Dimitar Berbatov is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for Premiership giants Manchester United. He is considered as one of the best centre forwards in the game currently, and is a five time Bulgarian player of the year.
Berbatov was born on January 30, 1981 in the poor west Bulgarian mining town of Blagoevgrad. His father Ivan, played for CSKA Sofia, and mother Margarita, was a handball player. He also has a younger brother named Asen, whom he is very close to. The family was not very well off, and young Dimitar had a tough life while growing up.
His first club was local side FC Pirin. As a schoolboy, Berbatov was asked to play as a goalkeeper because his friends could not simply keep up with him when he played upfront. His talent was spotted by CSKA Sofia boss Dimitar Penev, the man who led Bulgaria to a third placed finish at the 1994 World Cup. CSKA signed him from Pirin for a fee of 50 footballs and 20 pairs of boots.
As a teenager, Berbatov idolised Newcastle and Alan Shearer after watching Euro 1996. He was also a big Marco Van Basten fan in the early years of his life. He never missed an opportunity to watch the Magpies in action on television.
Berbatov scored 25 goals in fifty appearances for CSKA and once slammed in five when CSKA whipped Constructorul Chisinau 8-0 in UEFA Cup qualifying. At the age of 18 in November 1999, he made his debut for the national team against Greece. In January 2001, days before his 20th birthday, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen for a reported £1.3m.
Berbatov took time to get into his stride in Germany. He was part of the Leverkusen side that lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League the following season along with the likes of Yildiray Basturk, Michael Ballack and Lucio. Berbatov came on as a substitute for the injured Thomas Brdaric, and forced Iker Casillas to make a couple of excellent saves towards the end of the game. Berbatov also scored against Lyon in the group stage and Liverpool in the quarterfinal.
In his last three seasons at the Bay Arena, Berbatov struck an amazing fifty seven goals in a hundred league appearances, and soon attracted the attention of scouts all over Europe. Interest came from top clubs in Spain, Italy and England, and he finally moved to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £10.9m. He made his debut for Spurs in a pre season friendly against French side Bordeaux.
Berbatov may not be the striker with the fastest legs, but few will disagree that the Bulgarian is the most technically gifted forward in the Premiership. His silken touches make you feel that you are indeed watching the Beautiful game, and he is always aware of the goings on around him. Tall and formidable in the air, he is also a ruthless finisher, but one blessed with plenty of grace and finesse. In December 2007, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger compared him to Thierry Henry.
Berbatov made a number of eye catching appearances for Spurs, including a splendid European outing against Braga. He was voted the club’s player of the 2006-07 season by Tottenham fans, and was also named in the PFA Team of the Year. He also scored a hat trick for the Lilywhites against Reading in December 2007. With Spurs not able to break into the top four, it was only time before another big club came offering the cash for Berbatov, who firmly believed that his talents were Champions League worthy.
United were tipped as the hot favourites to sign Berbatov, but Spurs’ asking fee of £30 million was proving to be a bit too much for Sir Alex Ferguson, who had also considered signing Berbatov when Ruud Van Nistelrooy left Old Trafford. Despite a shock last minute bid from Manchester City, United finally had their man for £30.75 million on the last day of the 2008 summer transfer window, with Fraizer Campbell moving the other way on a loan deal. Berbatov scored 23 goals in both his seasons at White Hart Lane. Berbatov later stated that it was his dream to join United and he had not changed clubs for financial reasons. He added that had it had been a matter of money, he would have joined either Chelsea or Man City.
Berbatov made his United debut in a high profile clash against Liverpool, which the Red Devils ended up losing 2-1. He scored his first United goal in the Champions League against Danish side Aalborg. Berbatov’s first Premiership goal came in October 2008 against West Bromwich Albion.
Berbatov is also the current skipper of the Bulgarian national side, having been given the captain’s armband by Hristo Stoitchkov in Match 2007. He scored his first goal for Bulgaria against Chile in February 2000, and is likely to overtake Hristo Bonev as their all time top scorer soon. He was also part of the Bulgarian team at Euro 2004.
Berbatov wore the number 9 jersey at Tottenham as Shearer wore the same number at Newcastle. He also wears No.9 at Manchester United.
According to Futebol Finance, Berbatov is currently the 37th best paid football player in the world. He reportedly earns around €4,86,0000 a year ( Report came out in February 2009)
Berbatov reportedly learnt English by watching the Godfather movies. He has not forgotten his roots, and regularly donates to charities in his native Bulgaria. He is the first Bulgarian UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
The next few years are likely to see Berbatov score his way into the annals of football history. Watch out for Mitko ( Berbatov’s nickname)!!!