Manchester United enigma Dimitar Berbatov now ready to shine
The word enigmatic is often attached to footballers who appear to possess all the ability in the world, but struggle to produce their best form on a consistent basis.
No player fits this bill more than Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov, who has struggled to justify his £30million price tag since arriving at Old Trafford in 2008, but now looks set to play a major role for the Red Devils during the forthcoming campaign.
The 29-year-old striker, famed for his laid-back style and exquisite touches on the pitch, has had a lengthy break since the end of last season, wasn’t involved at the World Cup and announced his retirement from international football for Bulgaria in May to concentrate on his club career.
Whether or not this had something to do with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson isn’t clear, but on the evidence of the club’s pre-season 3-1 victory over Celtic last Friday night, Berbatov is more determined than ever to cast any doubts aside suggesting he’s not worthy of wearing the famous red shirt.
Manchester United’s talented No. 9 broke the deadlock after brilliant work inside the penalty area, before playing a key role in both Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley’s second-half strikes. Intelligent, creative and dangerous inside and outside the 18-yard box, the Bulgarian produced a virtuoso display to seal United’s first victory of their US tour.
Of course, performing in pre-season and performing when it really matters are two entirely different things. However, Berbatov’s international retirement and this subsequent display have been a real statement of intent. Had he not taken such drastic measures, it’s quite possible that Ferguson would have cut his losses by now and looked towards the likes of Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema instead.
Now fully focused on his club career and determined to cement his status as one of United’s top players, the 2010/11 season promises to be Berbatov’s standout campaign for the Red Devils.
As a result of his languid approach to the game, Berbatov can often appear lazy and unenthused by the task in hand. Last season, however, there were clear signs that he was prepared to adapt his usual game to suit the former champions.
This would have undoubtedly impressed the manager, who often left the £30million star out of United’s crucial matches last season in favour of deploying Wayne Rooney as a lone striker.
Although he might hide it well on the surface, it’s obvious that Berbatov is a confidence player – like most strikers are. Things haven’t been particularly easy for the former Tottenham and Bayer Leverkusen forward over the past two years. But with a decent pre-season behind him and the backing of the manager, he looks set to rediscover his confidence and begin to reproduce the form which convinced Ferguson to shell out such a huge fee in the first place.
With 21 goals from his 64 Manchester United appearances, Berbatov’s record isn’t particularly bad; but any player who commands a transfer fee of £30million-plus will inevitably find themselves under close scrutiny. And the Old Trafford faithful know full well that they haven’t seen the best of him yet.
Seven summers ago, Ferguson sold a player remarkably similar in style to Berbatov, who he purchased for a near-identical figure in 2001. That man, Argentina midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, was widely-regarded as a flop during his two years in Manchester because of his lack of goals, his tendency to shirk challenges and failure to take control of the biggest matches. Yet, the world-class ability was there for all to see, and Ferguson constantly found himself vehemently defending the £28.1 million man.
Few would have predicted the Argentina international to be playing at the 2010 World Cup finals back in 2003, but after picking up the South America Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009, that’s exactly what would happen.
The similarities between Berbatov and Veron are vast. And seven years later, perhaps Ferguson has learnt from his own previous mistake: that releasing a player of genuine quality after just two seasons may not always be the best course of action.
Expect to see a few critics eating Bulgarian-served humble pie by the end of this season.
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