Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Nicklas Bendtner wants Denmark goal record after hat trick vs. United States

Nicklas Bendtner has set his sights on becoming the all-time top scorer for Denmark following his hat trick against the United States on Wednesday.

Bendtner, 27, scored all three goals for Denmark as they beat Jurgen Klinsmann's USMNT 3-2 in a friendly in Aarhus on Wednesday evening.

The former Arsenal forward twice equalised, and was on target again in the final minute of the match to give his country the win.

The Wolfsburg attacker was delighted to have scored his first treble at international level, telling reporters after the game: "It's always something special when you have not achieved it before. If I'd score a hat trick every weekend, then maybe it would no longer be special."

Bendtner has now scored 29 goals in 65 matches for Denmark, with five of them coming in his last three outings for his national side.

He is now aiming for the all-time record of 52 goals, jointly held by Jon Dahl Tomasson and Poul Nielsen.

"I have already said that this is my goal," he said. "The more goals I scored, the closer I come. It's still a long way, and it's great record. But it helped that I scored three goals in a match today."

In his entire career, Bendtner has struck only two hat tricks, both at club level for Arsenal. In March 2011, he put three past Leyton Orient in an FA Cup tie, and the previous year his first career hat trick in Champions League against Porto sent the Gunners through to the quarterfinals of the competition -- the last time Arsene Wenger's side made it past the round of 16.

Asked about scoring hat tricks more regularly, Bendtner replied: "Only two players in the world [Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo] can do such things. It's been something I have always wanted to achieve."

After his final goal of the night, Bendtner celebrated with three fingers in the air, and hopes to get his hands on one of the pictures of his celebrations.

"I'd hang that up at home," he said. "I'll always remember my first hat trick for [Denmark]. I got the match ball, and the boys wrote on it."

In recent weeks, Bendtner had been praised by club coach Dieter Hecking after the pair appeared to have clashed during Wolfsburg's winter training camp.

The striker started for the Wolves in last weekend's 1-1 draw at Mainz and scored in the 2-1 Europa League second-leg victory at Inter Milan, and feels on top of his game, adding: "I have been training without a break for four or five months."

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