Fact File: Darren Bent

After being announced as Derby County's joint first summer signing, dcfc.co.uk tells you everything you need to know about Darren Bent...

After being announced as Derby County's joint first summer signing, dcfc.co.uk tells you everything you need to know about Darren Bent...

· Born in Tooting, London, Darren Bent’s journey into football began in the youth system of Godmanchester Rovers after moving to Cambridgeshire at the age of 10.

·  Although originally signing for Cambridge United, Bent sealed his first contract with a professional football club at the age of 14 after he joined Ipswich Town as a 14-year-old in 1998.

·  A forward with an eye for goal and a predatory instinct, he quickly worked his way through the Tractor Boys’ youth system to sign his first professional deal on 2 July 2002 and made his debut in the UEFA Cup in a 3-1 victory over Helsingborgs IF in November.

· Later that month, Bent scored his first senior goal in a 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United in the League Cup.

· The forward netted his first Premier League goal towards the end of the season in a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough and finished his first season as a professional footballer with seven appearances and two goals in all competitions.

· Bent shot to prominence after that and became a regular feature on not only the Ipswich team sheet but score sheet.

·  His next three seasons at Portman Road saw him record 18, 16 and 20 goals in the respective seasons as he clocked over 100 appearances as an Ipswich player.

· In June 2005, Bent sealed a move back to the Premier League after signing for Charlton Athletic.

·  Despite a brief stay with the Addicks, the forward continued to regularly find the back of the net as he finished his first season as the highest scoring Englishman with 18 goals to his name and was named Charlton’s Player of the Year.

· Bent, again, finished as the club’s top scorer the following year with 13, but could not prevent them from being relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2006/07 season.

· Bent, though, remained in the top flight after Tottenham Hotspur splashed out a club record fee to bring Bent to White Hart Lane on 29 June 2007.

· After struggling to cement a regular starting spot in his first season, he finished as Spurs’ top scorer at the end of the 2008-09 campaign with 17 goals.

·  The forward was on the move again in the summer of 2009 as he secured a switch up north to the Stadium of Light, the home of Sunderland.

· His one-and-a-half year stay with the Black Cats proved to be his most prolific in football to date as he netted 38 times in just 52 appearances.

·  His form saw him led to another club record transfer move as Aston Villa sealed the forward’s signature in January 2011.

·  He finished the 2010-11 campaign with 17 goals to his name as he continued to find the back of the net at Villa Park.

·  The 2011-2012 proved to be a notable season for the forward as he completed a life-long ambition by joining the select group of players to net 100 Premier League goals following his strike against QPR in February 2012 – only the 21st player to reach the milestone.

· Named Interim Captain at the beginning of the 2012-13 season and started well before losing his place and moving out on loan to Fulham for the entire 2013-14 season where he netted six goals in 30 appearances.

· A loan spell to Brighton & Hove Albion followed the next season where he impressed in a one-month stay before sealing a move to Derby County for the second half of the season where he scored 12 goals in 13 starts.

International Career:

· Darren Bent has represented England at every level on the international stage from the Under 15 group right through to senior level.

·  Again a regular on the score sheet, the forward netted three goals in 10 appearances before scoring the same amount in three outings at Under 19 level.

· Bent stepped up to Under 21 level in 2001 and, again, shows his eye for goal with nine goals in just 14 appearances, which led to him securing his first senior call up in August 2005.

· His England senior debut came in March 2006 in a pre-2006 World Cup match against Uruguay at Anfield.

· Bent has accumulated 13 appearances for his country, in which he has scored four goals on the grandest of stages.

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