วันจันทร์ที่ 2 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2552

Dimitar Berbatov with Sir Alex Ferguson


Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov
(Bulgarian: Димитър Иванов Бербатов; born 30 January 1981 in Blagoevgrad)[1] is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester United in the Premier League and the Bulgarian national team.[3][4] He has won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award five times, equalling the number of wins by Hristo Stoichkov.

Biography

Berbatov's father, Ivan, was a professional footballer with local outfit Pirin Blagoevgrad, and his mother, Margarita, was a professional handball player.[5] As a youngster, Berbatov supported Milan and modelled himself on Marco van Basten until Euro '96 in England, when the then fifteen year old discovered a new role model in Alan Shearer,[6] formerly of Newcastle United, even sleeping in a Newcastle shirt. His mother later spoke of Dimitar's dream of playing for Newcastle one day.[7][8][9] Berbatov learned the English language by watching the "Godfather" films.[10] Outside of football, he lists his hobbies as drawing and basketball.[11]

Berbatov is a sponsor of children's charities in his native Bulgaria, supporting five care homes.[12] He also has plans to open a football academy in his hometown.[12]

Club career

Early career

Berbatov's career began at the Pirin Blagoevgrad club, and continued until he was spotted by legendary scout and coach Dimitar Penev.

CSKA Sofia

At the age of just 17, Berbatov moved to CSKA Sofia following in the footsteps of his father, Ivan, who also played for the club as a left winger and later as a defender. He played for CSKA Sofia in the Bulgarian A PFG between 1998 and January 2001, making his debut as an 18-year-old in the 1998–99 season. He started to make his name the following year when he scored 14 goals in 27 league games and won the Bulgarian National Cup in 1999.

Bayer Leverkusen

A run of nine goals in 11 games in 2000–01 was enough to persuade Bayer Leverkusen to sign Berbatov in January 2001. Berbatov had a slow start to his Leverkusen career with just 16 goals in his first 67 appearances for the club. He did however play a crucial role in the Champions League during his first season with the club scoring a memorable solo effort against Lyon with an excellent piece of skill, as well as a goal against Liverpool in the quarter finals. He also played a part in the final against Real Madrid coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdaric after 38 minutes.

In 2001–02 Leverkusen were runners-up in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. During the 2002–03 Bundesliga season Berbatov established his place as the first-choice forward at Bayer Leverkusen but it was not until the 2003–04 season that he really began to shine scoring 16 goals in 24 starts. The following two seasons saw him go from strength to strength, netting another 46 goals including five in the Champions League 2004–05 raising awareness of his talent and generating interest from teams throughout Europe.

Tottenham Hotspur

Speculation surrounded a potential move in 2004 for the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year, but it was May 2006, when Berbatov finally joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of €16m,[13] (£10.9 million).[14] making him the most expensive Bulgarian player in history. After being granted a work permit, the transfer was completed, and Berbatov joined Tottenham on 1 July 2006. He scored two goals in two minutes in his first match as a Tottenham player against Birmingham City in a pre-season friendly match.[15]

Berbatov scored his first competitive Tottenham goal 2 minutes into his home debut in the Premiership game against Sheffield United at White Hart Lane. He built up a rewarding partnership with Robbie Keane in the UEFA Cup until Spurs' departure to Seville in the quarter-finals, and, despite Martin Jol's rotation of his strikers, Berbatov firmly established himself as the first choice forward at the club. He scored five goals in four games during the group stage of the UEFA Cup, with his performances earning two man-of-the-match awards in the group stages against Besiktas and Club Brugge.

Despite his good form in European competition, Berbatov took a while to adapt to the Premiership. However, he soon began to regain the league form he had shown at Leverkusen with an excellent performance against Wigan Athletic, scoring one and creating the other two in a 3–1 win. On 9 December 2006, Berbatov scored his first Premiership brace for Spurs in a 5–1 victory for his side against Charlton Athletic. Berbatov came on as a second half substitute against Fulham in the FA Cup to score his first two goals in the competition. Berbatov scored his first away goal in the Premiership at Goodison Park against Everton, a first-time shot from around the penalty spot after an Aaron Lennon cross. Spurs went on to win the match 2–1.

Berbatov and Spurs team-mate Robbie Keane were named joint winners of the Premier League Player of the Month award for April, becoming the first players to share the award since Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp and Edu jointly claimed the award back in February 2004. He scored the 100th goal of Tottenham's 2006–07 season with the first goal of a 2–0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 7 May 2007.

