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Man United star admits he was offended when Man City tried to sign him in 2008, told them to f*** off
Home>Football>Football News>Man Utd
Published 14:27 29 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Man United star admits he was offended when Man City tried to sign him in 2008, told them to f*** off

The Man Utd legend was not happy when City tried to sign him.

Ben McCrum

Ben McCrum

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A Manchester United legend has revealed that he told rivals Manchester City to f*** off when they tried to sign him.

The rivalry between United and City is one of the fiercest in English football, with the Manchester derby one of the most anticipated matches of the Premier League season.

Due to the bad blood between the two clubs, only 14 men have ever played for both sides, most notably Peter Schmeichel, Denis Law and Carlos Tevez.

And now, another United legends has revealed that City tried to sign him shortly before he played for the Red Devils, and he was not happy.

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Following an impressive two seasons with Tottenham Hotspur where he scored 46 goals in 102 games, Dimitar Berbatov made the move to Old Trafford in 2008, but has now revealed that that summer, City had tried to hijack the move.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Berbatov said: "They wanted to sign me on the last day of the market.

"I told my agent 'F*** off, we’re going to United’. Because of the history, the prestige, the players, the manager, the shirt. I never had any doubt that Old Trafford was the right decision."

The Bulgarian signed his contract with United in 2008 for a reported fee of £30.7 million.

He went on to become a club legend, scoring 56 goals and providing 26 assists during in his 149 appearances for the Red Devils.

The former striker also revealed that after completing his move to United, legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson himself picked him up at the airport.

Dimitar Berbatov made  149 appearances for Manchester United. (Image: Getty)
Dimitar Berbatov made 149 appearances for Manchester United. (Image: Getty)

He added: "I was shocked because it can be intimidating and especially for me, stepping out the plane and bam you see Sir Alex. I was like, what do I say, how do I address him, will I look stupid? I had all these questions in my head, but he was great. He took us to Carrington and the drive in the car was like science fiction.

"I didn’t even know what to say. It was a perfect day. Exhausting, but perfect, because I had worked so hard to get there."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Manchester United, Manchester City, Dimitar Berbatov, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson, Transfers, Football

Ben McCrum
Ben McCrum

Ben is a sports journalist who specialises in football, Formula One and MMA. He has written for publications such as Manchester Evening News, WiganToday, Manchester World and beIN Sports. Throughout his career, he has interviewed top athletes including Gareth Southgate, Luke Littler, Tom Aspinall and Jenson Button.

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