Before making the leap to football, Roy Bentley served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War. It was afterwards that he began his football career by playing for both Bristol City and Bristol Rovers.
The next chapter of his soccer life took him to Newcastle, where he spent the next 2 years. He was a part of a side that had talented players like Jackie Milburn, Len Shackleton and Charlie Wayman.
Bentley's time at Newcastle didn't result in any silverware though, with the closest being the FA Cup semi-finalists in the 1946–47. The Magpies were defeated 4-0 by eventual winners Charlton Athletic in the semi-final.
Let us now look at how the rest of Bentley's career panned out, including his historic run with Chelsea.
Chelsea's history making captain
It was in 1948 that Bentley signed for Chelsea, with the transfer fee being £11,000. One of the surprising reasons for his Move to the club was the doctor's recommendation to shift to South for solving his occasional lung problems. Bentley joined Chelsea as a replacement for Tommy Lawton, who ironically had joined them for the same reason.
The former English forward's early life at Chelsea was a lacklustre one, as Bentley failed to adapt to their style of play. His debut ended in a 4-2 loss against Huddersfield Town, and he only registered 3 goals in his first four months at the club.
However, Bentley's fortunes at Chelsea ended up changing drastically. He was one of the pioneers of the centre forward position, which caused major havoc for defenders at the time. This playing style, combined with his aerial prowess and power shooting abilities resulted in Bentley ending the season with 23 goals. Not only did he end the campaign as Chelsea's top scorer, but his heroics also resulted in first England call-up.
Chelsea's league form at this time was quite irregular, but Bentley was a shining figure nonetheless.
He was a key part of Chelsea's first major FA Cup run for almost two decades in 1950. He scored important goals against the likes of Chesterfield and Manchester United, which took Chelsea all the way till the semis. Bentley scored a brace in the semi-final as well, but those contributions went in vain as Arsenal overcame Chelsea to reach the finals.
The heartbreak repeated 2 years later as well, with the same Arsenal inflicted defeat on Chelsea in yet another FA Cup semi-final. This was followed by the arrival of Ted Drake as Chelsea's new manager, which became a landmark moment for the club.
Within three years, Bentley led Chelsea to history by becoming their first ever League winning captain. The skipper was instrumental in achieving the historic feat as well, as he scored 21 goals in that campaign.
Bentley stayed at Chelsea for one more season, as the ageing side was being broken up and revamped by Drake. He left the club in 1956 with 150 goals in 367 appearances, which made him Chelsea's all-time goal scorer at the time. Bentley was in fact the club's top scorer in each of his 8 seasons at the club. The Englishman currently sits at 5th position in Chelsea's all-time scoring chart.
Final years
Bentley's next chapter in football led him to Chelsea's West London neighbours Fulham. He signed for the club in 1956, and was converted into a centre-half. The Englishman managed to reach yet another FA Cup semi-final in 1958, but yet again suffered the same heartbreaking fate with Fulham.
After 4 years at Fulham, Bentley joined Queens Park Rangers. He spent the final 2 years of his career at QPR, before bidding farewell to the Beautiful Game.
Also Read | Chelsea FC All-Time Best XI
