Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov (Bulgarian: Димитър Иванов Бербатов, [diˈmitər bɛrˈbatɔf]; born 30 January 1981)[1] is a Bulgarianfootballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United of England and is the all-time leading goalscorer for the Bulgarian national team.[3] He has won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a record six times, surpassing the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov.[4]

Born in Blagoevgrad, Berbatov began his football career with his local club, Pirin Blagoevgrad, but joined CSKA Sofia as a 17-year-old in 1998.[5] In January 2001, he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen, and 18 months later, he played in his first UEFA Champions League final, coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdarić in the 2002 final against Real Madrid. After five-and-a-half years with Leverkusen, he was signed by Tottenham Hotspur, before joining Manchester United two years later. He played in his second Champions League final in 2009, competing against Barcelona. Berbatov is one of four players in Premier League history to have scored five goals in a single Premier League match.

Early life

Berbatov's father, Ivan, was a professional footballer with Pirin Blagoevgrad, and CSKA Sofia,[5] and his mother, Margarita, was a professional handball player.[6] As a youngster, Berbatov supported Milan and modelled himself on Marco van Basten, until Euro '96in England, when the then fifteen year old discovered a new role model in Alan Shearer,[7] of Newcastle United, even sleeping in a Newcastle shirt.[8] His mother later spoke of Dimitar's dream of playing for Newcastle one day.[9]

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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.

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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.[10]

In June 2000 he was about to be signed by Serie A side Lecce.[11] Former U.S. Lecce Director of football Pantaleo Corvino stated in an interview[12] that Berbatov had already undergone a medical, but when it came to signing the contract, the move collapsed, probably due to another request[12] by the player himself.

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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 againstLyon 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.

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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.[13]

He scored two goals in two minutes in his first match as a Tottenham player against Birmingham City in a pre-season friendly.[14] Berbatov scored his first competitive Tottenham goal two minutes into his home debut in the Premier League, game against Sheffield United at White Hart Lane.

In the group stage of the UEFA Cup, Berbatov scored a goal each against Besiktas[15] and Dinamo Bucharest as well as a brace against Club Brugge,[16] which helped Tottenham secured top spot in Uefa Cup Group B.[17]

Despite his good form in European competition, Berbatov took a while to adapt to the Premier League. However, he soon began to regain the league form he had shown at Leverkusen with an excellent performance against Wigan Athletic, scoring one and creating the other two in a 3–1 win.[18] On 9 December 2006, Berbatov scored his first Premier League brace for Spurs in a 5–1 victory for his side against Charlton Athletic.[19] On 18 February 2007 Berbatov came on as a second half substitute against Fulham in the FA Cup to score his first two goals in the competition.[20] Berbatov scored his first away goal in the Premier League at Goodison Park against Everton, a first-time shot from around the penalty spot after an Aaron Lennon cross. Spurs went on to win the match 2–1.[21]

Berbatov and Spurs team-mate Robbie Keane were named joint winners of the Premier League Player of the Month award for April, becoming the first players to share the award since Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp and Edu in February 2004.[22] Berbatov had two goals included in the BBC's goal of the month competition shortlist for April 2007, with his efforts againstWigan Athletic and Middlesbrough being included.[23] He scored the 100th goal of Tottenham's 2006–07 season with the first goal of a 2–0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 7 May 2007. On 13 May 2007, he scored his 23rd goal of the season against Manchester City to secure a UEFA Cup place for Tottenham.[24]

Berbatov ended the 2006–07 season with 12 goals in 33 appearances in the Premier League.[25] 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.[26]

[edit]2007–08 season

After Spurs narrowly lost to Arsenal in the North London derby on 22 December 2007, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger compared Berbatov to Thierry Henry.[27]

His first Spurs Premier League hat-trick came on 29 December 2007 after he bagged four goals in a 6–4 win against Reading.[28]

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.[29] On 9 March, Berbatov scored a brace of headers in the 4–0 demolition of West Ham United.[30]

He ended the season with 15 league goals.[25]

[edit]2008–09 season

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.[31][32]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.[34]Before the close of the transfer window, Ferguson described his feelings as "less optimistic" about securing new signings.[35]

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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.[36][37] This came despite Tottenham accepting a bid for Berbatov from Manchester City on the same day.[38] Berbatov's contract to United is for four years,[39] and he wears the number 9 shirt previously worn by Louis Saha. Berbatov later insisted he never even considered a move to Manchester City.[40] 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.[41]

Berbatov marked his Manchester United debut with an assist to a Carlos Tévez goal away to Liverpool but United went on to lose the game 2–1.[42] He scored his first two goals for Manchester United in their 3–0 win away to Aalborg BK in the Champions League group stage on 30 September 2008.[43] He scored the third goal in a 4–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion to mark his first Premier League goal as a Manchester United player. On 29 October 2008, Berbatov assisted Cristiano Ronaldo to open the scoring in Manchester United's home game against West Ham United after using deft footwork to get past defender James Collins. On 17 January 2009, he scored a last-minute goal to secure a 1–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers and help United to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in the season.[44] Alex Ferguson defended Berbatov after the Bulgarian was the subject of much criticism for a penalty miss in the FA Cup 2008–09 semi-final against Everton, with Manchester United eventually losing to Everton in the penalty shoot-out.[45] Soon after, Berbatov scored the fifth of United's goals as they came back from 2–0 down at half-time to win 5–2 against his former team, Tottenham Hotspur on 25 April 2009.[46] Manchester United won the Premier League on 16 May 2009 with a 0–0 draw at home to Arsenal, to make him the first Bulgarian to win the competition.[47] In the same season Berbatov made 10 assists in the Premier League and finished joint second (along with Fabregas, Gerrard and Lampard) behind league leader Robin van Persie with 11.[48]