Berbatov is also one of the few people to have two goals included in the BBC's goal of the month competition shortlist, with his sublime efforts against Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough both being included. Berbatov ended the 2006–07 season with 12 goals in 33 appearances in the Premier League, and also chipping in with 11 assists.

Due to his highly impressive displays, especially in the latter half of the season, he won the Tottenham Hotspur player of the season award in 2006–07. Berbatov was also included in the FA Premier League's PFA Team of the Season on 21 April 2007, one of only three players in the team not to play for league winners Manchester United (the other two being Steven Gerrard and Didier Drogba). After Spurs narrowly lost to Arsenal in the North London derby on 22 December 2007, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger compared Berbatov to Thierry Henry.[16]

His first Spurs Premier League hat-trick came on 29 December 2007 after he bagged four goals in a 6–4 win against Reading.

Berbatov played in his first cup final for Tottenham on 24 February 2008 in the Football League Cup at Wembley Stadium against Chelsea in which he scored an equalising penalty. Tottenham went on to win the game 2-1 after extra time, with Berbatov collecting his first trophy in English football.[17] On 9 March, Berbatov scored a brace of headers in the 4-0 demolition of West Ham United.[18] This took his Premier League tally of goals for the season to twelve, which was equal to his 2007 league total. He ended the season with 15 league goals and an identical overall record of 23 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. He again scored Spurs' 100th goal of the season in this campaign, hitting the opener in the 1-1 draw at Wigan on 19 April.

The 2008-09 season began in circumstances when Berbatov's desires for greener pastures dominated tabloid headlines. Ongoing rumours of a substantial bid by Manchester United unsettled the striker, and despite training with Tottenham, Berbatov was dropped for the games against Sunderland.[19] and Chelsea.[20] United manager Alex Ferguson sought to quell these rumours, describing his feelings as "less optimistic" about securing new signings before the close of the transfer windows.[21]

Manchester United

Berbatov lining up for Manchester United.

After much speculation, Berbatov completed a move to Manchester United on 1 September 2008 for a fee of around £30.75 million, with Fraizer Campbell joining Tottenham on a season-long loan as part of the deal.[22][23] This came despite Tottenham accepting a bid for Berbatov from Manchester City on the same day.[24] Berbatov's contract to United is for four years,[25] and he will wear the number 9 shirt previously worn by Louis Saha. Berbatov later insisted he never even considered a move to Manchester City.[26].

Berbatov marked his Manchester United debut with an assist to a Carlos Tévez goal away to Liverpool.[27] He scored his first two goals for Manchester United in their 3–0 win away to Aalborg BK in the Champions League group stage on 30 September 2008.[28] He scored his first league goal, for United, with the third goal in the 4–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on 18 October 2008. On 17 January 2009, he scored a last-minute goal to secure a 1–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers and help United to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in the season.[29]


Career statistics

Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other[30] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
CSKA Sofia 1998–99 11 3 5 3 0 0 0 0 16 6
1999–00 27 14 4 2 2 0 0 0 33 16
2000–01 12 8 0 0 4 7 0 0 16 15
Total 50 25 9 5 6 7 0 0 65 37
Bayer Leverkusen 2000–01 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
2001–02 24 8 6 6 0 0 11 2 0 0 41 16
2002–03 24 3 0 0 0 0 7 2 0 0 31 5
2003–04 33 16 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 36 19
2004–05 33 20 1 1 0 0 10 5 0 0 44 26
2005–06 34 21 2 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 38 24
Total 154 68 12 13 0 0 30 9 0 0 196 90
Tottenham Hotspur 2006–07 33 12 5 3 3 1 8 7 0 0 49 23
2007–08 36 15 2 2 6 1 8 5 0 0 52 23
2008–09 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 70 27 7 5 9 2 16 12 0 0 102 46
Manchester United 2008–09 22 7 2 1 0 0 3 4 0 0 27 12
Total 22 7 2 1 0 0 3 4 0 0 27 12
Career total 302 127 30 24 9 2 55 32 0 0 390 185

Statistics accurate as of match played 18 February 2009[31]

