Dimitar Berbatov
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| Dimitar Berbatov | ||
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| Personal information | ||
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| Full name | Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgarian: Димитър Бербатов) |
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| Date of birth | 30 January 1981 | |
| Place of birth | Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria | |
| Height | 6'2" / 1.89 m | |
| Nickname | The Devil With The Angel's Face, Berba | |
| Position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Tottenham Hotspur | |
| Number | 9 | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| 1999-2001 2000-2006 2006- |
CSKA Sofia Bayer Leverkusen Tottenham Hotspur |
50 (25) 154 (69) 6 (1) |
| National team** | ||
| 1999- | Bulgaria | 50 (31) |
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* Professional club appearances and goals |
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Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgarian: Димитър Бербатов) (born 30 January 1981), is a Bulgarian international and Tottenham Hotspur football player.
Contents |
[edit] Early Career
His career began in Blagoevgrad with Pirin. He played in the Bulgarian A PFG for CSKA Sofia between 1998 and January 2001, winning the national cup in 1999 before moving to Bayer Leverkusen. Berbatov started to be known to most of the people in his Leverkusen days. After joining the team in January 2001, Berbatov together with Brdaric, made the Bayer substitution forwards strong enough and played in the final of the Champions League in 2002. That same year Leverkusen were runners-up in the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. A controversial season during 2002-03, he established his place as the first-choice forward at Bayer and scored many goals in his later seasons.
[edit] Move to Spurs
In May 2006, Berbatov joined English Premiership team Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €16m [1] (£10.9 million). [2] making him the most expensive Bulgarian player, higher than Valeri Bojinov (€13m) and Martin Petrov (€12m). Due to work permit regulations the transfer was completed on 1 July 2006.
Berbatov scored his first Tottenham Hotspur goal on his home debut in the Premiership game against Sheffield United at White Hart Lane. He is building a rewarding partnership with Robbie Keane as Martin Jol rotates them and fellow strikers Jermain Defoe and Mido. His experience in Europe is already proving him as a great buy for Spurs after two man-of-the-match performances in the group stage of the UEFA Cup against Besiktas and Club Brugge.
[edit] International Career
Berbatov's first game for Bulgaria came as an 18-year-old against Greece and by November 2005 he has a very impressive record of 31 goals in 50 appearances.
In the qualification campaign for Euro 2004 he scored 5 times in 6 games and thus secured his place as one of the most successful attackers in the history of Bulgaria. Euro 2004 was a disappointing affair for Berbatov and Bulgaria as they went home after three defeats and only one goal. This has been Berbatov's only major international tournament appearance to date.
[edit] Career in Numbers
| Season | Club Team | Games | Goals |
| '98-'99 | CSKA Sofia | 11 | 3 |
| '99-'00 | CSKA Sofia | 27 | 15 |
| '00-'01 | CSKA Sofia | 12 | 8 |
| '00-'01 | Bayer Leverkusen | 6 | - |
| '01-'02 | Bayer Leverkusen | 24 | 8 |
| '02-'03 | Bayer Leverkusen | 24 | 4 |
| '03-'04 | Bayer Leverkusen | 33 | 16 |
| '04-'05 | Bayer Leverkusen | 33 | 20 |
| '05-'06 | Bayer Leverkusen | 34 | 21 |
| '06-'07 | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 | 4 |
[edit] Trivia
- Berbatov has 10 goals in 27 games in the Champions League
- Scored 2 goals in 2 minutes in his first match as a Tottenham player against Birmingham in a pre-season friendly match.
- Scored within 7 minutes of his home Premiership debut against Sheffield United on 22nd August 2006.
- Also scored on his home and away European debuts for Spurs against Besiktas in Istanbul and Club Brugge at White Hart Lane.
- He learnt the English language by watching the Godfather films.
- Berbatov lists his hobbies as drawing and basketball.[3]
- Dimitar bears a striking resemblance to Hollywood actor Andy Garcia.
[edit] References
- ^ NINE FOR BERBATOV. tottenhamhotspur.com. Retrieved on 18 May 2006.
- ^ BERBATOV: SPURS ON THE 'UP AND UP'. premierleague.com. Retrieved on 20 May 2006.
- ^ Dimitar Berbatov. BBC. Retrieved on 20 May 2006.
[edit] External links
- Dimitar Berbatov career stats at Soccerbase
- Leverkusen-who's who (German)
- Dimitar Berbatov profile
- Berbatov profile on football-shirts.co.uk
| Tottenham Hotspur F.C. - Current Squad |
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1 Robinson | 2 Chimbonda | 3 Lee Y.P. | 4 Zokora | 5 Davids | 6 Tainio | 7 Stalteri | 8 Jenas | 9 Berbatov | 10 Keane | 11 Mido | 12 Černý | 13 Murphy | 14 Ghaly | 15 Malbranque | 16 Ziegler | 17 Fülöp | 18 Defoe | 20 Dawson | 22 Huddlestone | 24 O'Hara | 25 Lennon | 26 King | 27 Davenport | 28 Barnard | 29 Ifil | 30 Gardner | 32 Assou-Ekotto | 35 Dervitte | 38 C. Lee | 39 Barcham | Manager: Jol |
Categories: Articles to be expanded | 1981 births | Living people | Bulgarian footballers | Bayer 04 Leverkusen players | FA Premier League players | Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players | Non-German football players in Germany | UEFA Euro 2004 players | Football (soccer) strikers | PFC CSKA Sofia players
