Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov Stats
-Full Name: Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov
-Birthplace: Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
-Date of Birth: 30/01/1981
-Height: 189cm (6ft 2.5ins)
-Weight: 79kg (174lbs)
-Position: Striker
-Squad Number: 9

International Football
Bulgaria (1999-)

Dimitar Berbatov Career at CSKA Sofia & Bayer Leverkusen

Dimitar Berbatov is a supremely gifted striker in the mould of Manchester United idol Eric Cantona and Dutch Maestro Denis Berkkamp. The Bulgarian hitman embarked on his journey to footballing stardom with local amateur side Pirin Blagoevgrad, before being discovered and taken to CSKA Sofia (the team his father played for) by former national team manager Dimiatr Penev; who knew talent when he saw it after guiding Bulgaria to the semi-final of the 1994 World Cup and introducing the footballing planet to the likes of Yordan Letchkov, Trifon Ivanov, Emil Kastadinov, Krassimir Balakov and Hristo Stoichkov.

Dimitar Berbatov made his senior debut as an 18 year old, scoring 6 times in 16 appearances. The following season he established himself as one of the best prospects in Bulgarian football when he bagged 16 goals in 33 games in helping CSKA lift the Bulgarian Cup.

In January 2001 - after scoring a fantastic 7 goals in 4 UEFA Cup matches - Bayer Leverkusen maanger Berti Vogts decided to take the gamble and secure the services of the player. The 19 year old Bulgarian took a while to settle in, only managing to notch 16 goals in his first 67 games for the club. However, he did score a couple of memorable goals in the Champions League against Lyon and Liverpool, as his side reached the 2001 final (beating Manchester United in the semi-finals).

The following season Dimitar Berbatov began to settle into German football and established himself as a first regular under eccentric coach Klaus Toppmöller. However it wasn't until the 2003-2004 campaign that things really began to take off for the player, when he scored 19 times in 36 games. His stock began to grow on the European scene after netting 68 goals in the previous three seasons. His goalscoring exploits promted Spurs coach Martin Jol to move fast and take Berbatov to White Hart Lane in a £11m deal.

Dimitar Berbatov moves to England

Dimitar Berbatov joined Spurs on 1 July 2006 and made his debut in a pre-season friendly against Birmingham, nettinng two goals in the process.

His competitve debut came against Sheffield United and it took the striker just two minutes to net his first senior goal for the club. In his first season in English football he formed a telepathic like raport with Irish strike partner Robbie Keane, which helped him earn rave reviews as well as 23 goals in 49 appearances.

The following season he won his first peice of silverware siince his days in Sofia when Spurs defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the English League Cup final at Wembley. Another fine season with the London outfiut caught the eye of Manchester United gaffer Sir Alex Ferguson who unseccesfuly tried to sign the player whilst he was still at Leverkusen.

Dimitar Berbatov Signs for Manchester United

After a much drawn out transfer saga and a last ditch effort by Manchester City and Cheslea to snatch the player he finally signed for Manchester United with just a few minutes of the August transfer window remaining.

Berbatov couldn't have asked for a tougher start, making his debut in the 2-1 defeat against fierce rivals Liverpool on 13 September 2008, followed by title Challengers Chelsea eight days later.

His first goals for the club came in the UEFA Champions League group game against Aalborg on 30th September 2008, where he score two well taken volleys.

Dimitar Berbatov Honours
-CSKA Sofia
-Bulgarian Cup: 1999

Bayer Leverkusen
-UEFA Champions League 2002: runner-up
-Bundesliga 2002: runner-up
-DFB-Pokal 2002: runner-up

Tottenham Hotspur
-League Cup: 2008

Manchester United
-FIFA Club World Cup: 2008

Dimitar Berbatov Personal Honours
-Bulgarian Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007
-FA Premier League Player of the Month: April 2007
-PFA Team of the Season: 2007