Darren Bent

3.1. Ipswich Town

Bent joined Ipswich Town's youth system at the age of 14 in 1998, having previously considered a career in athletics. He signed his first professional contract with the club on 2 July 2001. His first-team debut came on 1 November 2001 in a 3-1 UEFA Cup victory against Helsingborg. He scored his first senior goal on 27 November 2001 in a 4-1 League Cup defeat to Newcastle United. Bent's first Premier League goal was scored on 24 April 2002 in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough. He concluded the 2001-02 season with seven appearances and two goals in all competitions, as Ipswich faced relegation to the First Division.

He became a crucial part of Ipswich's first-team squad during the 2002-03 season, scoring his first goal of the season on 24 August in a 1-1 draw with Millwall. On 31 October 2002, he netted the winning goal against Slovan Liberec in the UEFA Cup. He also scored in a 2-0 win against Norwich City in the East Anglian derby on 2 March 2003. Bent finished the 2002-03 season with 18 goals and was awarded Ipswich's Young Player of the Year.

On 13 June 2003, Bent signed a new contract with Ipswich, extending his stay until June 2006. He continued to feature regularly during the 2003-04 season, notably scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Walsall on 16 March 2004. Ipswich finished 5th in the league but lost to West Ham United in the play-offs, despite Bent scoring the winning goal in the first leg at Portman Road. He ended the season as Ipswich's top-scorer with 16 goals.

In the 2004-05 season, Bent continued his prolific goalscoring alongside strike partner Shefki Kuqi, helping Ipswich challenge for promotion. The team finished 3rd, narrowly missing automatic promotion by two points, and again lost to West Ham United in the play-off semi-finals. He finished the season with 20 goals, making him the team's joint-highest goalscorer. In total, Bent made 122 league appearances for Ipswich, scoring 48 goals.

3.2. Charlton Athletic

Bent completed a transfer to Charlton Athletic on 1 June 2005 for an initial fee of 2.50 M GBP, which could have risen to 3.00 M GBP based on appearances for Charlton and England. On the opening day of the 2005-06 Premier League season, Bent scored two goals on his Charlton debut against Sunderland, contributing to a 3-1 victory. His immediate impact earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award for August. He notably scored in his first four appearances for the club, a feat achieved by only six players in the Premier League. Bent was the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League in 2005-06 with 18 goals (22 overall), making him the third-highest scorer in the league, and he was named Charlton's Player of the Year.

In July 2006, he signed an extension to his contract, keeping him at Charlton until June 2010. Bent finished the 2006-07 season with 13 Premier League goals, again as Charlton's top goalscorer, but could not prevent the club's relegation to the Championship after seven consecutive seasons in the Premier League. In June 2007, Charlton accepted a bid from West Ham United for Bent, but he was not interested in the move.

3.3. Tottenham Hotspur

Bent completed a club-record move to Tottenham Hotspur for 16.50 M GBP on 29 June 2007, payable over three years and including add-on payments. Ipswich Town, due to a sell-on clause, received an initial 2.58 M GBP from Charlton's profit on Bent. He scored his first competitive goal for Tottenham in a 4-0 home victory over Derby County in August 2007. This was followed by a goal in the 6-1 win over Anorthosis Famagusta in the first round of the UEFA Cup on 20 September 2007. Bent was an unused substitute in the 2008 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on 24 February, where Tottenham defeated Chelsea 2-1 after extra time. He scored his 100th career goal on 9 March 2008 in a 4-0 league win over West Ham United. He also scored the 100th goal at White Hart Lane during the 2007-08 season on 22 March in a 2-0 win over Portsmouth. Bent finished the 2007-08 season with 36 appearances and 8 goals.

Bent scored 12 goals for Tottenham during the 2008-09 pre-season. His first league goal of the season came against Chelsea, securing a 1-1 draw. He scored a header in the second half of Tottenham's UEFA Cup first-round match against Wisła Kraków, giving the team a 2-1 victory. On 6 November, in a match against Dinamo Zagreb, Bent scored his first competitive hat-trick for Tottenham. He followed this with two goals in a 2-1 victory against Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium.

