ROVER’S RETURN
David Bentley was hot property when his hat-trick downed Manchester United but by 29 he would quit the game he once loved
TONED and tanned, David Bentley still looks fit enough to play for his former side Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup against Manchester United today, rather than supporting them from an armchair at his Spanish home in the hills above Marbella.
It is hard to believe that it is four years since the one-time golden boy of English football and heir apparent to David Beckham hung up his boots at the age of 29 despite various offers to continue.
Back in 2006, he was hot property, the first player to score a Premier League hat-trick against Manchester United in a famous 4-3 Rovers win at Ewood Park. He played wide and crossed the ball like Becks, had the same initials and also wore the No7 shirt for England. It was assumed he enjoyed the limelight too, with a flashing smile and glossy haircuts.
Appearances can be deceptive though. Now 32 and due to end his three-year exile in Spain to return to England — primarily so his three kids can be close to their grandparents and cousins — Bentley insists he never had the same thirst for fame and success as Beckham and other star players and that the pressure and discipline of the modern game eventually wore him down.
After a disastrous £15million move to Tottenham and unsuccessful loan spells at West Ham, Birmingham, Rostov in Russia and finally back at Blackburn, he knew his career — which had started at Arsenal — was over after a 3-0 defeat at Cardiff on April Fool’s Day in 2013.
‘People looked at the way I gelled my hair and thought I wanted the attention. It was the actual opposite, I didn’t enjoy it. I wasn’t comfortable with my life being out there,’ he says, reflecting on a career that shone
brightly before burning out. ‘I didn’t want to go in the David Beckham direction. We had meetings with people who operated for these superstar players but I couldn’t see the point. What for, more money? From where I came from, I’d already earned more than I’d dreamed of. I had to buy my first set of golf clubs from a car boot sale and we saved up for six months to get a pair of Puma Kings. So I wasn’t driven by greed.
‘I was never really a winger anyway. At Arsenal I played off the striker, like Dennis Bergkamp. I first played as a winger on loan at Norwich. It was so fast, so hard. I had to track back, which I’d never done in my life. Ironically, when I got that hat-trick against United, I played No10 off Shefki Kuqi. But after that it was back to the wing, which I hated.’
Bentley’s upbringing meant he was always far more complex than the daft-as-a-brush image he was given as a player. His dad could have been a footballer but joined the RAF at 19 in order to provide for his young family. Young David grew up in Belgium, learning Flemish before his parents returned to England where they ran newsagents in various parts of the country before settling in Highams Park on the LondonEssex border, where his father still works as a school caretaker. Bentley’s talent as a schoolboy was spotted by Alex Ferguson at United — but he chose Arsenal.
When he failed to get a first-team spot there, he turned down Arsene Wenger’s offer of a five-year contract to sign for Blackburn, where the best times of his career took place under manager Mark Hughes.
In 2008, when Hughes left for Manchester City, Bentley also moved — to Tottenham — even though their wages were only half what was on offer at Aston Villa.
By then, football was becoming more serious. Bentley made decisions that did not fit in with his profile. He turned down photoshoots for OK magazine and tipped a bucket of water over Spurs manager Harry Redknapp.
‘I’d love to be more calculated. That’s the way to be successful but I’ve always done what I feel, not how it will look,’ he says. ‘I thought the bucket of water was brilliant. It was done out of excitement because we’d beaten Manchester City to qualify for the Champions League. But I was caned for it.
‘I look at players now and they should be enjoying their jobs more. Every interview is the same and the managers are allowed to have more personality, which is why the cameras are on them.
‘Ross Barkley is an example of it. He’s a great player and I loved seeing that celebration with his arms in the air before he scored because that’s what he felt. But he has been vilified by some people. Ross is like Gazza, he can do things. If you stop him feeling and he feels he has to play side-to-side, that’s when he plays s***.’ Bentley struggled to handle
what was expected of him at a big club like Spurs. He spent a year out of the game with a knee injury. When he returned in 2011, he found the buzz was missing.
‘Every player goes through knockbacks,’ he says. ‘I’d been told I was too small, too cocky, didn’t pass it enough. But I had the tunnel vision to go past it. After the injury, it felt different. I had that feeling it would come to an end. My relationship with Tottenham grew toxic. It was like getting married to someone you think you love but end up not respecting. What happens? Divorce.’
Loan deals to the West Midlands, East London, Russia and Lancashire did not work. After his Spurs contract expired, he headed with his partner Kimberley and daughter Devon, now seven, to Spain. Agent Rob Segal sent him emails detailing offers from the Premier League and Championship, America and India. Bentley ignored them all.
‘I would have been going through the motions,’ he says. ‘I’m a huge fan of Only Fools and Horses, not just the comedy but their take on life. For me, getting to the point you wanted to reach was better than being at the point.’
So Bentley’s life changed completely. He spent time helping to promote and develop the La Sala restaurant chain, which he part-owns, including its high-market establishment in Puerto Banus.
Kimberley had twins, Dylan and Dalton, who turn three next month, and the pair developed a passion for doing up houses. ‘She trained with
Kelly Hoppen as an interior designer and I don’t mind getting my hands dirty,’ he says. ‘I didn’t do the major electrical work but did a lot of the painting, tiling, knocking down walls. I was there every step of the way.
‘I didn’t watch any games even on TV for two years. Now I’m getting the buzz back. My partner is showing the twins clips of me playing football on YouTube. We’ll watch BlackburnUnited. It’s nice for me because football was the love of my life.
‘But it was good to take a step back. If I’d stayed in the game, I’d have gone a bit mental. I won’t play competitively again, a kickabout with my mates or my kids will be it for me.’
Rovers are a far cry these days from the team who qualified for Europe when Bentley was there under Hughes, alongside top-class players such as Brad Friedel, Ryan Nelsen and Benni McCarthy.
Bentley himself was shocked when he returned briefly in 2013. The manager who signed him, Michael Appleton, was replaced by Gary Bowyer after a month and the whole atmosphere felt sour.
‘It was such a shame,’ he says. ‘It only took me a couple of weeks to work out the spirit had gone.
‘Was it really 11 years ago we beat United 4-3? I’d signed on a permanent deal the day before and was determined to go out there and do something on the day. It was a carefree time, we went out and played.
‘I’ve still got the match ball now in a glass case. All the lads signed it. But I can’t see Blackburn winning on Sunday, unfortunately.’
As Bentley finishes his tiger prawns and cold beer and heads off into a pleasant winter sunset, it is clear the last three years have cleared his head after what he calls his ‘rollercoaster’ career.
Early next month, Bentley will return to England, where he will be involved with La Sala in Chigwell and get into player representation, where he will be able to help the next generation of players.
‘Some people go on holiday and take photos to make it look as though they’re having a good time, even if they’re miserable. I’d rather deal with reality rather than the perception. I hope that can help me guide any young maverick players out there if they need it.’