Marcus Bent
Encyclopedia
Marcus Nathan Bent is an English football striker who plays for Indonesia
n club Mitra Kukar. A former England under-21 international
, the journeyman striker has played for fourteen different clubs, playing over 570 games and scoring 110 goals in the process.
A England under-21
international, he began his career at Brentford
in 1995, before he signed with Crystal Palace
in 1998. The next year he joined Sheffield United
via Port Vale
. In 2000 he transferred to Blackburn Rovers
, where he got his first taste of Premier League football, before he moved on to Ipswich Town
in 2001. He spent 2003–04 on loan at Leicester City
, before he transferred to Everton
in 2004. Two years later he was sold on to Charlton Athletic
. He spent the 2007–08 season on loan at Wigan Athletic
, before he moved on to Birmingham City
in 2008. He spent three years with Birmingham, during which he spent time on loan at Middlesbrough
, Queens Park Rangers
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
, and Sheffield United.
, London, to parents of Jamaica
n origin. He attended St Paul's College in Sunbury-on-Thames
.
youth ranks, usually playing as a forward. He played his first senior game at Bury
on 17 August 1996, and scored his first senior goal on 10 September the same year, helping Brentford achieve a 3–2 victory over Blackpool
. He was almost ever-present in a successful season that saw Brentford reach the Football League Second Division
play-offs
in May 1997, only to be beaten by Crewe Alexandra
. In January 1998, he moved to Crystal Palace
for £300,000. He scored 5 goals for the South London
side. Almost exactly a year later, in 1999, he went on to become a Port Vale
player for £375,000, but stayed only nine months, scoring once against Grimsby Town
. Bent was then released by Port Vale and joined Sheffield United
.
for a fee of £2,050,000 in November 2000. Bent would go on to play Premier League football for Blackburn before being sold to Ipswich Town
for £3 million in November 2001. Bent was named Premier League Player of the Month
for January 2002, the only Ipswich player ever to receive the honour. Despite Bent scoring 9 times in 22 league starts, Ipswich were relegated from the Premiership at the end of the 2001–02 season. He stayed at Ipswich for another season before joining newly promoted Leicester City
on loan for the 2003–04 campaign. However he again suffered relegation as Leicester made an instant return to the Football League
.
Before the start of the 2004–05 season, Bent transferred to Everton
for a fee of £450,000. He became a regular starter at Everton in the lone centre forward role, but only managed seven goals, which were key in securing draws away to Southampton
and at home to Aston Villa
, as well as decisive goals against Middlesbrough
and Manchester City
.
. In January 2006, it was announced that Bent had signed for Charlton Athletic
in a deal worth £2.3 million. He scored on his debut as a substitute against league champions Chelsea
in a 1–1 draw, but was again a member of a relegated side as Charlton suffered relegation in May 2007.
He had been stuck on 99 career goals since November 2006 until he netted in Charlton's first game of the 2007–08 season against Scunthorpe
in August 2007. Bent joined Wigan Athletic
on 31 August 2007 on "deadline day" on a season long loan move. Bent scored a hat-trick, his first in the Premier League, against Blackburn Rovers
in a 5–3 win, on 15 December 2007. At the end of the season, Wigan manager Steve Bruce
chose not to make the deal permanent, feeling Bent was too similar in style to Emile Heskey
. He returned to Charlton where he was placed on the transfer list.
on 16 July 2008 for a fee in excess of £1 million, after rejecting the opportunity to join Cardiff City
. He scored 3 goals from 16 starts and 17 substitute appearances as they were promoted to the Premier League.
He did not feature at the higher level for the "Blues". Instead, he became Gordon Strachan
's first signing for Middlesbrough
when he joined on a two-month loan deal on 30 October 2009, later extended to 16 January 2010. He spent the final three months of the 2009–10 season on loan at a second Championship
club, Queens Park Rangers
, whom he joined in February 2010.
Remaining out of Birmingham's first team plans he again moved on loan in August 2010, as he joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers
until 4 January 2011. He made five appearances without scoring, before joining Sheffield United
on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season. With the Blades in free-fall Bent made ten appearances, mainly from the bench, before returning early to Birmingham in mid-April having failed to score a goal. Birmingham decided against taking up the option of another season, and Bent was released when his contract expired at the end of the 2010–11 season.
Bent signed a one-year contract with Indonesia Super League club Mitra Kukar on 3 November 2011.
