Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp.placeholder image
Former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp. | Getty Images
David Bentley saw his career dwindle after soaking his former Tottenham Hotspur manager with a bucket of ice cold water.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham star David Bentley has opened up on his early retirement from football in 2014 after a five year spell on the books at Spurs.
The ex Premier League winger now works as a pundit and was on Sky Sports FC on Tuesday morning answering questions from fans. One of those quizzed Bentley on why he chose to hang up his boots at the age of 29.
Bentley started his career in the Arsenal youth academy and went on to make nine first team appearances for the Gunners. The winger eventually moved to Blackburn Rovers in 2006, where he spent two years, before then making the rare choice to join north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2008.
Ex Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham man opens up on early retirement
Spurs paid a head-turning £15 million for Bentley at the time and the player helped the club qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 2010, when they beat Manchester City to finish fourth. Following that win, in an iconic moment, Bentley led Spurs colleagues to throw a bucket of water over manager Harry Redknapp during an interview to celebrate.
On Sky Sports, Bentley admitted that it was after that season that his career began to stutter. A series of loans to Birmingham City, West Ham, Rostov and back to Blackburn Rovers followed before his retirement.
Bentley said: “It was a sort of pattern, which happened after the ice bucket incident... It wasn’t that moment, it was just after that season, I found myself out the team and took some loans I shouldn’t have took. I went to West Ham on loan, I loved it at West Ham under Sam Allardyce, it was a great club and great environment with Kevin Nolan as club captain. Loved it.
“I ended up doing my knee. The knee wasn’t right and then that pattern applied itself and I found myself a little bit disillusioned with the game and naturally fell into retirement. It was early.”
Harry Redknapp reflects on Spurs bucket incident
When asked specifically about the bucket incident, Bentley replied: “He weren’t happy, it [the suit] was the Armani! I went to Tottenham to qualify for the Champions League. Supporting Tottenham, loving Tottenham and getting into the Champions League, doing Man City up there because they were spending all the dough at the point.
“We’d gone up and turned them over and got into the Champions League for the first time ever. We were buzzing. We loved Harry and thought, come on let’s go and soak him, but that was out of love.”
Last year, Redknapp appeared on talkSPORT and was asked if that bucket incident was the reason why Bentley fell out of favour at Tottenham Hotspur. He said: "It was funny. I never held any grudges against David Bentley, I just never picked him again.
"Nah I don't mean that, he's a good lad, he had some talent David, he could play, the lad's lovely, he was one of the chaps wasn't he?”
In other news, Thomas Frank could turn to 'exceptional' Tottenham star with Mohammed Kudus set for AFCON absence.
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