Darren Bent
Nationality :
English
Date of Birth :
06/02/1984
Height :
5' 11" (180cm)
Weight :
11st 7lbs (73.09kg)
Squad Number :
9
Previous Clubs :
Sunderland, Tottenham, Ipswich, Charlton, Ipswich
Position :
Striker
Bent-Mania swept across Villa Park when the star striker signed for Villa in the January transfer window of 2011.
Darren Bent was paraded to the media following his record-breaking transfer from Sunderland and immediately promised that most precious commodity to the cause - goals.
And he didn't renege on his pledge, bagging nine before the end of the 2010-11 campaign to help Villa to a highly respectable ninth-place finish in the Barclays Premier League.
It couldn't have started better, with the fab forward scoring the winner on his debut in a vital 1-0 home victory over big guns Manchester City.
He subsequently scored in defeats to Manchester United and Bolton on the road before hitting a brace in the important 2-2 draw with Everton, Villa at the time in the middle of a relegation scrap and eager for points.
He bagged the first in the vital 2-1 win at West Ham before a fine solo effort against Stoke in a 1-1 draw, heading home brilliantly from the edge of the box.
He saved his best for his boyhood club, Arsenal, hitting another brace which saw the claret and blue notch up a mightily-brilliant 2-0 win at the Emirates.
His first of that game was breathtaking - controlling mid-air before finishing with aplomb.
Those nine goals left him on 91 in his career and he is already planning on getting into the top-flight ton club sharpish during the 2011-12 campaign.
His continued prowess in front of goal has hardly been a surprise looking at his career record.
Bent made his name at Ipswich Town, graduating from the club's academy before making his senior debut in October 2001, with his first goal coming against Newcastle in the same month.
His haul of 55 goals in 116 starts at Portman Road saw him attract the attention of a number of Premier League clubs.
Charlton Athletic eventually bagged his signature in June 2005 for an initial fee of £2.5m - and Bent wasted little time at the Valley.
He made an instant impact with two goals on his Addicks debut in a 3-1 win at Sunderland on the first day of the 2005-06 season.
His two-year spell at Charlton brought 37 goals in 79 matches - a record that earned him a mega-bucks move to Tottenham Hotspur.
It took a reported £16.5m for Spurs to take the forward across London in June 2007.
Although opportunities were limited at White Hart Lane, Bent left with an impressive record of 25 goals in 43 starts and was the club's top scorer in 2008-09.
His form at Sunderland prompted the move to Villa Park - and Bent hasn't looked back.
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