Honours

CSKA Sofia

Bayer Leverkusen

Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b "Dimitar Berbatov: factfile - Manchester United". Manchester Evening News. 2008-09-02. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/manchester_united/s/1065003_dimitar_berbatov_factfile?rss=yes. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  2. ^ Hugman, Barry J. (2008). The PFA Footballers Who's Who 2008-09. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
  3. ^ "Players and staff: Dimitar Berbatov". Manchester United. 2008-09-02. http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={FE60904B-C2A8-4E60-9B05-700DBBC29BBC}&section=playerProfile&teamid=458&bioid=93373. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  4. ^ "Berbatov angles for 'dream' move". BBC Sport. 2008-08-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7568809.stm. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  5. ^ "Berbatov Supports Bulgarian Nurses in Lybia". Bulgaria News. 2007-06-06. http://international.ibox.bg/news/id_681282204. Retrieved on 2008-09-04.
  6. ^ "No dream duel for Berbatov". UEFA. 2003-02-18. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=54545.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
  7. ^ Blackburn, Martin (2007-10-20). "Toon-mad Berbatov slept in Shearer shirt". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/article365647.ece. Retrieved on 2007-10-23. "He said: "Dimitar never missed a Newcastle game when it was on television. And Shearer was up there with Pelé as a God for him." Another pal, Stefan Damianov, recalled how Berbatov considered himself to be an honorary Geordie as he followed the Toon and grew up"
  8. ^ "Toon-mad Berbatov slept in Shearer shirt", South Shields Gazette, 2007-10-20, http://www.shieldsgazette.com/nufc/Toonmad-Berbatov-slept-in-Shearer.3398269.jp, retrieved on 2007-10-23
  9. ^ "Tottenham's Berbatov was Newcastle mad". 2007-10-19. http://www.tribalfootball.com/article.php?id=61451. Retrieved on 2007-10-23.
  10. ^ "Berbatov excels in the spotlight to put Tottenham through". The Independent. 2006-11-24. http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/european/article2010040.ece. Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
  11. ^ "Dimitar Berbatov". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/bulgaria/players_to_watch/default.stm. Retrieved on 20 May 2006.
  12. ^ a b "How Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov played his way out of poverty". Daily Mirror. 2006-09-13. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2008/09/13/from-this-to-a-30m-superstar-115875-20735239/. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
  13. ^ "Nine for Berbatov". tottenhamhotspur.com. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/nineforberbatov170506.html. Retrieved on 18 May 2006.
  14. ^ "Berbatov: Spurs on the 'up and up'". premierleague.com. http://www.premierleague.com/fapl.rac?command=setSelectedId&nextPage=enNewsLatest&id=1296628&type=com.fapl.website.news.NewsItem&categoryCode=News. Retrieved on 20 May 2006.
  15. ^ "Berbatov double sinks Birmingham". BBC Sport. 2006-07-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/5206578.stm. Retrieved on 2007-08-20.
  16. ^ Wenger: Berbatov Reminds Me Of Henry, Goal.com, 24 December 2007
  17. ^ Jonathan Stevenson (2008-02-24). "Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7256729.stm. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
  18. ^ Saj Chowdhury (2008-03-09). "Tottenham 4-0 West Ham". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7272611.stm. Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
  19. ^ "Match Squad Update". Tottenham Hotspur. 23 August 2008. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/matchsquadupdate230808.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-23.
  20. ^ Spurs Told Berbatov He Wasn't Wanted At The Bridge
  21. ^ "Ferguson cools Berbatov rumours". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7586497.stm. Retrieved on 2008-08-28.
  22. ^ "Man Utd complete Berbatov switch". BBC Sport. 2008-09-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7592272.stm. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  23. ^ "Manchester United deal". Tottenham Hotspur FC. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/manchesteruniteddeal020909.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-01.
  24. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7592272.stm
  25. ^ Steve Bartram (2008-09-01). "Reds sign Berbatov". Manchester United FC. http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=6617336. Retrieved on 2008-09-02.
  26. ^ "Berbatov not tempted by Man City". BBC Sport. 2008-09-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7612934.stm. Retrieved on 2008-09-12.
  27. ^ "Liverpool 2-1 Man Utd". BBC Sport. 2008-09-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/7601885.stm. Retrieved on 2008-09-13.
  28. ^ Hibbs, Ben (2008-09-30). "Berbatov Plays It Cool". manutd.com. http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={F9E570E6-407E-44BC-800F-4A3110258114}&newsid=6619559. Retrieved on 2008-10-01.
  29. ^ Hassan, Nabil (17 January 2009). "Bolton 0-1 Man Utd". BBC Sport. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7815605.stm. Retrieved on 17 January 2009.
  30. ^ Includes other competitive competitions, including the FA Community Shield, UEFA Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup
  31. ^ Endlar, Andrew. "Dimitar Berbatov". StretfordEnd.co.uk. http://www.stretfordend.co.uk/playermenu/berbatov.html. Retrieved on 18 February 2009.

