Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov, born Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, January 30, 1981. Dimitar Berbatov scored 48 goals in 108 Premiership appearances during a successful four-year stay at Old Trafford. While with Manchester United, he won the English Premier League in 2009-10 and 2010-11, the Football League Cup in 2010, the FA Community Shield in 2010 and 2011, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in 2008.
Born in the city of Blagoevgrad in southwestern Bulgaria, Dimitar Berbatov kick-started his goal scoring career at local team Pirin before he joined forces with Bulgarian top dogs CSKA Sofia for whom he netted 26 goals in 50 First Division matches before he left the Bulgarian Army Stadium club for ambitious German outfit Bayer Leverkusen who paid The Armymen a transfer fee of €1.3 million to secure his signature midway through the 2000-01 season. After notching up an impressive 69 goals in 154 Bundesliga appearances for The Company Eleven between 2001 and 2006, the free scoring central attacker was sold to Barclays Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur where he spent two years under managers Martin Jol and Juande Ramos until he was brought to defending champions Manchester United for a transfer fee reported to be somewhere in the region of £30 million at the front end of the 2008-09 campaign. A natural born marksman with a cool eye for finding the net, he was handed his Premiership debut for United by Sir Alex Ferguson in a 2-1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield on the 13th of September 2008, and he registered his first Premier League goal for The Reds in a comprehensive 4-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford on the 18th of the following month. The Bulgarian went on to score the winner and only goal in an important 1-0 home triumph over Gareth Soutgate´s Middlesbrough in the Premier League on the 29th of December 2008, and finished his first season at Manchester United with fourteen goals in 43 first class appearances, fully justifying his price tag.
After scoring Manchester United’s third goal in a 3–1 victory over reigning Premier League Champions Chelsea in the Community Shield on the 8th of of August 2010, Berbatov netted his first Premiership goal of the 2010-11 campaign when he grabbed the opener in a 3–0 win over newly promoted Newcastle United at Old Trafford eight days later. On the 19th of September, he became the first Manchester United player to produce a hat-trick against North West rivals Liverpool since local born inside forward Stan Pearson registered a treble in a 5–0 First Division victory against the Merseysiders at Old Trafford on the 11th of September 1946. After putting The Manchester Reds ahead on 42 minutes, Berbatov recorded his second goal fourteen minutes into the second half when his overhead kick flew past away goalkeeper Pepe Reina and into the net. The Anfielders managed to equalise through two goals from England midfield playmaker Steven Gerrard in the 64th and 70th minute respectively, only for Berbatov to secure a 3-2 home win for United with a well placed header in the 84th minute of the derby match. After making his his 100th first team appearance for Manchester United in a goalless Premier League draw against Manchester City at The City of Manchester Stadium on the 10th of November 2010, Berbatov proceeded to produce five goals during a memorable 7–1 Premiership triumph against Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford sixteen days later. The irrepressible forward gave Manchester United an early lead when he hammered the ball home after two minutes before Ji-Sung Park netted a second goal in the 23 minute. Mitko then made the scoreline 3-0 in favour of the hosts four minutes later, and the same man found the back of the net again two minutes into the second half, while Luis Nani recorded the fifth goal of the afternoon in the 48th minute of the tussle. Berbatov then added to more goals for United before Christopher Samba managed to score a consolation for Rovers with seven minutes left of normal time.
Following 56 goals during 149 first team games for Manchester United, the Balkan hit-man eventually signed with fellow Premier League side Fulham for an undisclosed transfer fee at the front end of the 2012-13 season. He debuted for The Cottagers in a heavy 3-0 Premiership defeat against neighbours West Ham United at Upton Park on the 1st September 2012 and notched up 19 goals in 51 top-flight appearances for the West London outfit before he agreed to team up with French League One club AS Monaco midway through the 2014-15 campaign. Something of a footballing nomad, he later played for Greek giants PAOK Salonika and Indian Super League team Kerala Blasters. On the international stage, Berbatov made his first appearance for Bulgaria as a second half substitute for Levski Sofia midfielder Aleksandar Aleksandrovin a 1-0 friendly defeat to Greece at Dimotiko Stadio on the 17th of November 1999, and went on to play 78 senior matches for his nation, bagging a total of 48 goals during the process. Dimitar Berbatov Playing Career: OFC Pirin Blagoevgrad, CSKA Sofia, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Fulham, AS Monaco, PAOK Salonika, Kerala Blasters. Playing Honours: English Premier League 2009, 2011, Bulgarian Cup 1999, English Football League Cup 2008, 2010, English FA Community Shield 2010, 2011, FIFA Club World Cup 2008.