A notable miss in front of an open goal in the final minutes of a home match against Portsmouth in January 2009, which cost Tottenham two points, prompted manager Harry Redknapp to famously remark, "You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one." On 31 January, Bent scored two goals in two minutes against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium after coming on as a second-half substitute, though the match ended in a 3-2 defeat. Following the return of striker Robbie Keane to Tottenham, Redknapp reassured Bent about his future at the club. He finished the season as Tottenham's top goalscorer with 17 goals in 43 matches.

3.4. Sunderland

Sunderland initiated negotiations to sign Bent in July 2009. The deal faced delays, leading Bent to accuse Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy on Twitter of disrupting his move, though he later apologized, citing frustration. After Tottenham and Sunderland agreed on a fee, Bent traveled to Sunderland, passed a medical, and signed for the club on 5 August for an initial fee of 10.00 M GBP, which later rose to 16.50 M GBP. This transfer fee surpassed the previous club record of 10.60 M EUR paid for Craig Gordon. He scored on his Sunderland debut, the only goal in a 1-0 victory against Bolton. He then scored Sunderland's opening goal against Chelsea in a 3-1 defeat. He scored a brace in the 4-1 win over Hull City, bringing his tally to three and four goals in five matches.

Bent scored Sunderland's only goal against Burnley at Turf Moor, making the score 1-1 before a 3-1 loss. He scored again in a 5-2 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. After this match, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce expressed anger at Bent's decision to allow teammate Kenwyne Jones to take Sunderland's second penalty kick after Jones "pleaded" to get on the score sheet. Bent scored in a 1-0 victory against Liverpool on 17 October 2009 when his shot hit a beach ball thrown onto the field by a Liverpool fan, baffling goalkeeper Pepe Reina and finding the net. He scored his first hat-trick for Sunderland in a 4-0 victory over Bolton on 9 March 2010. He scored two goals, one a penalty, but missed two other penalties saved by Heurelho Gomes in a 3-1 victory against former club Tottenham on 3 April. Bent finished the 2009-10 season with 25 goals in 40 appearances in all competitions, 24 of which were in the Premier League, accounting for 50% of Sunderland's 48 league goals that season. He was named Sunderland's Player of the Year.

Bent made his first appearance of the 2010-11 season in the opening match, a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City on 14 August, opening the scoring with a penalty in the 24th minute. He scored the winning goal with a stoppage time penalty as Sunderland beat Manchester City 1-0 on 29 August. Bent scored the equalizer during stoppage time to earn Sunderland a 1-1 draw against Arsenal on 18 September. He then scored twice in Sunderland's 2-2 draw at Liverpool.

3.5. Aston Villa

On 17 January 2011, Bent submitted a transfer request amidst reports that Aston Villa had made a club-record 18.00 M GBP bid for him, which was rejected. Villa then submitted an improved offer of 18.00 M GBP, potentially rising to 24.00 M GBP, which was accepted. The following day, Bent completed his move to Villa and signed a four-and-a-half-year deal. He scored the winning goal on his debut against Manchester City in a 1-0 victory at Villa Park. Bent scored his second Villa goal in his third appearance when he played the full 90 minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 3-1 away defeat. Bent scored both of Villa's goals in their 2-1 away victory over Arsenal in the penultimate match of the season on 15 May. The first was a well-crafted volley after he chested down a Kyle Walker chipped pass, with the second coming minutes later after a slip from Arsenal's Thomas Vermaelen allowed Ashley Young to thread a pass through, which Bent side-footed home. He finished the season with 9 goals in 16 Premier League appearances for Villa, becoming the club's joint top-scorer with Ashley Young, despite joining only in January. He was also the top English goalscorer in the Premier League and the fourth-highest scorer overall that season with 17 goals, eight of which were scored for Sunderland.

