Nicklas Bendtner 'tired of being portrayed as an idiot'

While Nicklas Bendtner has struggled to live up to his own hype during an underwhelming career so far, he insists he doesn't deserve to be perceived as "an idiot."

It was once rumoured that the Dane scored 10 out of nine on a self-confidence test during his time with Arsenal - something the 27-year-old dismisses as "bulls--t" - and he is keen to lose his questionable reputation as he works on winning a place in Wolfsburg's first 11.

"I have always had a huge desire but perhaps not always the right perspective," he admitted to German magazine 11Freunde, according to the Guardian. "I used to think that a forward's responsibility was to score goals. Now I know that you have to run as well."

After 10 years of professional football, Bendtner hasn't just learned that he has to exert himself on the pitch - he's also become wary of the media's ability to further damage his public perception.

"I don't say yes to every interview request. I am tired of being portrayed as an idiot. And even journalists who I trust are not capable of describing in words what I am feeling when I am not playing," Bendtner.

The striker has previously stated that the tiger is his favourite animal, and explained the parallels he sees between his own personality and that of the big cat.

"The tiger stands at the end of the food chain. He eats to survive, without any compassion, he doesn't even feel it. He is the predator par excellence, an animal of dangerous beauty."

Bendtner is yet to earn his stripes after 16 months at Wolfsburg, and is expected to be starved of first-team action again when Manchester United visits in Tuesday's Champions League game.