Similar to other Manchester United celebrities, the "dashing brother" Berbatov after retiring has also appeared frequently on TV shows. Recently, Berbatov recalled his past when he joined Manchester United in a podcast show. He said city wanted to cut off manchester city from manchester united at the time, but he only wanted to join manchester united.
"It's a true story, as I've said before, I only pursue my goals and naturally there will be people who are disappointed in my decision, just like Tottenham fans did when I decided to pursue my dreams. But as we approached that dream, we got a call from Manchester City, asking, of course, and giving my agent their advice. The agent looked at me as if to say what you felt. And I said get out, I want to go to Manchester United. ”
"It was my dream to join Manchester United, the logo, the shirt, the coach, the history and the trophies of this club, you know I come from a small country, it was an important moment for me. So I need to grab it with both hands and not let go because it won't happen to me again. ”
Before landing in the Premier League, Berbatov had already attracted the attention of European giants with his outstanding performances in the Bundesliga. In the summer window of 2006, Tottenham paid him a transfer fee of 16 million euros, making him the most expensive player ever in Bulgaria. After joining the Premier League, Beba continued his outstanding performances, and was selected for the Premier League's best team in his first season.
In the summer of 2008, Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson set his sights on Berbatov, and the two clubs engaged in a tug-of-war over transfer fees. Manchester United offered 22 million pounds, Tottenham hottest asked for 28 million pounds, the two sides have always been unwilling to compromise, and the anxiety of the situation has also made Berbatov dissatisfied. In the final moments of the transfer window, City joined the game with a £35 million offer. The price conquered Tottenham, but Berbatov was not interested in joining Manchester City, he was bent on manchester United.
In order to realize his dream, Berbatov and his agent boarded a plane to Manchester, while Ferguson personally waited at the airport to pick up the players and take them to the Carrington training base for medical examinations. Meanwhile, United raised their offers and Eventually Spurs agreed, and the lengthy soap opera came to a final-minute end.
The deal was a storm at the time. Although the process is tortuous and even a little dramatic, the ending is beautiful. After joining Manchester United, Berbatov won his first league title. He reached the top twice in the 11-12 season and won the Premier League Golden Boot, and was nominated for the Premier League Season Team for the second time.
If Berbatov had to make another choice, United would undoubtedly remain his final choice. At that time, Manchester United was the only one in the Premier League, and it was also the absolute boss in Manchester. And Manchester City is just a "noisy neighbor", although not willing to live in the shadow of the city's mortal enemies, but whether it is in terms of honor, history, influence, players and managers and other aspects of comparison, Manchester United are in an all-round leading position, and leave Manchester City a big cut.
Before 2008, City had not won the Premier League title. Their last league triumph dates back to 1967–68 and another in 1936–37. Manchester United have won the Premier League 10 times and have won the Champions League with 3 champions leagues. How does this compare? Players like Berbatov from the small football country of Bulgaria have heard the glorious story of Manchester United since childhood. Being able to land in the Theater of Dreams is a lifetime of glory that is impossible to miss.
But the situation is different now, shortly after Berbatov left Manchester United, Ferguson retired and the Red Devils embarked on a long-term renaissance. Thanks to United's illustrious history, his influence is still there, but it has been greatly diminished. If a similar choice is placed in front of the post-00s or even post-10s, Manchester United's appeal is likely to be inferior to That of Manchester City. Joining Manchester City can realize the dream of a championship, and Manchester United's chips to attract players may only be high salaries.