In his first full season with Villa (2011-12), Bent scored his first goal of the season against Blackburn Rovers in a 3-1 victory on 20 August 2011. In his first match against former club Sunderland, a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light on 29 October 2011, he was booed by the home support every time he touched the ball. Bent then suffered an injury during the match against Bolton and was sidelined for several matches. Bent caused controversy when a fan posted a picture claiming the striker was out shopping while his teammates were losing 2-0 to Liverpool. It was later revealed Bent had been sent home to recover from his injury, and he apologized to the Villa fans for his actions. Villa manager Alex McLeish reacted angrily to the "conspiracy theory" surrounding Bent's absence, leading Bent to deny a fall-out with McLeish. Bent made his return as a 78th-minute substitute against Chelsea on 31 December 2011, scoring the third goal to seal a 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. After not scoring in the next two matches, Bent went on a scoring run in the next four matches for Villa, including his first FA Cup goal in a Villa shirt on 29 January 2012, against Arsenal in an eventual 3-2 defeat. Three days later, Bent scored his 100th Premier League goal as Villa came from behind to earn a 2-2 home draw against Queens Park Rangers, becoming the 21st player to reach this milestone.

On 25 February 2012, in a match against Wigan Athletic, Bent landed awkwardly on his ankle after tangling with Antolín Alcaraz. He was stretchered off the pitch with what was thought to be a serious injury. This was confirmed two days later after a scan revealed he had ruptured ligaments, ruling him out for three months, effectively ending his season with Villa and likely his chance to play at UEFA Euro 2012. Bent recovered from his injury by mid-May and was in contention for Villa's final match of 2011-12 against Norwich City, but was ultimately left out. He vowed to prove his fitness to new England manager Roy Hodgson in the hope of being selected for Euro 2012. Bent again finished as Villa's top scorer with 10 goals in 25 appearances and vowed to stay at the club.

On 28 August 2012, Bent scored his first goal of the 2012-13 season in a 3-0 victory over League One team Tranmere Rovers in the second round of the League Cup, his first goal for Villa since February 2012. Bent lost the Villa captaincy to Ron Vlaar after the Dutchman was appointed captain for the 2-0 victory against Swansea City on 15 September 2012 and thereafter. He scored his first league goal of the season on 22 September in a 4-1 defeat away to Southampton. Bent then lost his starting place for the next league match against West Bromwich Albion, as the performances of Gabriel Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke during the midweek League Cup victory over Manchester City saw the pair start up front. However, after coming on for Benteke as a 68th-minute substitute, Bent scored the equalizer against West Brom in a 1-1 draw.

3.6. Fulham (loan)

Bent joined Villa's Premier League rivals Fulham on a season-long loan on 16 August 2013. He scored his first goal for Fulham on 24 August 2013 on his debut, 18 minutes after replacing Damien Duff in a 3-1 defeat at home to London rivals Arsenal. On 24 September, only three minutes after coming on for Adel Taarabt, he scored the winner in a 2-1 home win over Everton in the third round of the League Cup. Again as a late substitute, this time for Dimitar Berbatov, he scored the only goal in Fulham's home league win over Stoke City on 5 October, taking control of Pajtim Kasami's shot and cutting past Robert Huth.

Despite scoring in the first match and replay against Norwich City in the third round of the FA Cup, Bent went 13 league matches without scoring before an added-time equalizer at Old Trafford to gain a 2-2 draw against Manchester United on 9 February 2014 after replacing Muamer Tanković at half-time. He finished his loan with 6 goals in 30 matches, and Fulham were relegated to the Championship.

3.7. Brighton & Hove Albion (loan)

On 26 November 2014, Bent joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a one-month loan. Three days later, he scored on his debut for the Championship club, opening the scoring in a 2-1 defeat to his former employers Fulham at Falmer Stadium. He scored two goals in five appearances for Brighton.

3.8. Derby County (loan)

Bent was loaned to another Championship club, Derby County, on 2 January 2015. He was signed by his former international manager Steve McClaren on a deal lasting until the end of the season. He scored his first two goals for the club in a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers on 27 January 2015. With his fourth goal in five matches, he equalized in a 2-2 draw away to then-league leaders AFC Bournemouth on 10 February 2015. Bent scored 12 goals from 17 appearances as Derby finished in eighth place in the Championship table, missing out on a play-off place by one point.

3.9. Derby County

Bent was released by Aston Villa on 8 June 2015, preceding a permanent transfer to Derby County on a two-year contract with a one-year option. He continued to play for Derby for two more seasons. In the 2017-18 season, he suffered a pre-season hamstring injury and did not make any first-team appearances for Derby.

