David Bentley was making raves as he made his way through the youth academy of Arsenal and at the age of 16, Bentley was already training with the senior squad of Arsenal before making his official appearance in a competitive match for Arsenal when he was 19 years old.

The Englishman was labeled to be one of the next big things in English football as Bentley was a dead-ball specialist and during his childhood he was already scoring goals in the form of free-kicks as well as providing impressive crosses to his teammates but his career stalled and started to fall apart when he signed for Tottenham Hotspurs and in 3 seasons he only managed on making 42 appearances as well as having to be transferred outside of the club on a number of loan deals.

During his time at White Hart Lane, Bentley was mostly just being used as a substitute player and this was why he opted to join other clubs and get more playing time even if it only was on loan deals but at the age of 29 Bentley decided to hang up his boots and retire.

David Bentley has revealed a few of the main reasons on why he decided to retire despite having a few more years and seasons left in him to play at a high level.

“I remember being a bit disappointed in myself. I was thinking: ‘You should love it, what’s the matter with you? You’re only saying this because you’re a little bit unhappy at the minute’.

“But in the end I just got tired of all the bull**** that goes with it, people wanting you to sell yourself as something you’re not. I loved matchdays, the atmosphere and the buzz, but, looking back, the biggest disappointment was coming out of youth team football. Back then I was with my mates, playing Sunday League, you’re winning together with all your mums and dads, that’s when football is brilliant’’ Bentley said as he stated that his love for football just disappeared.

Following his retirement from playing football at a top level, Bentley has gone on to invest in restaurant and a few weeks ago it was revealed that he was the co-owner of a fine dining place in Spain that opened up not too long ago.