distinct person, are different degrees of the same flawed guy. It’s like standing in the middle of a fight as the reader, because you see the young Nicklas who simply cannot accept responsibility butt heads with the older Nicklas who has finally realized the extent of what he’s wasted at the hands of nobody but himself. That’s not to say his career was a waste, he played a top 1% career that almost every footballer ever would be happy with, both with where he played and the money he made. I just think he’s more cognizant of the opportunities he’s passed on despite his natural talent.
Admittedly, the way the book is written is rather simple and like I mentioned earlier you can guess a lot of what happens if you’re at all knowledgeable about Bendtner’s career. I have to weigh how much I even criticize that, because frankly for me it was like a breath of fresh air after reading some more classic and difficult to read books. I’d recommend this to anybody interested in people in general.
“Both Sides” is hard to put down sometimes and just as predictable a lot of the time, but as a whole I have to say I enjoyed it.
Now to give a little context, I’m an Arsenal fan but that had little to do with my interest in reading Bendtner’s autobiography up to his late 30’s. It was cool to get some insight into the way that world works and especially the world of Arsenal, but in general I was actually much more into learning about who Bendtner is and the paradoxical status that seems to follow him as much as it precedes him. The “Lord” prefix was something I more or less figured was bestowed upon him as a joke, knowing that his cult following are the sort to do something of that nature. I didn’t know it was actually a function of his child producing relationship with a Danish noble, which in itself is pretty fucking wild. The three words I used at the end of that prior sentence are valid descriptors of a lot of what Nicklas Bendtner’s relatively short time on this Earth have been like. If you play the odds, most of his experiences are rare enough as sole events, let alone the astronomical, when multiplied, probability of them happening to one man. Whether I agree with his assessment of the impact of these situations on a human being, I have to take it for what it is because you can’t find a huge pool of people who have the experience Nicklas does. I found his real life stories as interesting as anything, and that’s a big reason why I sort of flew through this book. I have to give him and his co-writer credit, they found the formula to entertain with this book.
If there’s an aspect of the novel that’ll stick with me though and define what I think of Nicklas Bendtner, the person instead of the player, it’s the lifelong battle he’s had with the mentality that probably hampered his natural talent and advantageous life position more than anything physical could ever come close to. It’s evident that there’s a fine line where the perspective of self importance and “do no wrong” that was drilled into him from the start of his life by people you’ll come to find think nothing is off limits, meets the more adult perspective of assuming responsibility not only when you have no other choice, but when it’s correct. You can quickly surmise through a few chapters that the old Nicklas and the new Nicklas, who blend together into a distinct person, are different degrees of the same flawed guy. It’s like standing in the middle of a fight as the reader, because you see the young Nicklas who simply cannot accept responsibility butt heads with the older Nicklas who has finally realized the extent of what he’s wasted at the hands of nobody but himself. That’s not to say his career was a waste, he played a top 1% career that almost every footballer ever would be happy with, both with where he played and the money he made. I just think he’s more cognizant of the opportunities he’s passed on despite his natural talent.
Admittedly, the way the book is written is rather simple and like I mentioned earlier you can guess a lot of what happens if you’re at all knowledgeable about Bendtner’s career. I have to weigh how much I even criticize that, because frankly for me it was like a breath of fresh air after reading some more classic and difficult to read books. I’d recommend this to anybody interested in people in general.
October 21, 2020
Nu jeg altid har været fan af Lord himself, skulle jeg selvfølgelig læse hans bog ”Begge sider”. Det er en bog han har lavet i samarbejde med Rune Skyum-Nielsen, hvilket vil sige at Bendtner selv har bestemt hvad bogen skal handle om.
Nicklas Bendtner er altid blevet omtalt meget i medierne, og de fleste folk har derfor et billede af hvilken slags person han er. Dette billede viser sig dog ikke at være korrekt, da medierne har tendens til at formulerer historier så de tiltrækker flest mulige læsere. I ”Begge sider” fortæller Bendtner hans side af hele hans fodboldrejse og alle de oplevelser ved siden af fodbolden, som har tiltrukket opmærksomhed.
Dermed skal det ikke forstås som at Bendtner er en stille og lovlydig person, han har i tidernes løb lavet mange drengestreger som med alderen kan betegnes som dumheder eller decideret ulovligheder. Hans hurtige replikker og høje tanker om ham selv har tit sat ham i dårligt lys, fordi folk tolker det uden et glimt i øjet og uden at kende Bendes måde at kommunikerer på.
Nicklas Bendtner er altid blevet omtalt meget i medierne, og de fleste folk har derfor et billede af hvilken slags person han er. Dette billede viser sig dog ikke at være korrekt, da medierne har tendens til at formulerer historier så de tiltrækker flest mulige læsere. I ”Begge sider” fortæller Bendtner hans side af hele hans fodboldrejse og alle de oplevelser ved siden af fodbolden, som har tiltrukket opmærksomhed.
