Topics: Manchester United, Football, Dimitar Berbatov, Ronaldo Nazario
Dimitar Berbatov has revealed the only player he has swapped shirts with during his career.
Berbatov impressed whilst playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, which led to his move to Manchester United.
During his time at Old Trafford, Berbatov’s effortless style made him a popular figure amongst the United faithful.
Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, Berbatov won two Premier League titles, two FA Community Shields, one League Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup with United.
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In a recent interview with BT Sport, Berbatov spoke about the fact that he never swapped shirts with anyone but made an exception for Brazilian great Ronaldo Nazario.
He said: “I never swapped a shirt in my life when I used to play football. Why? I did not care about who I played with. Obviously, I have respect for everybody. But I was more constrained or winning.
“But once in a while, there's a player that you want their shirt. Ronaldo was one of these guys. He was phenomenal. We all know that. We played at the Bernabeu with Leverkusen. I was very shy back in the day, but I wanted his shirt. We drew 1-1. I scored.”
Berbatov then said that due to his shyness, he asked a teammate to get him Ronaldo’s shirt.
The Bulgarian continued: “And I didn't have the heart, and my shyness was in my way to ask him for the shirt. So I played with a teammate who was Brazilian. 'Please, please, please go to him'. This is happening after the game. 'Go to him and say I want a shirt, please'.
“Five minutes later, I'm sitting there praying, 'Please, please, please'. He brings my shirt. The one shirt I wanted.”
Berbatov also revealed that he was a huge fan of Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer.
He said: “Seeing the Newcastle shirt, of course, the memories. This is the guy who I was worshipping [Shearer], still worshipping to this day. He was the reason that I wanted to score goals.
“Obviously, Shearer was not a big technician on the ball, going past people with some tricks. He would just bully his way past defenders; elbows, headers... It didn't matter as long as the ball ended up in the back of the net.”
