What happened to David Bentley? Marbella, Dennis Bergkamp comparisons and Redknapp fall out
David Bentley retired from football at the age of 29 though the former Arsenal and Tottenham star has kept himself busy away from the pitch
From the Arsenal academy to the sun-kissed beaches of Marbella, in his own words "It's been one hell of a ride" for former Gunners and Tottenham winger David Bentley.
Now, 39, the ex-England midfielder can now be found in the southern region of Spain where he helps to run the Sala Group, which comprises of bars and restaurants in the popular holiday destination. Announcing his retirement from football at the age of 29 having not played for over year following his release from Blackburn Rovers, Bentley embarked on a second career in business - one he is thriving and enjoying.
Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Bentley admitted of trying to pursue a career of a more conventional nature within the football industry, but insisted he found it hard to return to the game he had fallen out of love with during his playing career.
"I have tried stepping into the more conventional things after retirement", Bentley said. "I have tried it a couple of times and I really couldn’t do it. I just could have done a year or two years somewhere, and then when I came out of football, I couldn’t really do the conventional media stuff.
"I quite enjoy the stuff I am doing now, it’s very rewarding. I coached young players, that was part of the agency I was involved in with my friend a long time ago. There was something that I would have liked to have done and I spent time developing PowerPoint presentations with some of the kids and it was quite difficult for them to recognise that.
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"As far as the coaching front, I wouldn’t mind getting into now because my boys have started playing and I’m getting the bug for it now.
"Now, I’ve got a commercial flooring company. The bar I’ve had in Marbella I’ve had for 16 years and it’s doing really well.
"Obviously with Covid, in the last few years as a business we have learned a lot. Through the Covid pandemic, if you’re holding a lot of business’, we got hit hard operationally and financially.
"But now on a day to day level, they are doing really well. They are successful, built on the right foundations with the right people in and around it. I enjoy being around it."
Having started his career at Arsenal's London Colney training ground aged 13, Bentley was earmarked as one for the future, but saw playing opportunities limited by a strong, senior squad. Bentley recalled one of his fondest memories during his time at Highbury, explaining early comparisons to the great Dennis Bergkamp and a train ride home after a game that still gives him goosebumps to this day.
"I was getting labelled the next Bergkamp so I was just trying to do things like him," he said. "Then, when I got given the opportunity to score at the Clock End where we used to train and I chipped the keeper like Dennis was renowned for doing, and then they started singing we’ve got David Bentley.
"I went in after the game, and at the time I was like, yeah I’ve scored a goal and got changed quickly so I could get the train back. I’m walking with the crowd because I was walking so quickly, and everyone was talking about me on the train - they didn't know that I’m there listening to the whole train talking about me.
"That was one of the best experiences - it gave me goosebumps. All of a sudden, everyone started recognising me and it was different."
He would spend two seasons on loan with Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers before making the permanent switch to Ewood Park in 2006, arguably the spell in which he played his best football.
A move to north London rivals Tottenham would follow, with his spell at White Hart Lane ending with four loan moves in three years before hanging up his boots. Having left Lancashire for a return back to London, Bentley revealed the reasoning behind the move was to continue to compete for a place within Fabio Capello's England squad.
Bentley said: "It came off the back of a conversation I had with Fabio Capello.
"They said you have to leave if you want to play for England. Both Manchester United and Manchester City were on the cards. I think I wasn’t allowed to City, but then there was a bit of me that wanted to come back to London."
Having made the move to Arsenal's biggest rivals two years after leaving Highbury, Bentley had established himself as one of the best crossers in the Premier League, racking up 21 assists and 13 goals from right midfield.
But upon arriving at White Hart Lane, Bentley uncovered that not everything he was promised, explaining that new Spurs head coach at the time, Juande Ramos, had been likened to Arsene Wenger - something he was quick to disclose.
"I’d thought I’d met who I thought was the new Wenger, which was (Juande) Ramos, but he turned out to be ‘Benger’," he added.
"Spurs at the time, were where they are now. The new stadium was presented to me. Ramos is coming in. I walked through the door and it wasn’t what I had been sold.
"(Dimitar) Berbatov had been sold, (Robbie) Keane had left. It was a full transition and it was tough. Within two months of being at Tottenham and being a place I really wanted to go and being back where my family was happy, it turned out to be a bit of a nightmare really."
Bentley was an integral part of the 2009/10 Spurs side that achieved Champions League football for the first time in their history, playing 24 times in all competitions and scoring three goals.
Having beaten Manchester City 1-0 away at the Etihad Stadium, then manager Harry Redknapp was conducting his post-match interview with Sky Sports.
But Redknapp was rudely interrupted by Bentley, accompanied with the likes of Wilson Palacios and Jermaine Jenas, and was soaked live on air to commemorate the significant achievement.
However following the incident, Bentley went into detail about an argument that erupted between him and Redknapp following the ordeal, believing that was the reasoning behind never playing for Spurs ever again.
"We had a falling out and it was due to us qualifying for the Champions League," he said. "I think it was viewed as a disrespect and I was viewed as the leader of that.
"In the changing room we came back and there was champagne out, music was on and everyone was buzzing. But what made it worse was that the five players that were seen on Sky, weren’t the ones that were playing.
"After that happened, I didn’t play for Tottenham again. It was some of my own doing, but I turned up the next pre-season, front of the queue but I just didn’t play. I’ve not had the chance to ask him directly why."