Nicklas Bendtner narrowly avoided being caught up in a horrific stabbing incident in New York City last week.
CCTV footage emerged of the Arsenal cult hero walking with friends in Manhattan’s Upper West Side last Wednesday before a bearded man suddenly sprints towards them holding a sharp object.
The man, later identified as Joshua Zinberg, 25, later fled the scene.
Nicklas Bendtner i knivdrama i New Yorkhttps://t.co/mJtiwfIHen
— SVT Sport (@SVTSport) November 25, 2024
A former Danish football player, 55, suffered facial injuries in the incident and was taken to a nearby New York hospital.
Zinberg was arrested the next day and was charged with attempted murder and assault.
Nicklas Bendtner Confirms He Was Caught Up In Terrifying Incident
Nicklas Bendtner revealed he was one of the men in the video.
“Yes, I can confirm that it is me in the video,” Bendtner told Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet. “Could it have been me who was attacked? I have no comment about that.
“But I can confirm that it’s me on the video – it’s hard to run away from. The victim, a former professional football player, was walking with friends.”
Reports have claimed local man Zinberg was turned in by his own mother after she identified him in the video.
Mayor of New York Eric Adams commented on the incident. He said: “We walk past people every day that we know they do not have the ability to make the right decision to take care of themselves.
“This is a problem that was created when we closed the psychiatric facilities many years ago. We closed them without giving people the support that they deserve.”
An Arsenal Cult Hero: Nicklas Bendtner Was A Fan Favourite At The Emirates
Nicklas Bendtner spent nine seasons at Arsenal and scored 47 goals in 171 games for the Gunners.
The 36-year-old wasn’t the most prolific during his time at the club but gained a cult following in north London.
He also played for Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland in England. Bendtner also had stints at Juventus and Wolfsburg.
The former Denmark international retired from professional football in June 2021.
