David Bentley came out of his sporting retirement on Wednesday night by taking part in a Gaelic football match for Crossmaglen Rangers.

The 30-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn and Arsenal winger, who retired from football last year after claiming to have “fallen out of love with the game”, switched codes as part of a documentary for Irish television and impressed on his debut in the sport, scoring three points for the Northern Ireland GAA club.

Aaron Kernan, who recently retired as a Gaelic footballer, will train with Sunderland FC in a reciprocal arrangement for the show, and the former Crossmaglen man has also got Bentley to work for his estate agent business while he is in the South Amagh town.

“To hear that he has enjoyed his first night with us and that there is that excitement around the town and the club is fantastic”, Kernan said.

“I know it mightn’t have been that great for an English man walking around the streets 20 years ago but we’ve moved on well from that. He is working for myself, as a property, sales and lettings management agent. He has his car and all so he’s off trying to let out a few properties.”

Bentley, who signed for Tottenham from Blackburn for £15m in 2008, made seven appearances for England, but struggled in his time at Spurs and had unsuccessful loan spells at Birmingham City, Blackburn, Rostov and West Ham.

Since his retirement last June, Bentley has opened a restaurant in Marbella but seems to have jumped at the chance to put his boots on again.