, scoring one goal.
and actress Gemma Atkinson
, to whom he was briefly engaged.
|1995–96||rowspan="3"|Brentford
||rowspan="3"|Second Division
||9||0||5||3||1||0||colspan="2"|-||20||4
|-
|1996–97||37||4||1||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||42||4
|-
|1997–98||24||4||2||0||3||1||colspan="2"|-||29||5
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="2"|Crystal Palace
||Premier League||16||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||16||5
|-
|1998–99||First Division
||12||0||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="2"|Port Vale
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||15||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|1999–2000||8||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||9||1
|-
|1999–2000||rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||32||15||3||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||16
|-
|2000–01||16||5||colspan="2"|-||5||3||colspan="2"|-||21||8
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="2"|Blackburn Rovers
||First Division
||28||8||6||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||34||11
|-
|2001–02||Premier League||9||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||10||0
|-
|2001–02||rowspan="3"|Ipswich Town
||Premier League||25||9||2||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||10
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="2"|First Division
||32||11||2||0||1||0||3||1||38||12
|-
|2003–04||4||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||5||1
|-
|2003–04||Leicester City
||Premier League||33||9||2||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||10
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="2"|Everton
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||37||6||3||0||2||1||colspan="2"|-||42||7
|-
|2005–06||18||1||1||0||1||0||4||0||24||1
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="3"|Charlton Athletic
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||13||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||2
|-
|2006–07||30||1||1||0||4||1||colspan="2"|-||35||2
|-
|2007–08||Championship
||3||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||4||1
|-
|2007–08||Wigan Athletic
||Premier League||31||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||32||7
|-
|2008–09||Birmingham City
||Championship
||33||3||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||35||3
|-
|2009–10
||Middlesbrough
||Championship
||7||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||0
|-
|2009–10
||Queens Park Rangers
||Championship
||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2010–11
||Wolverhampton Wanderers
||Premier League||3||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||colspan="2"|-||5||0
|-
|2010–11
||Sheffield United
||Championship
||11||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||11||0
|-
489||93||32||9||30||6||7||1||571||110
489||93||32||9||30||6||7||1||571||110
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n club Mitra Kukar. A former England under-21 international
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
, the journeyman striker has played for fourteen different clubs, playing over 570 games and scoring 110 goals in the process.
A England under-21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
international, he began his career at Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
in 1995, before he signed with Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in 1998. The next year he joined Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
via Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. In 2000 he transferred to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
, where he got his first taste of Premier League football, before he moved on to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
in 2001. He spent 2003–04 on loan at Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, before he transferred to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
in 2004. Two years later he was sold on to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
. He spent the 2007–08 season on loan at Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, before he moved on to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in 2008. He spent three years with Birmingham, during which he spent time on loan at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
, Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, and Sheffield United.
Early life
Bent was born in HammersmithHammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, London, to parents of Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n origin. He attended St Paul's College in Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
.
Early clubs
Bent graduated through the BrentfordBrentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
youth ranks, usually playing as a forward. He played his first senior game at Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
on 17 August 1996, and scored his first senior goal on 10 September the same year, helping Brentford achieve a 3–2 victory over Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. He was almost ever-present in a successful season that saw Brentford reach the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
play-offs
1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1997, at the end of the 1996–97 season. It was the 11th play-off final in all at the third level of English football...
in May 1997, only to be beaten by Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
. In January 1998, he moved to Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
for £300,000. He scored 5 goals for the South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
side. Almost exactly a year later, in 1999, he went on to become a Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
player for £375,000, but stayed only nine months, scoring once against Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. Bent was then released by Port Vale and joined Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
.
Into the Premier League
An impressive 20 goals in 48 league appearances for Sheffield United earned Bent a transfer to promotion chasing Blackburn RoversBlackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for a fee of £2,050,000 in November 2000. Bent would go on to play Premier League football for Blackburn before being sold to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
for £3 million in November 2001. Bent was named Premier League Player of the Month
Premier League Player of the Month
The Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
for January 2002, the only Ipswich player ever to receive the honour. Despite Bent scoring 9 times in 22 league starts, Ipswich were relegated from the Premiership at the end of the 2001–02 season. He stayed at Ipswich for another season before joining newly promoted Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
on loan for the 2003–04 campaign. However he again suffered relegation as Leicester made an instant return to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
.
Before the start of the 2004–05 season, Bent transferred to Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
for a fee of £450,000. He became a regular starter at Everton in the lone centre forward role, but only managed seven goals, which were key in securing draws away to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and at home to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, as well as decisive goals against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
Later career
Bent became a more peripheral figure in his second season at Everton where he was regularly used as back up for new signing James BeattieJames Beattie (footballer)
James Scott Beattie is an English footballer who currently plays for Sheffield United as a striker.Born in Lancaster, Lancashire he came through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers eventually signing professionally for them in 1995...
. In January 2006, it was announced that Bent had signed for Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
in a deal worth £2.3 million. He scored on his debut as a substitute against league champions Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in a 1–1 draw, but was again a member of a relegated side as Charlton suffered relegation in May 2007.
