'Rio Ferdinand squared up to me in a nightclub - I embarrassed him and he didn't like it'

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David Bentley has claimed his iconic hat-trick against Manchester United led to a nightclub confrontation with Rio Ferdinand . The 41-year-old played a starring role as Blackburn Rovers earned a memorable 4-3 win at Ewood Park in February 2006.

The former Arsenal starlet had started the season on loan at Blackburn under manager Mark Hughes. The then-21-year-old agreed to make his move permanent in the January transfer window , sealing the deal on the eve of the club’s clash with United .

Rovers raced into a 3-1 lead during the first half. Bentley opened the scoring by tapping home a rebound from a free-kick and later helped his side regain the lead by pouncing on Rio Ferdinand’s flicked header back after miscommunication with goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. A Lucas Neill penalty rounded off the scoreline at the break.

In the second half, Bentley showcased his quality with a swerving half-volley into the far corner. A brace from Ruud van Nistelrooy failed to salvage a point for Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who were reduced to 10 men after a late red card for Ferdinand. According to Bentley, his post-match comments also frustrated the defender, who sought him out in a nightclub.

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"It was Rio, wasn’t it, I said something. You know what, there’s a story about that. So Rio headed it on to Van Der Sar and I nipped in," Bentley recalled to Clutch 9 Powered by Betway.

"My agent Rob Segal, he’d set up a Sky interview for the day after. That’s what they do, don’t they, get you out there. I’d said a joke about Rio but he got the right hump! Me and him had a little bit of a square up in a nightclub in Manchester over it.

"He didn’t like it because he thought I’d disrespected him. I went, ‘I just want to say thanks to Rio, nice little flick-on.’ He got the hump. Everyone used to be in this same nightclub and he came up and we had a little bit of a dance around for a bit."

Remarkably, his hat-trick would be the only league goals Bentley scored that season but he still played a key role as Blackburn finished sixth to earn a UEFA Cup spot. Meanwhile, United came second to Chelsea , finishing eight points behind Jose Mourinho's side.

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The winger continued to produce stellar performances for Blackburn over the next two seasons. England boss Steve McClaren labelled Bentley the “new David Beckham ” but the Rovers star was made to wait for his senior international debut after controversially withdrawing from U21 duty.

As a result, Bentley was jeered by some England fans when earning his first cap as a substitute against Israel . However, in a full circle moment, it was Ferdinand who leapt to the winger’s defence.

"We had such a good performance and everyone was quite happy but what happened with David left a bad taste in the mouth," Ferdinand said. "The lad is on England duty and you don't expect him to get booed, no matter what has happened in the past.

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"In some quarters, people might say what he did in the summer was a wrong decision but in hindsight, it is easy to say that. He is a young lad, on a learning curve, making his seniors debut for England and he did not deserve to be booed."

Bentley completed a high-profile move to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 but failed to hit the same heights in a Spurs shirt, eventually losing his place to Aaron Lennon. The seven-cap England international was subsequently loaned out to several clubs, including Birmingham City, West Ham United and Russian outfit Rostov.

He made a brief return to Rovers during the 2012/13 season, featuring on seven occasions for the Championship side. Bentley was released by Spurs at the end of the campaign and confirmed his retirement a year later, aged 29.

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