Listen to the full interview via the podcast
At the start of the noughties, midfielder David Bentley was seen as one of the next big things to come out of the Arsenal academy.
However, 12 years on, the ex-England international has called time on his career at the tender age of 29.
The player who also represented Blackburn and Tottenham, as well as loan spells at other English clubs and one Russian side, has decided to concentrate on his restaurant business, having drifted out of the game.
Tonight, he chatted to Joe about the decision to call time on his career.
"My contract ended with Tottenham last July. Then me and the missus had little baby twins. She fell pregnant around September or October and then I just fell into looking after her and when the twins were coming I didn't want to be away from them. And then I decided that I quite enjoyed not playing anymore. So I've fallen into not playing, really," he admitted, who added that other aspects of the modern football career had taken the "excitement and fun" out of things.
Bentley revealed that a sort of falling out of love with aspects of football had progressed over time with the "pure, artistic" side disappearing out of the game and being replaced by cold analytics, making it more like a job.
"I didn't like that side of things. I always battled with it. I always wanted to enjoy every minute of it. It's a shame it's gone that way," said the man who joined Arsenal at 13.
Bentley also spoke to Joe about the way expressive players are being stifled within the English game because of the pressures on managers.
He also touched on what the future holds for him after drifting away from football and why "chasing the pound note" will not lead to happiness and he confirmed that he had turned down offers to return.
Bentley also discussed the moment he threw a bucket of water over Harry Redknapp in 2010 and how that affected on their relationship.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