Berbatov playing for Manchester United [edit]2009–10 season

Berbatov scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against Wigan Athletic on 22 August 2009, scoring the second goal of a 5–0 away win.[49] On 3 October 2009, three days after an inspiring performance against Wolfsburg in the Champions League,[50] he produced a scissor-kick finish for the first of United's two equalisers against Sunderland.[51] He scored again on 31 October with a sublime control and finish against Blackburn Rovers [52] but he got an injury in that game that kept him out of the team for more than a month. He scored again after nearly two months against Hull on the 27 December 2009. He scored the fourth goal in the very next game, a 5–0 home win against Wigan Athletic. Dimitar scored his ninth goal in thePremier League in the 3–1 defeat to Everton. That goal also meant that he had scored five goals in his last five league starts. His tenth league goal came against Fulham after a run of strong performances. He also provided the assist for Wayne Rooney's second. On 27 March 2010, he scored his first league brace for the club in a 4–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers.

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.[citation needed]

[edit]2010–11 season

Berbatov scored United's first goal of pre-season on 16 July 2010, in a 3–1 friendly win over Celtic at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada.[53] On 8 August, he scored United's third goal in the 92nd minute of their 3–1 win over Chelsea in the 2010 Community Shield. After some sharp inter-play from Fletcher, Giggs and Nani, the Portuguese lifted the ball through for Berbatov who then lobbed it over the advancing Chelsea goalkeeper, Hilário.[54] Just eight days later Berbatov scored his and United's first league goal of theseason, opening the scoring in their 3–0 home victory over Newcastle United in their opening fixture.[55] On 29 August, Berbatov completed the scoring in a 3–0 home win over West Ham United.[56] On 11 September, Berbatov netted his fourth goal of the season in a 3–3 away draw against Everton.[57] On 19 September, he scored his first hat-trick for United in a 3–2 home win against Liverpool. The second goal, which was a fantastic overhead kick, became a contender for Goal of the Season.[58] This was the first hat-trick by a Manchester United player against Liverpool in 64 years, since Stan Pearson in a 5–0 victory in 1946.[59] On 4 October, Berbatov's fine start to the season was rewarded as he was named PFA Fans' Player of the Month, taking the honour ahead of Chelsea trio Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Nicholas Anelka.[60] Berbatov made his 100th appearance for United on 10 November in a 0–0 away league draw in the Manchester derby.[61] On 25 November, Berbatov was one of six United players named on a 55-man shortlist for the FIFPro World XI 2010.[62] On 27 November, Berbatov tied a Premier League record as he scored five goals in a 7–1 home victory over Blackburn, equalling the feat achieved by Andrew Cole, Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe (and becoming the first and only non-English player to do so).[63]

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International career

Berbatov made his debut for Bulgaria on 17 November 1999 in a friendly match against Greece. On 12 February 2000, he scored his first goal for the national side in a friendly matchagainst Chile. On 14 October 2009, he netted a hat-trick in the 6–2 home win in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Georgia, enabling him to bring his goal tally for the national side to 46 goals, just one short of the then all-time top scorer for Bulgaria Hristo Bonev. On 18 November 2009, he scored two goals against Malta for a 4–1 away win in a friendly match and became the all-time top scorer of the national team of Bulgaria. Yet, although his good performances for Bulgaria, the only big international competition he played in was Euro 2004.

Berbatov was also the captain of the team from 2006 to 2010, succeeding Stiliyan Petrov in 2006. On 13 May 2010, Berbatov announced his retirement from international football, citing his growing disillusionment with the side amid recent criticism of his performances, as well as some personal concerns. He said of his retirement: "It was a difficult decision, but sometimes we have to take difficult decisions."[64]

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International goals

Updated to games played 18 November 2009.[65]

[show]#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition

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Career statistics

ClubSeasonLeagueCupLeague CupContinentalOther[66]Total AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Total502595–67006537 Total154681213403090020090 Total7027759216120010246 Total773241201842110338 Career total3511523224152703221470214

Statistic correct as of matches played 27 November 2010[67]

[68] [69]

Bulgaria national team YearAppsGoals Total7748

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Honours

• Bulgarian Cup (1): 1998–99

Tottenham Hotspur

• Football League Cup (1): 2007–08

Manchester United

• Premier League (1): 2008–09
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008
• Football League Cup (1): 2009–10
• FA Community Shield (1): 2010

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Individual

• Bulgarian Man of the Year (1): 2009[70]
• Bulgarian Footballer of the Year (6): 2002,[71] 2004,[71] 2005,[71] 2007,[71] 2008,[71] 2009[71]
• Tottenham Hotspur Club Player of the Year (1): 2006–07[72]
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year (1): 2006–07[73]
• Premier League Player of the Month (2): April 2007 September 2010*[74]

(*Jointly shared with Robbie Keane)

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Personal life

Berbatov learned the English language by watching the "Godfather" films.[75] Outside of football, he lists his hobbies as drawing andbasketball.[76] Berbatov is a sponsor of children's charities in his native Bulgaria, supporting five care homes.[77] He also has plans to open a football academy in his hometown – Blagoevgrad.[77]

On 15 October 2009, Berbatov's longtime girlfriend, Elena, gave birth to their first child, a girl named Dea, at a hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria.[78]On 28 July 2010, The Sun reported that Berbatov's brother, Asen, had been missing for a month after running up business debts at a boutique that he runs with wife Mimi. However, a day later his mother denied the rumours stating that she is constantly in touch with her son.[79]

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