Dimitar Berbatov

In this Bulgarian name, the patronymic is Ivanov and the family name is Berbatov.

Dimitar Berbatov
Berbatov in 2024
Personal information
Full name Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov[1]
Date of birth (1981-01-30) 30 January 1981[2]
Place of birth Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria[3]
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[4]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1991–1998 Pirin Blagoevgrad
1998 CSKA Sofia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2001 CSKA Sofia 50 (26)
2001 Bayer Leverkusen II 7 (6)
2001–2006 Bayer Leverkusen 154 (69)
2006–2008 Tottenham Hotspur 70 (27)
2008–2012 Manchester United 108 (48)
2012–2014 Fulham 51 (19)
2014–2015 Monaco 38 (13)
2015–2016 PAOK 17 (4)
2017–2018 Kerala Blasters 9 (1)
Total 504 (213)
International career
1999 Bulgaria U18 2 (2)
1999–2000 Bulgaria U21 3 (3)
1999–2010 Bulgaria 78 (48)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov (Bulgarian: Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981)[3] is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Known for his technique and ball control, Berbatov is regarded as one of the greatest Bulgarian players of all time.[5] He captained the Bulgarian national team from 2006 to 2010 and is the nation’s top goalscorer with 48 goals, a record shared with Hristo Bonev.

Born in Blagoevgrad, Berbatov started out with his home-town club Pirin before joining CSKA Sofia as a 17-year-old in 1998, where he won his first career trophy, the Bulgarian Cup in 1999.[6] He was signed by German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in January 2001 and played in his first Champions League final 18 months later, coming on as a substitute in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final, which Leverkusen lost 2–1 to Real Madrid.

After five and a half years with Leverkusen, he joined the English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in July 2006, spending two years at the club and winning the 2008 EFL Cup, where he scored a penalty in the final in the side's 2–1 win over city rivals Chelsea. In 2008, Berbatov joined Manchester United where he played in his second Champions League final in 2009, during his side's 2–0 defeat against Barcelona. After four seasons with United, during which time he won two Premier League titles in 2008–09 and 2010–11, as well as the Premier League Golden Boot in 2010–11, he joined Fulham in August 2012. He had later spells in France with Monaco, Greece with PAOK, and India with Kerala Blasters, before retiring in 2019.

Berbatov made his debut for Bulgaria on 17 November 1999, aged 18.[7][8] He represented Bulgaria at Euro 2004 which was the only major tournament he played at for his country, owing to the team's failure to qualify for other tournaments.[9] Berbatov captained the team from 2006 until May 2010,[10] when he announced his retirement from international football, leaving his tally for Bulgaria standing at 48 goals from 78 matches.[11] He won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year a record seven times, surpassing the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov.

  1. ^ "D. Berbatov". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Dimitar Berbatov". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Dimitar Berbatov: factfile – Manchester United". Manchester Evening News. 2 September 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
  4. ^ "Dimitar Berbatov". Manchester United F.C. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  5. ^ "The Greatest Bulgarian Footballers of All Time". Ranker. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  6. ^ "Dimitar Berbatov". UEFA. Archived from the original on 3 March 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  7. ^ "Dimitar Berbatov – Goals in International Matches". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  8. ^ "1999 Matches – Europe (October – December)". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  9. ^ "Dimitar Berbatov happy with Bulgaria retirement decision". The Guardian. London. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  10. ^ "Berbatov to Wear Captain's Armband of Bulgarian Football Team". Novinite Ltd. 22 March 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  11. ^ "Berbatov not for sale, says Man Utd boss Ferguson". BBC Sport. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
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