External links

Dimitar Berbatov seemed destined to inherit both a love and a natural ability for the game of football directly from his father who was a professional football player for local Bulgarian club side Pirin Blagoevgrad. Indeed this was the club where Dimitar was to begin his own career in football and Pirin Blagoevgrad provided ample opportunities for the young Berbatov to showcase his already prevalent and impressive talent.

Berbatov’s skill and ability was soon spotted and at only 17 he was signed by CSKA Sofia one of Bulgaria's most successful clubs. Berbatov enjoyed success at the club and began to display his natural ability to score goals. However, his time at Sofia was blighted by a poor relationship with the fans who accused Berbatov of missing crucial chances in major games.

Despite these problems at CSKA Sofia Berbatov's talent shone through like a shining beacon in the dark and he attracted interest from German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. Leverkusen impressed with Berbatov’s strong performances secured his signature in 2001.

It was at Bayern Leverkusen that Berbatov began to display a deadly and pinpoint accuracy in front of goal as he soon became a permanent fixture in the first team. Berbatov continued to go from strength to strength at the club fast developing into one of the most talented strikers in Europe proving his class in major competitions such as the Champions League.

Berbatov’s abilities drew interest from major European clubs and Berbatov joined English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur in the summer 2006. At Spurs Berbatov has continued to impress commentators with his dazzling displays of skill and ability to influence the game quickly becoming a favourite with the fans at White Hart Lane. From the summer of 2007 there had been speculation linking Berbatov with a move to Manchester United or Chelsea but Berbatov had been fast to confirm that he is happy at Tottenham.

He and his agent however made a very public show of their desire to engineer a move to Manchester United and flouting both his contract and the F.A. rules, Berbatov and United finally forced their way together on transfer deadline day summer 2008 for a fee of over £30m.

At international level Berbatov plays for the Bulgarian national team and holds the distinct honour of captaining the side.

Berbatov finally earned his dream move to Manchester United as the seconds ticked down to the transfer deadline on September 1 2008 after a summer-long transfer sage.

The Bulgarian international had been linked with the Red Devils for 18 months and by the time the 2007/08 season came to a close it had become clear he wanted to make the move. His stance angered his club, Tottenham Hotspur, who believed he was a disruptive influence at the start of the 2008/09 campaign. After appearing as a sub in the opener at Middlesbrough he was then dropped from the squad.

Tottenham felt Sir Alex Ferguson's pursuit of the striker broke league rules and reported United to the FA, but it was a complaint they would eventually drop when selling the player to the Premier League champions for £30.75million.

The Bulgarian's career began in Blagoevgrad with the team of Pirin, before moving to CSKA Sofia in 1998.

Registering a goal every other game, Berbatov won the national cup in 1999 before moving to Bayer Leverkusen, with whom he played in the final of the Champions League in 2002.

Earning his first national cap as an 18-year old against Greece, Berbatov is the star of the Bulgarian team.

Scoring over 40 goals in two seasons, Berbatov earned his move to Tottenham, which he duly completed in the summer of 2006, for £10.9 million - making him the most expensive Bulgarian in history. Berbatov scored his first Spurs goal on his home debut against Sheff Utd in August 2006.

Rightly hailed as one of the best players in the Premier League after his stunning debut season in 2006/07, Berbatov was named as one of the strikers of the season by his fellow professionals at the PFA awards.

His class, grace, passing and goalscoring ability made him a King of White Hart Lane after ending his first season with 23 goals in 49 appearances.

And the Bulgarian's exceptional form continued in his second term as he scored 23 goals in 52 appearances, including a superbly-taken penalty in the League Cup final in February.

One of the most coveted players in European football Berbatov was continually linked with moves to a host of leading clubs during the 2007/08 term and during the transfer window ahead of 2008/09 season a move to Manchester United seemed all-but certain until a disagreement over Spurs' £32million asking price scuppered the deal.

The move was resurrected on deadline day. Manchester City with their new millions tried to nip in and gazump their city rivals but Berbatov only ever wanted to move to one club and he finally got his wish.

Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov

Dimitar Berbatov is a professional Bulgarian footballer who currently plays his club football for Manchester United in the UK. After a season long pursuit from Manchester United; Dimitar Berbatov finally signed a Manchester United contract on transfer deadline day September 1st 2008. Man Utd paid out £30.75 million for Dimitar Berbatov and in the move Fraiser Campbell also went the other way in a season long loan to Tottenham Hotspur. As a part of the transfer deal, Tottenham Hotspur also agreed to cancel an official complaint they had against United over Man United's transfer hounding of Berbatov in the 12 months leading up to the transfer.

