09. Aug 2018
Det er deilig å være dansk i Trøndelag
The big striker, Nicklas Bendtner, has experienced football success in a number of top European clubs and on the Danish national team. But it was in Trøndelag that he found renewed passion.
Nicklas Bendtner enjoyed success as a footballer in top clubs such as Arsenal, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Birmingham. He has been a part of the Danish national team since 2006 and represented his home country more than 80 times.
When he came to Trondheim and the Rosenborg club, however, the 30-year-old said in a frank interview with Adresseavisen newspaper that it was to start a new phase of his career.
“The most important thing was to find renewed enjoyment. I had grown tired of football.”
We must talk about the weather
Rosenborg Ball Club – RBK – is Norway’s most winning football team and an institution in Norwegian sports. If you become a star on this team, you will soon be a familiar face for a great many Norwegians. And Nicklas Bendtner has noticed the interest among the local residents.
“People drop by my place, knock on the door, yell in through the windows and take pictures outside the house. It’s a bit annoying,” he remarked to Addresseavisen newspaper last year — before he quickly added that everyone who had stopped by so far had been pleasant.
When the corporate network for festivals in Trøndelag meets with Nicklas to get an update on how his life in the county is going one and a half years later, there is particularly one aspect he brings up:
“It’s amazingly beautiful in this part of the country, but the weather is actually something that has fascinated me. Both good and bad weather.”
Enjoying nature
The main difference between Trøndelag and other places Nicklas has lived – including a very flat Copenhagen – is all about the surroundings.
“It is undoubtedly the nature here that is the big difference from other places I’ve lived in Europe. The numerous mountains around the city are great, and the huge fjord is nice too.”
He prefers to spend his rare days off outdoors.
“There is no doubt about it: I’ll go out for a walk in Bymarka Park.”
When Danish friends come for a visit and he wants to show them around his new surroundings, he has both urban and rural alternatives nearby:
“Bymarka Park, Solsiden shopping centre and the Charlottenlund district, where I live. Those are the three places I would show them first. If we took the car and headed further out, I can also recommend Tydal and Røros – both places have beautiful nature.”
Considering the festival lifestyle
To say that Bendtner is a fully-integrated Trønder – a real “mountain ape” – after a year and half is a bit of an exaggeration.
“I would definitely say that Trøndersk is a very difficult dialect for us Danes,” he chuckles.
He also hasn’t made it to any festivals during his time at Rosenborg. But that can quickly change, according to Nicklas:
“I have heard that there are many cultural and music festivals here in the city. Maybe it’s time to check out one of them?”
(Header photo: Rosenborg Ballklubb/Knut Inge Røstad)