Marcus Bent

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Personal information
Marcus Bent
Full name	Marcus Bent
Date of birth	19 May 1978
Place of birth	Hammersmith, London, England
Position	Forward
Club information
Current club	Charlton Athletic
Number	7
Professional clubs*
Years	Club	Apps (goals)
1995-1998 1998-1999 1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2004 2003-2004 2004-2006 2006-	Brentford Crystal Palace Port Vale Sheffield United Blackburn Rovers Ipswich Town → Leicester City (loan) Everton Charlton Athletic	67 (7) 28 (5) 23 (1) 48 (20) 37 (8) 61 (21) 30 (9) 55 (7) 26 (3)
* Professional club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:24, 6 December 2006 (UTC). ** National team caps and goals correct as of 19 July 06.

Marcus Bent born 19 May 1978 in Hammersmith, London) is a journeyman English footballer, who in a short career has managed to play for several different professional sides. He currently plays for Charlton Athletic.

He attended St Paul's College in Sunbury-on-Thames and graduated through the Brentford F.C. youth ranks, usually playing as a forward. He played his first senior game at Bury on 17 August 1996, and scored his first senior goal on 10 September the same year, helping Brentford achieve a 3-2 victory over Blackpool. He was almost ever-present in a successful season that saw Brentford reach the Football League Second Division play-offs in May 1997, only to be beaten by Crewe.

In January 1998, he moved to Crystal Palace for £300,000. Almost exactly a year later, in 1999, he went on to become a Port Vale player for £375,000, but stayed only nine months before being released and joining Sheffield United.

After 56 appearances for the Blades, he was sold for £2,050,000 to Blackburn Rovers in November 2000. A year later he was sold to Ipswich for £3 million.

Bent played a season for the Suffolk side, but did not establish himself and went on loan to Premiership side Leicester City for the 2003-04 season during which they were relegated to the Football League First Division.

Before the start of the 2004-05 season, Bent transferred to Everton F.C. for a fee of £450,000. He has been a regular starter at Everton in the lone centre forward role, in the club's most successful start to a season for 24 years. Bent proved to be an exceptional asset to the club, and although he only managed 7 goals, proved to be an excellent team player who proved key in securing draws at Southampton and at home to Aston Villa, as well as winning goals against Middlesbrough and Manchester City. His performances were typified by tireless running and technical prowess, but ever present was his inability to make decisions at critical moments. Disappointingly, Bent's Everton career ended prematurely and he left having made just two starts in the 2005-06 season, scoring 1 goal.

On January 12, 2006 it was announced that Bent had signed for Charlton Athletic in a deal worth £2.3 million re-uniting him with his former teammates Hermann Hreiðarsson (from Palace) and namesake Darren Bent (from Ipswich). Everton Manager David Moyes said "It represents a good profit for us for an average player". Bent had only cost the blues £450,000 from Ipswich Town. He scored on his debut as a substitute against league champions Chelsea in a 1-1 draw.

[edit] Personal life

Bent shares the Cheshire home of actress Gemma Atkinson. Bent ditched fiancee Kelly Clark - mother of his two-year-old daughter - after meeting Gemma at a party just months before a planned wedding.[1] The couple are regulars on the Manchester club scene.[2]

It is expected that Marcus Bent will shortly make a return to Goodison Park in January. The expected fee is disclosed but is expected to involve the swap of Simon Davies.