'I scored 100+ Premier League goals but England never rated me - I felt like a fan on duty'

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Most strikers who rack up more than 100 league goals would usually have a guaranteed place in their national team - but for Darren Bent, things were never that straightforward. The former Tottenham , Aston Villa , and Sunderland marksman was jostling for position alongside some of England's greatest ever goalscorers, plus a supporting cast of top strikers worthy of any generation.

At his peak, Bent found himself behind Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen in the pecking order, while the likes of Jermain Defoe , Peter Crouch , and Emile Heskey were, generally, also preferred, making consistent game-time hard to come by.

He earned just 13 caps across a five-year international career - a record that feels all the more surprising given his prolific form at club level. Bent, who is one of just 34 players to have netted over 100 Premier League goals, hit 15 or more in all competitions in a single season on seven separate occasions.

His best return came at Sunderland in 2009/10 when he scored 24 Premier League goals - a tally that Owen, Defoe, Heskey and Crouch never came close to matching, and one that even Rooney only bettered twice.

It's little wonder, then, that Bent admits feeling unfairly overlooked, revealing that during his time with England he often felt like "a glorified fan," convinced he wouldn't be given a chance to play.

"I look at the amount of goals I scored at what we perceive as the best league in the world , the Premier League. To get over 100 goals in that and to have [just] 13 caps, I do think that I should definitely have had a few more," Bent said, speaking to Mirror Football .

"There were times it felt like I was just travelling all over the place and it almost felt like club form was irrelevant because you're scoring goals at club level, you're playing really well, but then you're going away with England and you're just sitting on the bench, watching. "I felt like a glorified fan at times. But listen, I'm still proud that I managed to play for England and score goals for England, but I definitely think I should have had more caps than I did."

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Bent's rise began at Ipswich Town in 2001, where his eye for goal quickly marked him out as one of the brightest young forwards in English football. After graduating from the academy, he made an instant impact in the First Division (now the Championship ), scoring 35 times in two seasons.

His pace, movement, and clinical finishing soon attracted attention from top-flight clubs - and from an early stage, he was earmarked as a future England international. That potential was fully realised following a £2.5million move to Charlton in 2005.

Bent hit the ground running in the Premier League, scoring 18 goals in his debut season - the highest total by an English player that year - and earning his first England call-up in the process. His performances for the Addicks established him as one of the league's most reliable finishers and made him one of the hottest properties outside the 'big four' [ Manchester United , Arsenal , Chelsea and Liverpool ].

However, it still wasn't enough to earn him a place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's 2006 World Cup squad, with Rooney, Owen, Crouch and - controversially - uncapped 17-year-old Theo Walcott getting the nod instead.

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A move to top four-hopefuls Tottenham followed in 2007, with Bent arriving for a club-record £16.5m. The goals kept flowing, but Bent's England caps began to dry up as he struggled for consistent starts in a star-studded Spurs side.

It wasn't until his move to Sunderland in 2009 that Bent rediscovered his very best form. His prolific return on Wearside propelled him back into the England picture, with Bent earning six caps in 2011 - his most in a single calendar year. As it turned out, though, they would also be his last for his country.

"It wasn't written in the stars for me for whatever reason," Bent admitted. "It wasn't meant to be, but still, I've got England shirts hung up in my gym and stuff like that and it's something I'm immensely proud of."

Bent scored 221 goals over the course of a 17-year career in senior football. Of that tally, 106 came in the Premier League - one of which has become a part of English football folklore.

In 2009, while playing for Sunderland against Liverpool, his shot deflected off a beach ball thrown onto the pitch by a fan, ricocheting past a bewildered Pepe Reina . It's remembered as one of the most bizarre and infamous moments in Premier League history.

After leaving Sunderland in 2011, Bent joined Aston Villa before going on to represent Fulham , Brighton , Derby County, and Burton Albion, eventually calling time on his playing career in 2018. Since retiring, he has become a familiar voice to fans as a regular pundit and presenter on talkSPORT.

For all the frustration that came with his England career, Bent's record speaks for itself. A pure goalscorer in an era overflowing with attacking talent, he may never have been the headline act, but his consistency, professionalism and instinct in front of goal earned him respect across the game.

Despite his lack of success at international level, Bent's name remains etched among the Premier League's elite - a stark reminder that sometimes, even the most reliable footballers don't always get the recognition they deserve.

Darren Bent is raising awareness of The Football Association’s Silent Support Weekend. More information is available on the England Football website.

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