Dimitar Berbatov takes his art very seriously.
A born entertainer with a penchant for the unpredictable, the 28-year-old striker admits he and his colleagues relish every chance to wow the Old Trafford crowd. We recently caught up with the Bulgarian at United's Carrington training ground...
Dimitar, you’ve looked very sharp in the early part of this season. Has it helped to have a pre-season campaign and some stability, as opposed to last summer’s last-minute move to United?
It has. Pre-season is important to every player and I think now we are ready for the long season ahead. Again we are going for everything there is to win, like every year. We have a good squad. I don’t need to introduce anybody – everybody knows what Manchester United players are capable of, so we are ready to go again.
How big a relief was it to get off the mark at Wigan?
It was a relief, it is always good to start scoring. Plus, I prefer to score beautiful goals than ugly goals, and this one was really nice. I was going for the ball and aiming to catch it before him [Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland]. I did it and I was thinking: 'Now I’m going to smash it in the net!' It turns out I didn’t catch it so well, but it still ended up in the net. A goal is a goal!
How highly do you rate Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, your fellow senior strikers?
What can you say about Wayne? He’s been here for so many years, playing top football and it’s amazing that he’s only 23. When he reaches around 28, he’ll be even better. We see in training, and you can see in games, the unbelievable passion he has for football. As for Michael Owen, he won the Ballon d’Or – that says everything. I think Sir Alex was right to bring him here and he will have the chances to score many goals for us.
You’re three very different strikers – are you learning from one another?
I don’t think you stop learning until you quit football. With all the talents we have in Manchester United, they do stuff that sometimes I honestly cannot do – and I don’t even try to do because I would look like a fool! Sometimes you want to try new stuff, you see people doing things and you ask them about it. You learn from each other. To develop, you have to.
What about Danny Welbeck and Kiko Macheda?
I think they have bright, maybe even great, futures. But if they want to achieve that then I think the only man they have to listen to is the boss. They have the potential, that’s why they’re here. If you want to achieve something you need to develop that talent. The place to do that is right here, under the boss.
It has. Pre-season is important to every player and I think now we are ready for the long season ahead. Again we are going for everything there is to win, like every year. We have a good squad. I don’t need to introduce anybody – everybody knows what Manchester United players are capable of, so we are ready to go again.
How big a relief was it to get off the mark at Wigan?
It was a relief, it is always good to start scoring. Plus, I prefer to score beautiful goals than ugly goals, and this one was really nice. I was going for the ball and aiming to catch it before him [Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland]. I did it and I was thinking: 'Now I’m going to smash it in the net!' It turns out I didn’t catch it so well, but it still ended up in the net. A goal is a goal!
How highly do you rate Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, your fellow senior strikers?
What can you say about Wayne? He’s been here for so many years, playing top football and it’s amazing that he’s only 23. When he reaches around 28, he’ll be even better. We see in training, and you can see in games, the unbelievable passion he has for football. As for Michael Owen, he won the Ballon d’Or – that says everything. I think Sir Alex was right to bring him here and he will have the chances to score many goals for us.
You’re three very different strikers – are you learning from one another?
I don’t think you stop learning until you quit football. With all the talents we have in Manchester United, they do stuff that sometimes I honestly cannot do – and I don’t even try to do because I would look like a fool! Sometimes you want to try new stuff, you see people doing things and you ask them about it. You learn from each other. To develop, you have to.
What about Danny Welbeck and Kiko Macheda?
I think they have bright, maybe even great, futures. But if they want to achieve that then I think the only man they have to listen to is the boss. They have the potential, that’s why they’re here. If you want to achieve something you need to develop that talent. The place to do that is right here, under the boss.
What have you made of United’s start to the season?
Sometimes it takes time to start well. Against Birmingham we were probably at 70 percent, then that loss against Burnley was devastating and hurt everybody. But we struck back well against Wigan.
Was the Arsenal game the sort of match the team relishes?
It’s always good to play against your rivals for the title. The way Arsenal have started this season has been unbelievable. They have scored many goals and have players who are very technically gifted. That’s what is good about them; they play good football and move the ball around quickly. Arsene Wenger has been here so long, and he has a talent for developing young players into superstars.
Last season United’s record against other members of the ‘big four’ was one win from six games. Is that something the players are aiming to rectify this season?
It is. We didn’t do well against them, but in the end we were champions. If you ask any of the other sides which they would prefer, to beat the big teams or be champions, what do you think they would say? The main goal is to win the Premier League again. We did it last year and I think we’ll also improve our results against our rivals, but in the end it’s all about winning the Premier League.
Is it true that you’re perhaps the biggest movie buff in the United squad?
Everybody in the team watches a lot of movies, but with me it is a real hobby. When you are a foreign player in another country sometimes you have a lot of time on your hands. I am always watching movies at home. If I wanted to, I could open a video store with my DVDs! At the moment, though, I am more into watching TV shows. I watch House and Entourage, and I’m waiting for the new series of Heroes and Lost. My favourite is House, I never miss an episode.
Sometimes it takes time to start well. Against Birmingham we were probably at 70 percent, then that loss against Burnley was devastating and hurt everybody. But we struck back well against Wigan.
Was the Arsenal game the sort of match the team relishes?
It’s always good to play against your rivals for the title. The way Arsenal have started this season has been unbelievable. They have scored many goals and have players who are very technically gifted. That’s what is good about them; they play good football and move the ball around quickly. Arsene Wenger has been here so long, and he has a talent for developing young players into superstars.
Last season United’s record against other members of the ‘big four’ was one win from six games. Is that something the players are aiming to rectify this season?
It is. We didn’t do well against them, but in the end we were champions. If you ask any of the other sides which they would prefer, to beat the big teams or be champions, what do you think they would say? The main goal is to win the Premier League again. We did it last year and I think we’ll also improve our results against our rivals, but in the end it’s all about winning the Premier League.
Is it true that you’re perhaps the biggest movie buff in the United squad?
Everybody in the team watches a lot of movies, but with me it is a real hobby. When you are a foreign player in another country sometimes you have a lot of time on your hands. I am always watching movies at home. If I wanted to, I could open a video store with my DVDs! At the moment, though, I am more into watching TV shows. I watch House and Entourage, and I’m waiting for the new series of Heroes and Lost. My favourite is House, I never miss an episode.
Report by Steve Bartram, Manutd.com
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