I was the ‘next David Beckham’ but I retired at 28 and now own a chain of bars in Spain and a bespoke flooring firm
A FORMER Premier League star branded "the next David Beckham" retired at 28 to run restaurants in Spain.
David Bentley, now 38, stopped playing in 2014 and admitted it was because he had lost his love for the sport.
He started his career in the Premier League at Arsenal, where he came through the youth set-up, before having his breakthrough at Blackburn Rovers.
After scoring 13 league goals at Blackburn, Bentley earned a £15million move to Tottenham Hotspur.
He also broke into the England team under Steve McClaren in 2007, where the then-manager compared him to Three Lions legend Goldenballs.
But he struggled at Spurs and after a series of loan moves, including to West Ham and Russian club FC Rostov, he quit football.
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He's now a shareholder of the Sala group, which owns bars and restaurants in Spain and Gibraltar.
Fans say they have spotted Bentley serving drinks in Marbella, but the ex-Spurs star also runs his own bespoke flooring company, GFF Contracts - a far cry from his former footballing days.
He said: "I’ve got more money than when I started. If I’ve got £100, I’m alright.
";I loved football but then it ran its course.”
Bentley spent three years in Spain with his family before moving back to the UK, becoming involved with the Chigwell branch of the La Sala chain.
Another former footballer involved with the Sala chain is Stephen Carr, who also opted to move in a different direction after 17 years in the top flight.
Ex-Tottenham star Carr was offered a job as a coach but decided instead to enter the world of business, saying: "As a coach, you’re in early and home late so you need to have a real desire and hunger.
"If you don’t love it enough, you should never get into it."