Full name: Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov
Date of birth: 30 January 1981 (1981-01-30) (age 29)
Place of birth: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Height: 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)
Playing position: Striker
Current club: Manchester United
Number: 9
The Player
Dimitar Berbatov is a classy and complete centre-forward, pairing the ability to ruthlessly and regularly find the net inside the box with the aptitude to create moments of sheer magic outside it.
Sir Alex likes players with plenty of charisma in the way they play, and the Bulgarian’s languid style is instantly recognisable on the field. It’s also an approach that has drawn comparisons with former United talisman Eric Cantona.
Like the captivating Frenchman, Berbatov loves to entertain with the ball at his feet, and he also shares Cantona's happy knack for scoring important (often late) goals.
Early Life
Berbatov's father, Ivan, was a professional footballer with Pirin Blagoevgrad, and CSKA Sofia, and his mother, Margarita, was a professional handball player. As a youngster, Berbatov supported Milan and modelled himself on Marco van Basten, until Euro '96 in England, when the then fifteen year old discovered a new role model in Alan Shearer, of Newcastle United, even sleeping in a Newcastle shirt. His mother later spoke of Dimitar's dream of playing for Newcastle one day.
Club Career
Berbatov's career began at Pirin Blagoevgrad, where he played until he was spotted by legendary CSKA Sofia scout and manager Dimitar Penev.
CSKA Sofia
At the age of just 17, Berbatov moved to CSKA Sofia following in the footsteps of his father, Ivan, who also played for the club as a left winger and later as a defender. He played for CSKA Sofia in the Bulgarian A PFG between 1998 and January 2001, making his debut as an 18-year-old in the 1998–99 season. He started to make his name the following year when he scored 14 goals in 27 league games and won the Bulgarian Cup in 1999.
At the age of 18 Berbatov was kidnapped following a training session as Bulgarian gangster Georgi Iliev, who has since been killed, tried to coerce the striker to sign for his own club, Levski Kjustendil.
In June 2000 he was about to be signed by Serie A side Lecce. Former U.S. Lecce Director of football Pantaleo Corvino stated in an interview that Berbatov had already undergone a medical, but when it came to signing the contract, the move collapsed, probably due to another request by the player himself.
Bayer Leverkusen
A run of nine goals in 11 games in 2000–01 was enough to persuade Bayer Leverkusen to sign Berbatov in January 2001. Berbatov had a slow start to his Leverkusen career with just 16 goals in his first 67 appearances for the club. He did however play a crucial role in the Champions League during his first full season with the club scoring a memorable solo effort against Lyon with an excellent piece of skill, as well as a goal against Liverpool in the quarter finals. He also played a part in the final against Real Madrid coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdaric after 38 minutes.
In 2001–02, Leverkusen were runners-up in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. During the 2002–03 Bundesliga season, Berbatov established his place as the first-choice forward at Bayer Leverkusen, and scored a well taken goal against Manchester United in September 2002. However, it was not until the 2003–04 season that he really began to shine, scoring 16 goals in 24 starts. The following two seasons saw him go from strength to strength, netting another 46 goals including five in the Champions League 2004–05, raising awareness of his talent and generating interest from teams throughout Europe.
Tottenham Hotspur
In May 2006 Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for Berbatov's transfer for a fee of €16million (£10.9 million), making him the most expensive Bulgarian player in history. After being granted a work permit, the transfer was completed and Berbatov joined Tottenham on 1 July 2006, donning the number nine shirt.
Berbatov ended the 2006–07 season with 12 goals in 33 appearances in the Premier League. Berbatov won both the Tottenham Hotspur player of the season award and was also included in the FA Premier League's PFA Team of the Season.
Berbatov played in his first cup final for Tottenham on 24 February 2008 in the Football League Cup at Wembley Stadium against Chelsea in which he scored an equalising penalty. Tottenham went on to win the game 2–1 after extra time, with Berbatov collecting his first trophy in English football. On 9 March, Berbatov scored a brace of headers in the 4–0 demolition of West Ham United. He ended the season with 15 league goals.
The 2008–09 season began in circumstances when Berbatov's desires for greener pastures dominated tabloid headlines. After a newspaper quoted Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson as saying he expected to sign Berbatov, Tottenham submitted a complaint to the Premier League alleging that Manchester United had broken Premier League rules. Ongoing rumours of a substantial bid by United unsettled the striker, and despite training with Tottenham, Berbatov was dropped for the games against Sunderland[33] and Chelsea. Before the close of the transfer window, Ferguson described his feelings as "less optimistic" about securing new signings.
Manchester United
After much speculation, Berbatov completed a move to Manchester United on 1 September 2008 for a fee of £30.75 million, with Fraizer Campbell joining Tottenham on a season-long loan and Tottenham's complaint to the Premier League withdrawn as part of the deal. This came despite Tottenham accepting a bid for Berbatov from Manchester City on the same day. Berbatov's contract to United is for four years, and he wears the number 9 shirt previously worn by Louis Saha. Berbatov later insisted he never even considered a move to Manchester City. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger accused Tottenham of using the complaint to the Premier League as a trick for negotiations in order to get a better price, and expressed his doubt about the genuineness and validity of the complaint.
Berbatov came under criticism from some sections of supporters due to his disappointing goal return. This led to suggestions that he might leave United in the summer transfer window after just two seasons at Old Trafford, speculation which was denied by Sir Alex Ferguson.
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