A former Premier League star has recalled his confrontation with ex-Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United
Rio Ferdinand endured a night to forget for Manchester United in 2006(Image: John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
David Bentley has claimed his iconic hat-trick against Manchester United led to a nightclub confrontation with Rio Ferdinand. The 41-year-old played a starring role as Blackburn Rovers earned a memorable 4-3 win at Ewood Park in February 2006.
The former Arsenal starlet had started the season on loan at Blackburn under manager Mark Hughes. The then-21-year-old agreed to make his move permanent in the January transfer window, sealing the deal on the eve of the club’s clash with United.
Rovers raced into a 3-1 lead during the first half. Bentley opened the scoring by tapping home a rebound from a free-kick and later helped his side regain the lead by pouncing on Rio Ferdinand’s flicked header back after miscommunication with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. A Lucas Neill penalty rounded off the scoreline at the break.
In the second half, Bentley showcased his quality with a swerving half-volley into the far corner. A brace from Ruud van Nistelrooy failed to salvage a point for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who were reduced to 10 men after a late red card for Ferdinand. According to Bentley, his post-match comments also frustrated the defender, who sought him out in a nightclub.
"It was Rio, wasn’t it, I said something. You know what, there’s a story about that. So Rio headed it on to Van Der Sar and I nipped in," Bentley recalled to Clutch 9 Powered by Betway.
"My agent Rob Segal, he’d set up a Sky interview for the day after. That’s what they do, don’t they, get you out there. I’d said a joke about Rio but he got the right hump! Me and him had a little bit of a square up in a nightclub in Manchester over it.
"He didn’t like it because he thought I’d disrespected him. I went, ‘I just want to say thanks to Rio, nice little flick-on.’ He got the hump. Everyone used to be in this same nightclub and he came up and we had a little bit of a dance around for a bit."
Remarkably, his hat-trick would be the only league goals Bentley scored that season but he still played a key role as Blackburn finished sixth to earn a UEFA Cup spot. Meanwhile, United came second to Chelsea, finishing eight points behind Jose Mourinho's side.
David Bentley celebrates scoring for Blackburn Rovers
David Bentley scored a hat-trick against Manchester United the day after signing permanently for Blackburn Rovers(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
View 3 Images
The winger continued to produce stellar performances for Blackburn over the next two seasons. England boss Steve McClaren labelled Bentley the “new David Beckham” but the Rovers star was made to wait for his senior international debut after controversially withdrawing from U21 duty.
As a result, Bentley was jeered by some England fans when earning his first cap as a substitute against Israel. However, in a full circle moment, it was Ferdinand who leapt to the winger’s defence.
"We had such a good performance and everyone was quite happy but what happened with David left a bad taste in the mouth," Ferdinand said. "The lad is on England duty and you don't expect him to get booed, no matter what has happened in the past.
Rio Ferdinand and David Bentley during an England kit launch
Ferdiannd and Bentley later became England teammates(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
View 3 Images
"In some quarters, people might say what he did in the summer was a wrong decision but in hindsight, it is easy to say that. He is a young lad, on a learning curve, making his seniors debut for England and he did not deserve to be booed."
Bentley completed a high-profile move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 but failed to hit the same heights in a Spurs shirt, eventually losing his place to Aaron Lennon. The seven-cap England international was subsequently loaned out to several clubs, including Birmingham City, West Ham United and Russian outfit Rostov.
He made a brief return to Rovers during the 2012/13 season, featuring on seven occasions for the Championship side. Bentley was released by Spurs at the end of the campaign and confirmed his retirement a year later, aged 29.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Content Image
Content Image