David Bentley

David Michael Bentley (born 27 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played primarily as a winger, but also played as a central midfielder or as a second striker.

Bentley started his career with Arsenal in the Premier League, and despite being earmarked as one for the future, saw his playing opportunities limited by a strong senior squad.

As a 16-year-old he trained with the Arsenal senior squad, before signing his first professional contract in September 2001.

By January 2003, he was handed his first-team debut, coming on as a substitute for Kolo Touré in the 77th minute of a 2–0 FA Cup third round win over Oxford United.

Bentley's first and only goal for Arsenal was a chip shot from the edge of the penalty area over goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, in a 4–1 FA Cup win over Middlesbrough on 24 January 2004.

He played once in the league for Arsenal, starting a 1–1 draw against Portsmouth on 4 May 2004, in which he was substituted after 61 minutes for Nwankwo Kanu.

Bentley spent the whole of the next league season on loan to Norwich City, playing 26 league matches and scoring two goals, against Newcastle and Southampton.

His season at Carrow Road was interrupted by a knee injury sustained in January.

He returned to the team in April 2005, coming off the bench against Manchester United and playing a key role in Norwich's 2–0 win.

Despite a late run of form, the Canaries were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the season after a 6–0 defeat away to Fulham.

Bentley returned to Arsenal in the summer of 2005, but submitted a transfer request, citing his desire for first team football.

In subsequent interviews, he also revealed that he was having "personal problems" at that point in his career and had lost his enjoyment for football—problems which he overcame later in his Blackburn Rovers career.

He admitted to gambling addiction in the early stages of his career, reaching a peak of placing 100 bets a day.

He got over his problems in 2005.

Desiring a permanent move, Bentley was linked with a number of clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers, before returning on a further season's loan, to Blackburn Rovers on 31 August 2005.

Bentley went on to feature regularly for Blackburn in the 2005–06 season, and helped the club finish sixth in league standings and qualify for the 2006–07 UEFA Cup.

He spent two seasons on loan with Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers, and sealed a permanent transfer to Rovers in January 2006.

Bentley produced strong performances for his new club, and soon featured regularly for the England under-21 team.

In January 2006, Blackburn signed Bentley on a permanent basis from Arsenal.

In his first match after permanently signing for Blackburn, he scored his first senior hat-trick in a 4–3 victory against Manchester United.

The 2006–07 season saw Bentley become more of a regular goalscorer for Rovers, including some stunning strikes in the Premier League.

In Europe, a 25-yard volley against Salzburg in the UEFA Cup helped secure Rovers' passage into the group stage, where he also scored a last minute winner against Wisła Kraków.

Bentley's club performances attracted much transfer speculation.

He made his senior international debut against Israel in September 2007.

However, on 27 February 2007, despite being linked to a move to Manchester United, he agreed to a new contract that would keep him with Blackburn until 2011.

Commenting on the new deal, Rovers manager Mark Hughes described Bentley as "a great talent with a big future" while chairman John Williams added that he "is widely regarded as one of the best young footballers in the country."

Bentley ended the season with seven goals and 13 assists for Blackburn, the latter statistic also highlighting his creative importance to the team.

He was later voted by Rovers fans as the club's Player of the Year.

Bentley recorded similar statistics in the following season, scoring eight goals and providing 13 assists.

Blackburn finished seventh in the Premier League, but did not qualify for European competition.

Bentley's consistent performances for his club, however, ensured that he played in a series of post-season friendlies for England.

But that was to be the Englishman's final season with the Lancashire club.

Not long after the departure of manager Mark Hughes to Manchester City, Bentley reiterated his desire to leave.

Blackburn placed a valuation of the player at around £18 million.

In July 2008, Bentley joined Tottenham Hotspur.

He spent time on loan with Birmingham City, West Ham United, FC Rostov and a brief return to Blackburn before being released by Tottenham in 2013.

After not playing for more than a year, Bentley retired from football in 2014, citing his loss of passion for the sport.

Born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Bentley grew up supporting Manchester United.

Bentley started his youth career at Wormley Youth Football Club in Wormley, Hertfordshire, before moving to Arsenal aged 13 as a striker, occasionally playing in the hole.

He was used primarily in midfield, usually as a wide midfielder.