David Bentley: Heir To The Throne

His preferred position is wide-right midfielder.

He changes his hair the way other men change their underwear.

His delivery on set-pieces is sublime.

His opponents say he’s arrogant, but his teammates say he’s simply misunderstood.

He was the first Englishman to score at the new Wembley, off of a free kick no less.

No, this isn't an article about David Beckham—though with that description, and the name David Bentley, you can understand the confusion.

After rotting on the bench at Arsenal for three years and underachieving on loan at Norwich City for another, Bentley is the hottest thing in the Premier League.

The youngster originally signed on-loan with Blackburn Rovers in 2005, and impressed manager Mark Hughes enough to earn himself a permanent deal.

In his first match after signing his contract, he scored a memorable hat-trick against Manchester United to give the Rovers a 4-3 victory.

At the start of the next season, Bentley picked up right where he left off. On a cool night in Austria, he scored one of his most impressive goals to date in helping his team progress in the UEFA Cup.

His performances even earned him a new bumper contract in February.

Though Blackburn finished only 10th in the league, they made it to the semifinals of the FA Cup before falling to Chelsea 2-1 in extra time.

With seven goals and 13 assists, Bentley’s contributions were so vital and visible that fans named him the 2006-07 Rovers' Player of the Year.

As it stands, Bentley has shown that he's mastered club football, and has continued to shine in the new season.

But he's still waiting for his shot with English National Team.

Bentley has just two caps for the senior team, both substitute appearances. While there's no doubt that his ability is superior to that of Beckham and Shaun Wright-Phillips, Bentley's determination and patriotism have been questioned after he pulled out of the European Under-21 Championships.

Bentley has said time and again that he's honored to play for England—but that he was physically and mentally exhausted after playing his first full season in the Premier League and making several lengthy Cup runs.

As far as I'm concerned, it's completely understandable for a player to choose to sit out when he knows he won’t be at his best.
 
David Bentley has shown that he has the talent to be one of the best players in the world. Even football pundits are slowly coming around to the idea that he’s a rising star.

Earning a starting place in the England squad is one of the few challenges left for the midfielder—and one on which he will certainly make good sooner than later.

Steve McClaren once called Bentley the "new Beckham."

In fact, he’s all that and a whole lot more.