Manchester United have been seeking his signature all summer, and just as they seemed to be getting ever closer to attaining his signature the worst possible thing happened; Manchester City entered the fray and had an offer accepted by Tottenham for the player. Despite City's offer being accepted however, United was the side that Berba wanted to sign for and it was there that he went to have further discussions with the club. United left it very late to secure the deal, a minute before midnight and Berbatov signed however and information was released of Berbatov's confirmed transfer from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United. Manchester City meanwhile had to settle for Real Madrid's Robinho in an equally excellent transfer move which saw the club shell out £34 million and beat Chelsea to signing the highly sought after Brazilian.

Berbatov has said of the move that "Joining United is a dream come true for me"; he's always wanted to play Champions League football and this season he will get a chance to with English champions and current Champions League trophy holders Manchester United.

What Makes Berbatov Such an Excellent Player?

It's certainly not his blistering pace, Berbatov's pace is most definitely not the best part of his game; more it's his movement both on and off the ball and uncanny ability to know exactly where the goal is at all times. Berbatov has a great scoring record and a terrific knack for finding the back of the net; he's a natural born forward and always when in the area there's an excellent chance that the man shall score.

Berbatov is no spring chicken at 27, due to the fact that he doesn't rely on his pace too much however he'll surely be an absolutely excellent player for many years to come. He's not a speed demon, he is however a brilliant striker and has a blistering boot on him. He's sometimes moaned about for being lazy; his work rate often questioned and his sluggishness often levelled against him. There's no denying that Dimitar Berbatov scores a lot of goals however and the reason for this is his amazing skill and excellent firepower. He's got a super shot on him and can easily create goals out of nothing. He uses his skill to make space and aways scares opposition defenders when in the box as they know that there's a high chance he'll score.

Berbatov is an incredibly skilful talent, he's on a four year contract at Old Trafford and the chances are that he'll be there scoring goals now until he retires. Berbatov's move from Tottenham Hotspur to Manchester United is quite similar to that of Cantona's transfer from Leeds to United in 1992. Cantona finished his career at United and I see no reason why Berbatov shouldn't too; Berbatov will score a lot of goals for United and they'll be wanting to keep a hold of him; he'll be especially crucial to Manchester United's season success next year when Cristiano Ronaldo inevitably makes his move to Spain.

So to sum up; what makes Dimitar Berbatov so special is his brilliant talent off and on the ball, his excellent ability to score goals, and his fantastic talent to make space and dazzle defenders with his sheer skill.

Berbatov's United Shirt

Berbatovs Goal Scoring History

Before joining Manchester United; Berbatov has previously played for just four other clubs. Berba began his career at Pirin Blagoevgrad, at the age of 17 he was snapped up by CSKA Sofia however and was signed up by coach Dimitar Penev.

Whilst playing for CSKA Sofia Berbatov made quite a name for himself and scored 25 goals in the 50 league games that he played for the club. Including cup games that actually took his tally up to 37 goals in 65 appearances.

In January 2001 Dimitar Berbatov took a trip to Germany and started playing for Bayer Leverkeusen. He spent five happy years playing in Germany and here added to his goal tally quite considerably. 69 league goals he managed in the 154 league appearances that he made at the German side. Counting cup games Berbatov actually scored 90 at Bayer Leverkeusen in his 194 appearances; a very good goals-to-games ratio and one which therefore picked up the interest of London side Tottenham Hotspur.

Berbatov made a £10.9 million move to Tottenham in July 2006 and it was here that he'd really begin to show signs of being a world class player. Berbatov's talent was always known, in England he established himself as something really rather special however and now stands strong as one of the best forward players in the world. 27 league goals were scored for Tottenham in the 70 games that he played; a figure which increases to 46 goals in 102 appearances when you take cup completions into account; again an absolutely excellent record.

Time shall only tell as to how many goals Dimitar Berbatov shall score at Manchester United. He did however score his first two goals of what will surely be many against Aalborg of Denmark in the Champions League on September 30th 2008. The future is bright for Berbatov!

Berbatov the Bulgarian Captain

As well as being an excellent club player, Dimitar Berbatov has also proven himself to be a huge asset to his national side. He's the current Bulgarian captain and in his international footballing career has contributed 43 goals in 65 appearances; a brilliant record by anyone's standards.

Berbatov is quite the Bulgarian treasure, he's the four time Bulgarian Footballer of the Year and has won the award in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2007 also. Berbatov wears the number 9 shirt for Bulgaria. He's a proud Bulgarian player and always gives it his all when playing for his national team.

From Wikipedia