David Bentley is an English footballer, who was born on August 27, 1984 in Peterborough. He plays in several positions across the midfield and occasionally as a winger. He has been nicknamed “Tanky” in the football circuit and idolizes Andy McDermi, a youth coach at Arsenal. David Bentley owes his success in football to his coach and his dad, who have been a great support.
David Bentley represented the England national team at the U-15, U-16 and U-18 levels. He earned eight caps for the U-21 team securing four goals and became the first Englishman to score a goal at the new Wembley Stadium against Italy. David Bentley was chosen to play for the England B team in a match against Albania in May 2007, in which he made his presence felt. His excellent performances won him the Man of the Match award, following which, he was selected for the 26-man full England squad to play in a friendly against Brazil and also in the Euro 2008 qualifier match against Estonia. He made his first international appearance for the senior team as a substitute against Israel at the Euro 2008 qualifier match. David Bentley made it to the starting eleven of the national team in a friendly match against Switzerland in February 2008.
David Bentley kicked off his career at the Wormley Football Club in Hertfordshire as a youth player. He joined Arsenal in 1997 and later, progressed to the senior side in 2001. He made his senior debut for the club as a substitute for Kolo Touré in its victory against Oxford United in the third round of the 2003 Football Association (FA) Cup. His maiden goal for Arsenal came from the 2004 FA Cup match in which Arsenal won the match 4-1 against Middlesbrough. Owing to his brilliant performance for the club, David Bentley was compared with the Arsenal legend, Dennis Bergkamp.
After a brief stint on loan with Norwich City in the 2004-05 season, during which he made 26 appearances scoring twice, David Bentley went on loan to Blackburn Rovers in August 2005. He signed a permanent deal with the Rovers in January the following year and made his mark by scoring his first senior hat-trick in the club’s win over Manchester United. He became the first player in Premiership history to score a hat-trick in a match against Manchester. David Bentley was instrumental in the club’s promotion to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup for the 2006-07 season, owing to its sixth place finish in the league standings. He extended his contract with the club in February 2007 that would last until 2011. David Bentley won the confidence of the club’s manager, Mark Hughes, who quoted that he was a great talent with a big future, and the Chairman, John Williams, who regarded him as one of the best young footballers in the country. Owing to his impressive performances for the Rovers during the 2006-07 season, he was voted as the club's Player of the Year by the Blackburn supporters. The following season, he played a crucial role for the Rovers in its seventh-place finish in the Premier League. In all, David Bentley made 88 appearances for the club scoring 13 goals.
David Bentley signed for Tottenham Hotspur on July 31, 2008 and made his competitive debut against Middlesbrough in August 2008. He netted his maiden competitive goal for the club against Wisla Krakow in the first round of the UEFA Cup for the 2008-09 season.
