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Former Tottenham star makes frank admission as to why he quit the game

David Bentley - Tottenham Hotspur in action against Los Angeles Galaxy (Reuters)
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Ex-Tottenham Hotspur man David Bentley believes the game has changed over the past decade, and not in a good way.

General view of construction at White Hart Lane before the matchGeneral view of White Hart Lane

Ex-Spurs star David Bentley sat down for an exclusive interview with 888sport, and explained how his loss of love for the game eventually led to his early retirement, before his 30th birthday.

Bentley, now 32, played for seven different clubs during his 12 year career in the game, making a total of 266 appearances in all competitions.

He was perhaps most well-known for his stint at White Hart Lane with Tottenham, after he made the £15 million move from Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2008.

But he never really lived up to his great potential in north London, and went on to spend four separate loan spells away from the club, before finally calling time on his career in 2014, at the age of just 29.

And the Peterborough born ex-Spurs man explained the real reason why he fell out of love with the game, during an exclusive interview with 888sport:

David Bentley - Tottenham Hotspur in action against Los Angeles GalaxyDavid Bentley

“It’s a job now. Everything is so serious and money has ruined the game. You can have as much money in your pocket as you want but if you don’t love what you love to do then you won’t be happy. Money has ruined the game and even ruined it for players in a funny sort of way because it’s no longer enjoyable. It’s through the whole game – you can’t drink or stand up or shout at a game. They always talk about how much bigger and better the game is but what they mean is there is just more money.”

Whilst Tottenham have gone from strength-to-strength since Bentley’s retirement, Spurs fans will surely still think what might have been, had the talented attacking midfielder fulfilled his potential.

Read the full 888sport interview with David Bentley, including his thoughts on why it’s time for Wenger to leave

Tottenham fans before the gameTottenham fans