Dimitar Berbatov has been under some serious scrutiny from critics, pundits and worst of all Manchester United fans. The Bulgarian has scored 8 premier league goals in 28 appearance and has contributed with 8 assists and has been subject to taunts as questions are being raised over his purchase. I have to say I think a lot of this criticism relates to his £30 price tag.

When Tottenham splashed out £10 million pounds on a 25 year old virtually unknown Bulgarian striker from Bayern Leverkusen, the name Serhiy Rebrov came to mind. A big money signing that went horribly wrong for the North London side back in 2000. Rebrov arrived at White Heart Lane with a big reputation mainly because he was Andriy Shevchenko’s old strike partner at Dynamo Kiev and the two shared a prolific partnership.  Spurs had spent £11 million on Rebrov and he turned out to be a total failure with 10 goals in only 60 appearances, he left in 2004 and has since returned to Dynamo Kiev.

So you could forgive me and the rest of the football world for being slightly skeptical when we collectively heard the news that Tottenham had purchased Dimitar Berbatov for what seemed like a huge amount of money for an unknown at the time (£10.9 million). In hindsight of course, it turned out to be a bloody bargain.  The classy Bulgarian did have a slow start to his career in the Premiership but it wasn’t long before he showcased his world-class talent.

I could list the qualities and traits of what separates the good players from the great players, what makes a footballer special, what separates players like Zidane, Cantona, Ronaldinho, and Maradona from your regular European class footballers and in my opinion Dimitar Berbatov possess those attributes so instead I’ll list his skills.

 The first of many great aspects of his game I noticed was his close control, he amazes me with his first touch, it is so deft, it’s magical, he can control a ball no matter its height, pace or angle, and he holds the ball up and creates space for himself. It is like time stops when the ball is at his feet and  like all great players, he has ample time on the ball, he can dribble and go past players although he isn’t particularly lightening quick. His vision, his eye for goal, he is a direct threat, a natural goal scorer yet he sets up as many as he scores. Another trait of his game that impresses me is his build up play, his passing range, He is incredibly unselfish and likes to slow the game down and play at his own pace, his body language suggest how natural it all is to him. Berbatov’s ability to strike a ball from all angles with both feet is another trait a few footballers can claim; he has already acquired a ridiculous catalogue of goals in his still very short Premiership career. (Think back to his effort against Middleborough) he can even header, he is an all-round striker and in my opinion the best in the premiership and among the best players in the world.

His great strike partnership with Robbie Keane kept players such as Jermaine Defoe and Darren Bent out of the Tottenham side, their understanding of each others games made it a joy to watch Tottenham sometimes bar their awful defense. Now he’s arrived at the big stage, challenging four trophies a season, playing alongside world class players and playing in front of 76,000 fans.

It was often printed in the papers that Manchester United were interested in Berbatov in 2006 previous to him joining Tottenham but never made a bid, and rumors circulating at the time suggested that United may make an offer in the summer 2008. They did and now almost a season later he is under pressure to play to perform to the standard of a £30 million player and I do believe he has at times, he hasn’t been prolific for the red devils but he has made a valuable contribution and I do believe he is worth the money, worth the hype and even importantly he is worth the wait. In my opinion, Dimitar Berbatov will have a major say in the business end of the season and will make the difference in those attacking positions.     

If there is a negative thing to say about Dimitar Berbatov is perhaps his body language isn’t great, he has a slight attitude problem when things don’t go his way and he is sometimes quick to demand a free-kick. Like most European players, he does not attempt to track the ball especially when he has lost possession himself, he exudes a silent arrogance that only truly great players can get away with, in that sense he reminds me of the great Eric Cantona, tall, sophisticated, mute and abnormally calm in any high-pressure frenzied footballing situations. 

Another credit to his class is his record on the international stage; Berbatov has scored 41 times in 67 games for Bulgaria which is a phenomenal record for a player who is not an out and out striker.  There is no doubt that Dimitar Berbatov is a world class player, a special player who deserves to play in great competitions such as UEFA Champions League alongside great players and win trophies, no disrespect to Tottenham but he was never going to win anything other than the Carling Cup with Spurs and at the age of 27, he needed to move to a big European team in order to truly fulfill his potential. 

 I’m a huge admirer of the Bulgarian forward and think he has made the premier league so much more exciting, I love to watch him play; his technical ability is of such a high standard, there is nothing he can’t do with a ball. He’s effortless and a real pleasure to watch.  It’s quite well known that Berbatov’s childhood hero was Alan Shearer who ironically turned down a move to Manchester United back in 1996; luckily Berbatov wasn’t stupid enough to make the same mistake as his childhood hero.  And I think the United faithful needs to back Fergie’s decision and give the Bulgarian their full support.