He had been stuck on 99 career goals since November 2006 until he netted in Charlton's first game of the 2007–08 season against Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
in August 2007. Bent joined Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
on 31 August 2007 on "deadline day" on a season long loan move. Bent scored a hat-trick, his first in the Premier League, against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in a 5–3 win, on 15 December 2007. At the end of the season, Wigan manager Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...
chose not to make the deal permanent, feeling Bent was too similar in style to Emile Heskey
Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa as a striker.Born in Leicester, Heskey started his career with hometown club Leicester City after progressing through their youth system, making his first team debut in 1995...
. He returned to Charlton where he was placed on the transfer list.
Birmingham City
Bent signed a three-year deal for Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 16 July 2008 for a fee in excess of £1 million, after rejecting the opportunity to join Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
. He scored 3 goals from 16 starts and 17 substitute appearances as they were promoted to the Premier League.
He did not feature at the higher level for the "Blues". Instead, he became Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
's first signing for Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
when he joined on a two-month loan deal on 30 October 2009, later extended to 16 January 2010. He spent the final three months of the 2009–10 season on loan at a second Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
club, Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, whom he joined in February 2010.
Remaining out of Birmingham's first team plans he again moved on loan in August 2010, as he joined Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
until 4 January 2011. He made five appearances without scoring, before joining Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season. With the Blades in free-fall Bent made ten appearances, mainly from the bench, before returning early to Birmingham in mid-April having failed to score a goal. Birmingham decided against taking up the option of another season, and Bent was released when his contract expired at the end of the 2010–11 season.
Bent signed a one-year contract with Indonesia Super League club Mitra Kukar on 3 November 2011.
International career
Bent has twice represented his country at under-21 levelEngland national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
, scoring one goal.
Personal life
Bent had been engaged to Kelly Clark, with whom he has a daughter, but their relationship broke down and they split up. He has since been involved with model Danielle LloydDanielle Lloyd
Danielle Lloyd is an English glamour model. The former Miss England 2004 and Miss Great Britain 2006, she first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain 2006 title after posing for nude pictures featured in the December 2006 edition of Playboy magazine and her alleged...
and actress Gemma Atkinson
Gemma Atkinson
Gemma Louise Atkinson is an English actress, television personality and glamour and lingerie model.-Personal life:...
, to whom he was briefly engaged.
Career statistics
|-|1995–96||rowspan="3"|Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
||rowspan="3"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||9||0||5||3||1||0||colspan="2"|-||20||4
|-
|1996–97||37||4||1||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||42||4
|-
|1997–98||24||4||2||0||3||1||colspan="2"|-||29||5
|-
|1997–98||rowspan="2"|Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
||Premier League||16||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||16||5
|-
|1998–99||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||12||0||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="2"|Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||15||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||15||0
|-
|1999–2000||8||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||9||1
|-
|1999–2000||rowspan="2"|Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||32||15||3||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||16
|-
|2000–01||16||5||colspan="2"|-||5||3||colspan="2"|-||21||8
|-
|2000–01||rowspan="2"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||28||8||6||3||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||34||11
|-
|2001–02||Premier League||9||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||10||0
|-
|2001–02||rowspan="3"|Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
||Premier League||25||9||2||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||10
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||32||11||2||0||1||0||3||1||38||12
|-
|2003–04||4||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||5||1
|-
|2003–04||Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
||Premier League||33||9||2||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||10
|-
|2004–05||rowspan="2"|Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||37||6||3||0||2||1||colspan="2"|-||42||7
|-
|2005–06||18||1||1||0||1||0||4||0||24||1
|-
|2005–06||rowspan="3"|Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
||rowspan="2"|Premier League||13||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||2
|-
|2006–07||30||1||1||0||4||1||colspan="2"|-||35||2
|-
|2007–08||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||3||1||colspan="2"|-||1||0||colspan="2"|-||4||1
|-
|2007–08||Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
||Premier League||31||7||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||32||7
|-
|2008–09||Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||33||3||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||35||3
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League
The Football League 2009–10, called the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2009 and concluded in May 2010, with the promotion play-off finals. The Football League is contested through three Divisions. The...
||Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||7||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||8||0
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Football League
The Football League 2009–10, called the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons, was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2009 and concluded in May 2010, with the promotion play-off finals. The Football League is contested through three Divisions. The...
||Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||3||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||3||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
||Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
||Premier League||3||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||colspan="2"|-||5||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League
The Football League 2010–11, called the Npower Football League, was the 111th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2010 and concluded in May 2011, with the promotion play-off finals....
||Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||11||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||11||0
|-
489||93||32||9||30||6||7||1||571||110
489||93||32||9||30||6||7||1||571||110
Honours
Individual- Premier League Player of the MonthPremier League Player of the MonthThe Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
: January 2002 (with Ipswich Town)