Dimitar Berbatov FAN CLUB
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5299866
| Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov [ born 30 January 1981)[1] is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United of England and is the all-time leading goalscorer for the Bulgarian national team. He has won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award six times, surpassing the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov. He is distinctive for his skillful, seemingly effortless style of play, which has earned him praise but also a perception as being "lazy". 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. 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's father, Ivan, was a professional footballer with local outfit Pirin Blagoevgrad, 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 '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. Early career Berbatov's career began at the Pirin Blagoevgrad, and continued until he was spotted by legendary scout and manager Dimitar Penev. |