'I swore at my agent when Man City tried to sign me - I only ever wanted Man Utd'

Dimitar Berbatov has recalled an expletive rant to his agent when Manchester United came knocking for his signature, citing how his dream was to play at Old Trafford and not the Etihad

Manchester United legend Dimitar Berbatov has admitted he took offence when Manchester City tried to sign him.

The Bulgarian striker kicked off his career at CSKA Sofia before making a move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2001. After spending five years in the Bundesliga, Berbatov found Premier League interest from Spurs under Martin Jol, signing for the Lilywhites in 2006 and netting 46 goals in 102 appearances.

And while the now 43-year-old finally got a dream move to Old Trafford in 2008, with Sir Alex Ferguson snapping him up for £30.75million, his career path could have taken a completely different trajectory that year. That's because, at the same time, Manchester City were said to be interested in the star striker, with then-manager Mark Hughes looking to bring Berbatov to the Etihad in a last-minute hijack.

However, Berbatov has recently revealed that he had no interest in joining City at the time, with Manchester United his dream club for many moons. Speaking to The Telegraph, he 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." And Berbatov's idea of the right decision was further instilled in him when Ferguson greeted him at the airport on the way in.

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." Berbatov spent four years at Manchester United, scoring 56 goals in 149 appearances while lifting two Premier Leagues titles, two Community Shields, a League Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup.

He also received two Champions League runner-up medals in 2008/09 and 2010/11, United losing 2-0 and 3-1 to Barcelona in the respective finals. And Berbatov's decision seemingly paid dividends, as closest rivals in City suffered tenth, fifth and third-place finishes in the first three seasons the striker was at Old Trafford, not lifting their maiden Premier League trophy until the 2011/12 season.

Post United, Berbatov spent two years at Fulham from 2012 before spending a season at Monaco in 2014. He enjoyed a year at PAOK before signing for Kerala Blasters in 2017, hanging his boots up in 2018.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Get the new Man Utd kit

Get the new Man United 2024/25 kit now!
Adult sizes from £80

United have unveiled their new adidas home kit with new front-of-shirt sponsors for the 2024/25 season - and you can get your hands on it right now.

Fanatics
Get it here