'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Dimitar Berbatov of Manchester United walks off with the match ball after scoring a hat trick at the end of the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford on December 26, 2011 in Manchester, England.
lmost half a billion people around the globe went into a frenzy when a certain Dimitar Berbatov joined the then Premier League champions Manchester United on a record fee of £30m in the final minutes of the summer transfer window back in 2008. But very few among that significantly large population would have guessed what an anticlimactic of a career the Bulgarian would have at the most successful club in England.
The new no.9 kick started his United career with an assist against Liverpool. Berbatov showed great ball control when he received a pass in the edge of the box and rolled past the defender effortlessly before sliding a neat pass for Carlos Tevez to open the scoring.
Sign of things to come? But Mitko, as he is affectionately called back home, took his time to break the duck at United. His first season was anything but as anyone would have liked it to be. But if anyone thought the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez would spell good fortune for Berbatov, they were in for a rude shock. His second season was anything but a dream one, a nightmare would be a closer guess. Dimitar was clearly succumbing to the pressure of being one of his kind. He isn’t a Wayne Rooney who could track opponents back deep into his own half. He isn’t a Ronaldo with a bag of trickery and fancy stepovers. He is just calm, very relaxed and plays the game in his own time slice. And not surprisingly, he was being crucified for being lazy and not celebrated for being the elegant genius that he is.
The monumental price tag loomed large over his forehead every time he strolled into the green outfield of Old Trafford. The patience of the fans were thinning and cries of ‘sell him’ hasn’t gone away ever since. The gaze into the pitch from the bench clearly showed how strongly he felt he deserves to be there. Yet when the chances came he fluffed them. The angry shrug of the shoulders on being denied a cleverly worked one-two clearly showed a man who was trying just too hard. Things went from bad to worse. The occasional slip in front of the goal, tricks going wrong or miss which would put Heskey to shame. Time was running out.
The 2010-11 season was a major point in the big Bulgarian’s otherwise stale United career as the Red Devils were being driven towards a record 19th league title by the unlikeliest of agents. The move to play Rooney behind Berbatov paid off as he went onto finish the season as the League’s top scorer with 20 goals. No more delaying the fairy tale it seemed.
But the emergence of ‘Little Pea’ towards the second half of the season limited Berba’s chances as Fergie opted for the more agile and young Mexican. Albeit having a terrific season, he was surprisingly omitted from the Champions League final squad which United lost 3-1 to Barcelona. Questions were raised over the gaffer’s surprise selection policies but the skeptics defended the decision given the style of play United adopted on the day of final.
Berbatov has often been called an outcast in the United set up since he barely contributes to our counter attacks. But the sheer ability of the 31 year old to instinctively find a team mate with a pass makes him more dangerous than most. At a point when the United midfield struggled to find any invention whatsoever, Berbatov provided them with that.
Sir Alex doesn’t believe having mistreated the player. But why was a young Danny Welbeck opted ahead of the Golden Boot winner to start alongside Wayne Rooney last season? If the Bulgarian doesn’t fit in well, why had the most experienced manager in the world presently went to the extent of spending a record sum to sign him? Was it an honest misjudgment of the player or an alternative strategy derived which went horribly wrong? Either way, Berbatov is the one who shouldn’t be in the firing line.
Berbatov spent the majority of the last season on the bench and found himself down in the 4th place in the pecking order. To have accepted the manager’s decision with grace right after a terrific season in front of goal was a fine example of professionalism on the part of the player. But unlike the Berbatov of old, he did take his chances in fine fashion whenever they did come his way.
| Player | Matches | Minutes | Minutes:goal |
| Danny Welbeck | 39 | 2277 | 142:1 |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 20 | 909 | 129:1 |
*Stats of 2011-12 season
As I write, he is all geared up for the pre season. Side by side, the tabloids keep reporting stories where he is supposedly going to be used as a bait to get someone to shore up our midfield crisis. But the only constant in his story,is you will always hear stories like them. The story is far from over though. He has had his share of criticism, even to the point of being called a traitor back home for quitting national duties. Time to win them back I guess. Or may be its just not in the script. May be it’s suppose to end this way, with him having fewer admirers who will stick around knowing there are not many as good as him.
