talkSPORT host Andy Goldstein could barely conceal his shock following a rather bold claim from co-host Darren Bent.
With the international break nearing its conclusion, talkSPORT fans were asked for their say on the age-old debate regarding club glory or national team success.
Fans have had their say on whether they prefer success for their club or country[/caption]
A whopping 82 per cent from over 500 respondents said they would prefer to see their club lift a trophy rather than see the Three Lions triumph on the international stage.
Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, Goldstein claimed witnessing England succeed would mean far more than watching his beloved Manchester United win silverware.
However, Bent – a passionate Arsenal supporter – labelled Goldstein ‘nuts’ and revealed he would side with the 82 per cent.
“I want to feel euphoria for north London – and the red part of it,” Bent said.
Goldstein replied by asking Bent if he would take Arsenal winning the Champions League if it meant England would never win another game.
Bent replied: “Yeah, that’s fine with me.”
The Drive host further prodded Bent for how deep his club loyalties ran as he asked the former Premier League marksman if he’d rather see Arsenal win the League Cup or even the Europa Conference League instead of England ending their 59 years of hurt.
“Anything,” Bent replied.
“Anything. I promise you, League Cup, Conference League, anything.”
However, Bent was quick to clarify his tune and insisted his stance was purely from a fan’s perspective.
talkSPORTArsenal fan Bent would rather see the club win the Conference League than England win the World Cup[/caption]
talkSPORTThe former Sunderland striker’s claim left co-host Goldstein stunned[/caption]
“But as a player, I’d take England over anything, I’d win the World Cup over any competition,” Bent said.
“To win the treble as a player or win the World Cup, I’m taking the World Cup, as a player. The World Cup is the pinnacle, but as a fan (club over country)…”
Bent made his England debut against Uruguay in 2006 and went on to win a total of 13 caps, with his last coming in 2011.
He netted four times for the Three Lions, with goals coming against Switzerland, Denmark, Wales and Montenegro.
Although Bent and a majority of the voters on talkSPORT’s poll will have disagreed, there’s plenty out there who may have forgot to vote and would love nothing more than to see England win the World Cup.
The Three Lions have not any silverware since the 1966 World Cup.
Thomas Tuchel has been entrusted with ending the lengthy wait and began his England tenure brightly.
Tuchel’s side got their World Cup qualification off to a strong start as they beat Albania and Latvia 2-0 and 3-0 respectively.
England will next be in action on June 7 when they travel to Andorra for their third World Cup qualification match.
