Nicklas Bendtner begins sentence

Nicklas Bendtner has begun his 50-day sentence.

Back in September, Nicklas Bendtner was arrested for assaulting a taxi driver that left the man needing surgery to correct a broken jaw.

The incident took place at 2.41am on September 9 as Bendtner and his girlfriend, Philine Roepstorff, left the Lusso nightclub. The fare that caused Bendtner to get so angry was £4.80.

Rosenborg’s Danish football player Nicklas Bendtner and lawyer Anders Nemeth arrive for a hearing at Copenhagen City Council on November 2, 2018. – Nicklas Bendtner has been charged with violence against a taxi driver in Copenhagen while the driver has been charged with attempted violence. (Photo by Martin Sylvest / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) / Denmark OUT

Back in November he was sentenced to 50 days in jail and also ordered to pay the taxi driver £1,330 in compensation. Rosenborg chief Tove Moe Dyrhaug said after the verdict: “We think that it’s not good for the club and not good for Nicklas, but he remains a player in the club. We are keeping him.”

Now, he has surrendered to complete his sentence which involves home confinement rather than an actual prison sentence as first indicated.

“A concrete training program has been put in place for him during the period of serving, jointly prepared by the club and Nicklas,” said Tove Moe Dyrhaug.

“He will train alone and will be followed by our sporting staff. He will have the opportunity to train every day.”

Bendtner originally considered appealing his conviction but eventually decided to accept the court’s verdict.

TYNSET, NORWAY – MAY 24: Nicklas Bendtner of Rosenborg during Second Round Norwegian Cup between Tynset IL v Rosenborg at Nytromoen on May 24, 2017 at Nytromoen in Tynset, Norway. (Photo by Trond Tandberg/Getty Images)

“Of course I wish it hadn’t happened,” said the Danish international. “Both for me and for the taxi driver involved who subsequently lost his job.”

In post on Instagram, he added: “No matter how he [the driver] behaved and what he said, it’s not something I wanted for him. There were undoubtedly many other and better ways that each of us could have resolved our disagreement.

“If I had just paid the amount the taxi meter showed, my girlfriend and I might not have been pursued by a car with an enraged driver behind the wheel.

“If only I hadn’t made this decision, which I made in a split of a second while everything was boiling over.”

Bendtner claimed that the taxi driver threw a can or bottle towards him and his girlfriend when they left without paying. CCTV at the trial showed Bendtner striking the driver in the face.

He also said: “Fortunately, it is never too late to learn and prepare for the future, and so I have decided to gather the stories that did both good and evil to me for almost 31 years.

“This is not the story of me driven by speculation and sensation, but by my strong memory.”

This is not the first time Bendtner has found himself in trouble, as you know. It isn’t even the first time he’s been in trouble for something involving a taxi driver.

Back in 2014, he was involved in an alleged incident when he reportedly threatened a taxi driver before unbuttoning his trousers and rubbing his genitals over the driver’s car.

The Dane, who turns 31 later this month and longed to be the best striker in the world, has three goals and four assists in 11 appearances this season.

He now plays for Rosenborg with his market value below £1m. He has scored a career total of 113 goals (with 49 assists) in 403 matches.