42 Facts About Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov is regarded as one of the greatest Bulgarian players of all time.

Dimitar Berbatov had later spells in France with Monaco, Greece with PAOK, and India with Kerala Blasters, before retiring in 2019.

Dimitar Berbatov made his debut for Bulgaria on 17 November 1999, aged 18.

Dimitar Berbatov represented Bulgaria at Euro 2004 which was the only major tournament he played at for his country, owing to the team's failure to qualify for other tournaments.

Dimitar Berbatov captained the team from 2006 until May 2010, when he announced his retirement from international football, leaving his tally for Bulgaria standing at 48 goals from 78 matches.

Dimitar Berbatov won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, surpassing the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov.

Dimitar Berbatov idolised England and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer.

Dimitar Berbatov began his youth career with his home-town club, Pirin, where his talent was spotted and he scored 77 goals for their reserve team in 92 appearances.

Dimitar Berbatov won the Bulgarian Cup with CSKA at the end of that season.

Dimitar Berbatov nearly signed for Italian side Lecce in June 2000, even passing a medical before the move collapsed at the last minute.

Dimitar Berbatov played for the club's reserve team in the Oberliga Nordrhein at first, and scored six goals in seven appearances before being promoted to the first team.

Dimitar Berbatov found himself being used as a substitute by manager Berti Vogts, making six appearances and scoring no goals as Leverkusen finished fourth and qualified for the following season's UEFA Champions League.

Tottenham had accepted a bid from Manchester City, but Dimitar Berbatov claimed after signing for United that he "would not even have thought about Manchester City".

When Manchester United won the Premier League on 16 May 2009, Dimitar Berbatov became the first Bulgarian to play in an English Premier League title-winning team.

Alex Ferguson on Dimitar Berbatov following his hat-trick against Liverpool in September 2010.

Dimitar Berbatov was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year for a record seventh time on 20 December 2010.

Dimitar Berbatov shared the Premier League Golden Boot award with his former Manchester United teammate.

Dimitar Berbatov appeared from the substitute's bench against Chelsea, replacing the injured Javier Hernandez.

Dimitar Berbatov made his first start of the season in the following game, a League Cup third round clash with rivals Leeds United.

Dimitar Berbatov played the full game and was required to play at centre back for the last 10 minutes; youngster Zeki Fryers picked up an injury and United had already used all three permitted substitutes.

Dimitar Berbatov scored his 50th goal for Manchester United in all competitions, thus becoming Manchester United's 50th player to score 50 goals for the club.

On 31 August 2012, it was announced Dimitar Berbatov had signed a two-year contract with Fulham for an undisclosed fee.

Dimitar Berbatov left the club on 1 June 2015, after the club decided against renewing his contract, with Monaco releasing a statement praising the 34-year-old for his "character, his professionalism and his great talent".

On 2 September 2015, it was announced that Dimitar Berbatov had signed a one-year contract with Greek club PAOK.

Dimitar Berbatov scored his first goal against ATK on 8 February 2018.

Dimitar Berbatov was mainly used as a substitute or as a defensive midfielder instead of his prime position as a striker and commented that the then Kerala Blasters manager David James used "absurd tactics".

Dimitar Berbatov left the club at the end of the regular season in March 2018.

Dimitar Berbatov captained the team from 2006 until May 2010, when he announced his retirement from international football, leaving his tally for Bulgaria standing at 48 goals from 78 matches.

In February 2012, newly appointed Bulgaria head coach Lyuboslav Penev revealed that Dimitar Berbatov was willing to consider coming out of international retirement and participate in an upcoming friendly against Hungary.

Dimitar Berbatov eventually decided against accepting a call-up for the match, as he didn't feel that he was in top shape, but at the time did not rule out a return to the national side at some point in the future.

Dimitar Berbatov was known for his footballing intelligence, technical ability, ball control, and composure; in particular, his unhurried stance in front of goal was described by The Scotsman's Tom Lappin as "elegant and calm".

Dimitar Berbatov possessed exceptional precision when passing and shooting, and took his time when on attack in order to ensure the best move possible.

Dimitar Berbatov was deployed as a lone striker at times, due to his goalscoring ability.

Whereas Rooney was known for exerting himself vigorously for the entirety of a match, Dimitar Berbatov employed a more laid-back and composed style, and because of this was sometimes criticised by observers who interpreted this as laziness; he was accused of being inconsistent at times by certain pundits.

On signing for Manchester United, Dimitar Berbatov attracted comparisons with former United forward Eric Cantona, not only because of his languid and impeccable touch, but because of his bravado and perceived arrogance.

Dimitar Berbatov was capable of adapting his style to play more directly when required; in April 2010, for example, with Rooney absent, Dimitar Berbatov gave a performance against his former side Tottenham which, in James Ducker's words, was as if he had "decided to take it upon himself to impersonate the England striker".

Dimitar Berbatov maintained a private family life outside the pitch, kept a small inner circle of confidants and rarely socialized with his teammates.

Dimitar Berbatov learned to speak English by watching the American Godfather series of films; outside football, he lists his hobbies as drawing and basketball.

Dimitar Berbatov is a sponsor of children's charities in his native Bulgaria, supporting five care homes.

Dimitar Berbatov is the founder of the Dimitar Berbatov Foundation, which helps young people to develop their talents.

Dimitar Berbatov's father contacted CSKA Sofia's boss Iliya Pavlov who set things straight.

In 2009, reports emerged that Dimitar Berbatov was forced to leave Bulgaria, since local mafia threatened to kidnap his family.