Nicklas Bendtner: Remembering when cult hero joined FC Copenhagen and sparked 'Bendtner-mania'

Nicklas Bendtner sparked ‘Bendtner-mania’ in Denmark’s capital when he joined FC Copenhagen in 2019.

The striker was treated like royalty when he moved to his hometown club. A cult hero across Europe, Bendtner was a genuine hero back home.

“I know it is a very special opportunity and I will do everything in my power to seize it for the next four months,” Bendtner said upon his arrival, per BBC Sport.

Bendtner was 31 at the time. He’d enjoyed the highs of Premier League and Serie A football, and a return to Copenhagen made complete sense for him.

Yet not even he could have imagined what was to come when he arrived at the Danish Superliga club.

After his move was announced and ‘Bendtner 32’ jerseys were available to buy, FC Copenhagen’s website crashed as it experienced serious demand.

The club ended up selling out of their home jersey in every size.

“There has been huge interest in securing our new home jersey with ‘Bendtner 32’ on the back, which has meant that the jersey is sold out in all sizes,” Martin Nohr, manager of FC Copenhagen’s Fan Shop, said, per the Daily Mail.

“We are at an unprecedented level in recent years when it comes to selling jerseys, and there is a huge interest in our jerseys at the moment. 

“We have never sold so many jerseys in one day.”

Yet supporters who purchased ‘Bendtner 32’ jerseys will have been scrambling for their receipts after footage of the striker looking like a Sunday League player in training surfaced.

We have a feeling a few Copenhagen fans will be wanting refunds on their ‘Bendtner 32’ shirt after watching his first training session…#FCK #Bendtner pic.twitter.com/YW4RnF50xC

Bendtner-mania didn’t falter, though. Due to fear of overcrowding, FCK decided to play his first game for