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Former striker Dimitar Berbatov has revealed why he rejected Manchester City to join Manchester United in 2008. He added that the chance to play with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez was too good to turn down.
The Bulgarian played 149 matches for the Red Devils after joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur. He scored 56 goals and provided 27 assists in his four-year stay at Old Trafford and won the Premier League title twice.
Berbatov admitted that the history of Manchester United and their squad pulled him into joining them despite interest from Manchester City. Speaking to BT Sports, he said:
"Look at the shirt: the red, the gold, the badge. The history, the manager, the players, the trophies. Back in the day, there was no comparison [between Man Utd and Man City]. There was no second guessing or choice to be made. Just one [team]."
He added:
"In my mind, this was the moment to make, maybe, the last step on my mountain…my personal top. One of the reasons I wanted to be part of this team is because of the players. Who doesn't want to play with players like [Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez]?"
Berbatov wanted to be a part of the 'winning' Manchester United squad
Dimitar Berbatov went on to claim that he wanted to test himself against the big guns at Manchester United. He knew that it was going to be challenging and he needed to stand up for himself.
He said:
"You want to be there and be part of that team. You want to test yourself against the best players. It was challenging, it was fun – of course, you need to have fun along the way. And you need to hold your own – if somebody yells at you, yell back. Otherwise, they're going to walk all over you. You need to show how strong you are."
He added:
"The mentality was different because we are talking about a winning team. You fight between each other…scream, yell and curse…but everything is about the win. You stop…the training session or the game, and it stays on the pitch."
Bernatov left Manchester United for Fulham in 2012 and played for AS Monaco, PAOK, and Kerala Blasters before calling it quits in 2018.