3.10. Burton Albion (loan)

On 26 January 2018, Bent joined fellow Championship side Burton Albion on loan for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. He scored his first goal for Burton in a 3-1 loss away to Cardiff City on 30 March 2018. On 21 April 2018, Bent scored a goal against his former club Sunderland as Burton came from a goal down to win 2-1 and condemn Sunderland to their second consecutive relegation. He was released by Derby at the end of the 2017-18 season. Bent announced his retirement from playing on 25 July 2019.

4.1. Youth

Bent made his debut for the England national under-15 team on 15 October 1999 as an 85th-minute substitute in a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland in the opening match of the 1999 Victory Shield. He started the following match on 28 October 1999, scoring in the third minute as England beat Wales 3-1. He played in all three matches, scoring once, as England won the tournament, topping the table with nine points. Bent represented the under-15s at the 2000 Ballymena Tournament, starting in their first match on 24 April, a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland. The following day, he scored England's four goals in their 4-0 win over Finland. Bent scored in England's 3-2 win over Belgium on 29 April 2000 in the seventh-place match. He finished his under-15 career with seven goals in eight appearances from 1999 to 2000.

Bent made his under-16 debut on 31 July in their opening match at the 2000 Nordic Cup, coming on as a substitute as England beat Finland 2-1. He scored in the 52nd minute of England's 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands on 3 August 2000, before starting in the final the following day, in which England were beaten 3-0 by Sweden. Bent represented England at the 2001 Algarve Tournament, appearing as a substitute in the team's three matches as they were eliminated at the group stage. He made 11 appearances and scored 3 goals for the under-16s from 2000 to 2001.

His debut for the under-19 team came on 14 February 2002 when starting against Germany in a friendly, scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory. Bent scored in the 33rd minute of a 1-1 draw with Lithuania on 17 April 2002 in the 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification intermediary round first leg, with a 2-1 win in the second leg securing England's qualification for the tournament. He finished his time with the under-19s with three appearances, scoring three goals, in 2002.

Bent's first appearance for the under-21 team came on 11 February 2003 as a 71st-minute substitute against Italy in a friendly, which England lost 1-0. His first goal came on his second appearance on 2 June 2003, with an 87th-minute winner in a 3-2 win over Serbia and Montenegro in a friendly. He played in both legs of England's 3-2 aggregate defeat to France in the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-offs, and scored in the 55th minute of the 2-1 defeat on 15 November 2005 in the second leg. This was his last appearance for the under-21s, finishing his time with them with 14 appearances and 9 goals.

4.2. Senior

Bent received his first call-up to the senior England team for the friendly against Denmark on 17 August 2005, but did not play in the match. His England debut eventually came on 1 March 2006, when he started against Uruguay at Anfield in a pre-2006 FIFA World Cup friendly match. He was not included in England's World Cup squad when it was announced in May 2006.

Despite having played for the senior team, Bent was recalled to the under-21 squad for their October 2006 qualification play-offs against Germany. Later that month, he was recalled to the senior squad due to an injury to Andrew Johnson shortly after the squad's announcement. He was called to the England squad for a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia in November 2007. He came on as an 80th-minute substitute as England lost 3-2 and failed to qualify for the tournament. He was called up to the team for a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in March 2009 following an injury to striker Carlton Cole. He made his second start for England in a 1-0 friendly defeat to Brazil on 14 November 2009. Bent was named in England's preliminary 30-man squad for the 2010 World Cup on 11 May 2010, although he was eventually omitted from the final 23-man squad on 1 June.

Bent scored his first international goal in England's 3-1 away win over Switzerland after appearing as a substitute for Jermain Defoe in a Euro 2012 qualifier on 7 September 2010. Then-England manager Fabio Capello stated he had been impressed with the improvement in Bent's all-round game since his World Cup omission and selected him in the starting eleven for England's friendly with Denmark, where he scored a tap-in from a Theo Walcott cross. Bent retained his place for England's Euro 2012 qualifier with Wales to make his first competitive international start on 26 March 2011. In scoring England's second goal, he took his tally to three goals in his last three matches. Bent recovered from injury in time but was left out of the final 23-man squad for Euro 2012 as then-England manager Roy Hodgson felt Bent would not be fit enough to appear at the tournament. After recovering from his injury, he was unable to regain his previous form and was no longer called up to the national team.

5.1. Club

5.2. International

England score listed first, score column indicates score after each Bent goal.