Dimitar Berbatov, the silent assassin for Manchester United and Fulham is one of the (not so many) great articles for Berba. Published in Andrew Cole’s column in The National.
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I am often in the company of current Manchester United players, especially on away trips and pre-season tours. I am still treated like one of the family, like I am still a player. It is an honour and a privilege. United may be a global football institution, but at the heart of that there is a family feeling which is a key to the success of the club.
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I speak to nearly all the players, but there is one I never exchanged a single word with: Dimitar Berbatov.
Other players, especially strikers, like to talk football to me. They will talk about past games, ask how the club has changed.
Not Dimitar. I have passed him in hotel corridors and not exchanged glances. It did not bother me one bit.
When he arrived at Old Trafford in the club’s record transfer deal, in 2008, several members of staff tried to make him feel at home by inviting him round for dinner. He did not accept one invitation, merely stating that doing such things “isn’t me”.
He was not one for mixing. If a team activity was arranged, he would stay in his room. Some could not get their head around him.
The United players called him “James Dean” and “Andy Garcia” (he looked like both), but they said he had “the swag” – swagger – and that he was the man.
Me, I thought he was one cool guy. I liked him and admired his talents. He was paid to perform on the football field, not talk about the weather.
Read the rest of this Berbatov`s story »