We asked David Bentley for his ideal five-a-side team… & his answer was jaw-dropping
When Planet Football asked Bentley to pick a five-a-side team of the best footballers he played with, the cast list confirmed the calibre of players he worked with.
“That’s a good question,” he added with a smile.
“Let’s for Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and for my goalkeeper, I’ll go with Brad Friedel.
“I know that’s a pretty attacking team, but we would hardly need to think about defence if that front four got together!
“I was lucky to play with some great players. When you look back after you have retired, you realise you were fortunate to play with so many great players.
“At the time, you probably didn’t appreciate the level of players and the iconic moments you were involved in with some of the best players in the world.
“The guys I have picked here are not just legends of the football club they played for, but also all-time greats of the game and it’s nice to think I was playing and training alongside them.
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“Henry is up there with one of the best of all-time and then you look at Bale and what he went on to achieve at Real Madrid. Some of the goals he scored were just incredible and in the biggest matches.
“I don’t think Gareth was appreciated as much as he should have been as he is probably Britain’s most successful player to play in a foreign league.
“As for Luka (Modric), he still going at whoever age he is at now. The trophies he has won since he left Spurs have been amazing and he’s right up there with the best players I’ve played with.”
Bentley’s career is a story of what might have been in so many ways, but he seems content with a story that could have delivered so much more.
By Kevin Palmer
You can read part one of our interview with Bentley – where he discusses his early retirement and his wonder goal in the 2008 north London derby – here.