Dermed skal det ikke forstås som at Bendtner er en stille og lovlydig person, han har i tidernes løb lavet mange drengestreger som med alderen kan betegnes som dumheder eller decideret ulovligheder. Hans hurtige replikker og høje tanker om ham selv har tit sat ham i dårligt lys, fordi folk tolker det uden et glimt i øjet og uden at kende Bendes måde at kommunikerer på.
July 22, 2025
This book resonated a lot with me as I started seriously following Arsenal around the time Nicklas Bendtner was coming of age. As an Arsenal fan who felt that Bendtner was an underrated player who did not fulfill his potential for hitherto unknown reasons, I feel like a puzzle has finally been solved.
This book made me understand Bendtner more as a person and had me in his corner by the end in this entertaining yet cautionary tale of a career that in its retelling, felt like someone relating the time they went down Niagara Falls in a barrel! I literally couldn’t put it down until the end.
I hope he finally gets the life he envisioned with privacy and really trustworthy people around him.
This book made me understand Bendtner more as a person and had me in his corner by the end in this entertaining yet cautionary tale of a career that in its retelling, felt like someone relating the time they went down Niagara Falls in a barrel! I literally couldn’t put it down until the end.
I hope he finally gets the life he envisioned with privacy and really trustworthy people around him.
January 2, 2023
As a football fan (and an Arsenal fan) I had a special interest in reading this book, and it did not disappoint at all. Bendtner comes across as starkly - sometimes painfully - honest about his career, his squandered opportunities and his almost haunting regrets.
A biography as much about the ‘what if’s as the what did happen, it’s a very worthwhile read that shines a piercing light onto the highs and lows of such an exceptional career, that of the young footballer in the modern era.
A biography as much about the ‘what if’s as the what did happen, it’s a very worthwhile read that shines a piercing light onto the highs and lows of such an exceptional career, that of the young footballer in the modern era.
July 5, 2025
Måske ikke den mest velskrevne bog, men den er alligevel en af de bedste fodbold-biografier jeg har læst. Bendtner deler nemlig ikke bare gode anekdoter og minder fra sit liv på banen, men også alle skyggesiderne af branchen. Og han er hudløst ærlig omkring druk, damer og hurtige biler og de skandaler der trækker lige så mange overskrifter som målene på banen.
En spændende fortælling om en ung, lidt naiv knægt der egentlig bare vil være verdens bedste.
En spændende fortælling om en ung, lidt naiv knægt der egentlig bare vil være verdens bedste.
January 26, 2025
I can’t remember when did I finished this book, but as a fan of football and really like to see these kind of generational talants, this book gave me a good insigjt about Nicklas’s life and about his visions and how did he lives his life. You don’t need to like football that much to like this story, but if you are a massive fan - then this book will be delightful.
RT.
RT.
May 1, 2021
An eye-opening look at what playing at the top level of football entails. It's not always success after success, and Bendtner and Skyum-Nielsen manage to portray what the toll it can have you on would be like. A must read!
July 28, 2021
Stakkels Nicklas.
Der er aldrig noget der er hans skyld, alle er efter ham, og hans ex kærester er skøre jaloux kvinder der opfører sig komplet urimelige på alle givne tidspunkter. Stakkels stakkels lille Nicklas.
Vor herrer bevares, - .... (!!!)
Der er aldrig noget der er hans skyld, alle er efter ham, og hans ex kærester er skøre jaloux kvinder der opfører sig komplet urimelige på alle givne tidspunkter. Stakkels stakkels lille Nicklas.
Vor herrer bevares, - .... (!!!)
November 10, 2021
Was hoping a better read
I was interested in hear about his story, but in truth it’s not really very good. Just didn’t like him, was far too boastful and not really one I’d recommend
I was interested in hear about his story, but in truth it’s not really very good. Just didn’t like him, was far too boastful and not really one I’d recommend
March 12, 2025
I have read multiple self portrait of football players, and this one was fine. The problem I had with it was, that it was too “see me, I am a superstar. They didn’t want the best player on earth”-like. Otherwise, it did a great job on showing what not to do as a young superstar.
December 27, 2019
Fremragende biografi! Velskrevet, velfortalt og fascinerende indblik.
January 6, 2020
3,5 ⭐️ Velskrevet og tro mod Bendtners stemme. Mange spændende blik ind bag scenetæppet - især Arsenal og landsholdshistorierne.
March 22, 2020
Rigtig god og ærlig bog. Godt skrevet.
Ændrer meget syn på Bendtner ⚽
Ændrer meget syn på Bendtner ⚽
August 2, 2020
For hvad den er, er det en fin bog. 3,5 stjerne.
November 2, 2020
Overraskende god og ærlig, også for en ikke-fodboldnørd som mig.
February 23, 2021
Stor fortællelyst. Den fortjener en plads i start opstillingen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews