Former England striker Darren Bent has opened up about his rift with former Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert and revealed how he was shockingly stripped of the club captaincy just weeks after taking over.
The former Premier League forward said there was a dramatic breakdown in trust and communication that quickly derailed any initial promise at Villa Park.
Bent opened up about the incident while appearing on “In the Mixer.”
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Darren Bent shocked by the humiliation he suffered in Aston Villa’s dressing room under manager Paul Lambert
Bent recalled how Lambert initially had a lot of faith in him after he arrived at Aston Villa in 2012, and that he kept in touch during the off-season, seeking insight into the team and the young players.
“He calls me and asks me what kind of car the young players are in and if they are over the mark,” Bent explained.
After being handed the captaincy during pre-season, Bent believed he was central to Lambert’s plans. However, everything changed with the arrival of Christian Benteke, who would later become Villa’s first-choice striker.
The turning point came ahead of the West Midlands derby against West Bromwich Albion. Bent was rested for midweek’s League Cup match against Manchester City, but Villa won 4-2 and was expected to return to the starting lineup.
Instead, he was brutally left behind without warning.
“He came into the dressing room and turned over the whiteboard and I wasn’t in the team and he went straight out,” Bent said.
When Lambert confronted him, he was told that the captaincy would be handed over to Ron Buller and that he could “focus on scoring goals.”
But when Mr. Bent spoke to Mr. Vlaar, the situation worsened. Mr Vulard revealed that he had already been informed of the changes several days in advance.
“Ron came in and found me and said, ‘Oh, the boss told me about the captaincy thing? Yeah, he talked to me about it last week or the week before last.’ From that game on, it’s never been the same,” Bent admitted.
Aston Villa’s defeat was a turning point in Darren Bent’s career
The captaincy incident was a major turning point in Bent’s Aston Villa career, and his role at the club declined rapidly thereafter.
Bent joined Villa from Sunderland in 2011 for a then club record £24m and immediately made an impact, scoring nine goals in the first half of the season.
However, despite playing for Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland, and having an impressive goalscoring record in the Premier League, his relationship with Lambert never recovered.
He was eventually loaned out to Fulham and Brighton, ending his top-flight influence at Villa Park.
This episode remains a striking example of how quickly a manager’s decisions can change the trajectory of a player’s career at Premier League level.
Bent’s time in the Premier League
Bento’s overall achievements in the top flight have secured him a place as a member of the Premier League’s elite ‘100 Club’.
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During his glittering career in England’s top flight, the striker made 276 appearances in the Premier League, racking up an impressive 106 goals.
