Can't insert url in Mysql properly - mysql

Question

I am using this code:
$image = mysqli_real_escape_string($dbc, $res[3][$i]);
Where $res[3][$i] is a url.
Then I store $image in a Mysql DB. But when I retrieve it, it's all messed up with the special characters... (my DB is in utf8).
How can I store a url in mysql and get it back exactly as it was?
Thanks

Answer 1

Actually I am using prepared statement:
$image = mysqli_real_escape_string($dbc, $res[3][$i]);
$md5_of_title = md5($title);
//$query = "INSERT IGNORE INTO scrap (date, journal, section, title, href, teaser, image, md5_of_title) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)";
$query = "INSERT INTO scrap (date, journal, section, title, href, teaser, image, md5_of_title) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)";
$stmt = mysqli_prepare($dbc, $query);
/*i Integers;
d Doubles;
b Blobs;
s Everything Else;*/
mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "ssssssss", date('Y-m-d H:i:s'), $name, $section, $title, $href, $teaser, $image, $md5_of_title);
mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);