The most elegant striker in Premier League history — sharing the Golden Boot with five goals in one game.
Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov was born in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria in 1981. Bayer Leverkusen developed him before Tottenham paid £10.9 million and then Manchester United paid £30.75 million in 2008. His four United seasons produced two Premier League titles. He shared the Premier League Golden Boot in 2010-11 after scoring five goals in a single game against Blackburn — the first United player since Andy Cole to score five in one match. He was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year eight times. His playing style — unhurried, technically immaculate, with a languid grace that made difficult skills appear effortless — was unlike any other Premier League striker of his era. He scored 11 Champions League goals across his career. His first-touch control, his ability to receive in tight spaces and his finishing with both feet placed him among the finest technical strikers the league has seen. His apparent lack of effort — which was in fact extreme economy of movement — was frequently misread as disengagement.
Premier League 2x
Career Honours
- Premier League 2x
- League Cup
- Bulgarian Footballer of Year 8x