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Dimitar Berbatov Was Never Interested In Moving To Manchester City

Dimitar Berbatov Was Never Interested In Moving To Manchester City

City reportedly tried to get ahead of rivals United back in the summer of 2008 for the signature of the Bulgarian striker.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Dimitar Berbatov called time on his football on Thursday and it might have been a very different career if he'd chosen Manchester City and not Manchester United in September 2018.

After a summer long saga between Tottenham Hotspurs and United it went down to the last day of the transfer window to see if the Bulgarian would eventually move up north.

Then on the morning of deadline day City reportedly made a bid for the forward and suddenly the move to Old Trafford looked uncertain. However, speaking to FourFourTwo in September 2018, the former Bayer Leverkusen striker revealed he was never close to City, saying, "I don't think it was that close, to be honest. My agent told me about some interest but I said, 'Don't even bother mentioning anyone else, I'm going to Man United,' because of the history, the players, the tradition, everything.

"I think it was the night before City signed Robinho from Real Madrid and my agent said, 'Berba, there's another team in for you'. I said, 'F*ck off, we're going to Man United'. He said, 'But they'll give you more money!'"

The 38-year-old said that money wasn't a factor for him in making the choice, adding, "It's not all about the money sometimes, though. I was like a horse with blinkers. For me it was the right decision because going to the top of the mountain was my dream, especially when you come from Eastern Europe, from a small town, and no one's done it before you. It was a great feeling."

It was one of the most dramatic transfer deadline days of recent memory with the Sheikh takeover of City causing excitement around the Premier League.

While City, then managed by Mark Hughes, failed to hijack one high profile transfer for a striker they succeeded in another.

Berbatov became a fan favourite at Old Trafford. Image: PA Images
Berbatov became a fan favourite at Old Trafford. Image: PA Images

Real Madrid forward Robinho was expected to sign for Chelsea, with the Blues famously accidentally starting to sell repice shirts with the Brazilian's name on before any deal was done, but he ended up at the Etihad Stadium instead.

Berba would go on to score nine league goals in his first season with United and helped them capture the first of two titles with the Red Devils.

He won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2010/11, the League Cup and FIFA World Club Cup before moving on to Fulham in 2012.

After the Cottagers, 'Berba' ended his career with spells at Monaco, PAOK and Kerala Blasters before retiring.

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Topics: Manchester City, Football News, Manchester United, Transfer rumours, Dimitar Berbatov, Premier League, Transfer news, Robinho