Celebrating Dimitar Berbatov's second-best touch at Man Utd
You can't think of Dimitar Berbatov's time at Manchester United without mentioning that skill.
Berbatov recounted the moment he pirouetted past West Ham defender James Collins in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine in 2018.
"The spin was something I was trying to do, because when you're on the boundary line, the defender thinks you have nowhere to go," Berbatov said. “His guard is down, and it's time to improvise. I spotted James Collins and he thought, "You have nowhere to go, Berbs".
"After Ronaldo scored, I tried to look so cool - no emotion, just going back to the halfway line like nothing happened, like, 'Yeah, c 'is a typical day for me.' But inside I was like, 'Holy shit, have you all seen this?'
When asked what was the best skill he had performed on a soccer field, Berbatov replied, "Probably not."
Probably not. It's hard to tell if he was modest, humble, or exhibited the kind of arrogance that any charismatic character needs.
Besides, Berbatov could well have thought back to a January night in Blackpool ten years ago and a sweeter touch than Usher buttering a slice of toast.
United were unbeaten and top of the league heading into the January 2011 game, but soon found themselves trailing 2-0 at Bloomfield Road.
Ian Holloway, a man so Bristolian he makes Tricky look like the queen, had assembled a ragtag group of entertainers busy laying the finger on the pundits who predicted instant relegation for the Seasiders.
In mid-table before United's visit, Blackpool fully deserved their advantage with Charlie Adam directing play from midfield.
But that was Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson - a team so resilient you suspected they could cheat death themselves. Once Berbatov scored a goal in the second half, it was inevitable that they would win 3-2.
And that's what happened. Javier Hernandez plundered an equalizer before Berbatov rushed in a superb pass from Paul Scholes to drive the winner home and break Blackpool's heart.
Berbatov's hug grabbed headlines as the assembled reporters produced the written equivalent of a roll of eyes and a knowing wink. That's what United were famous for after all.
But the comeback was signaled in the first half when the languid Berbatov produced such a classy moment that Blackpool should have immediately packed up and gone home.
The presence of Paul Scholes helped create the opportunity. Deep into the fall of his career, the United legend lacked the mobility of his early years, but retained the unerring knack of picking a team-mate.
That would explain why the Blackpool midfielder, realizing the futility of shutting him down, gave Scholes the freedom of Pleasure Beach to pick out Berbatov with a driven pass.
That's when the former Tottenham striker transformed into a champion ballerina.
Demonstrating the kind of athleticism that can break a pair of hamstrings just by looking at it, Berbatov extended his right leg and killed the stone ball.
It didn't lead to a goal, or even a clear chance, but summed up Berbatov's game perfectly. You suspected he could have controlled this pass by wearing a pair of slippers and pulling on an exotic cigarette.
Berbatov ended the 2010-11 season with mixed emotions. His 20 goals were enough to make him joint top scorer in the Premier League, but the striker was inexplicably left out of the squad for the Champions League final against Barcelona.
He told FourFourTwo: "It certainly wasn't a great feeling, because I really thought I deserved to be there. But it was the manager's decision, and the good thing is that he later admitted it was a mistake not to bench me."
Even Berbatov in his pomp wouldn't have made much of a difference against an imperial Barcelona side, but the decision to pick Michael Owen ahead of him clearly pissed him off.
A rift developed between player and coach and Berbatov barely featured afterwards. He was sold to Fulham in 2012 with suggestions that United could not base their squad on the ultimate luxury item.
That argument had merit, but no soul. Berbatov was a fantastic footballer capable of bewitching genius - what more did people ask for?
By Michael Lee
READ NEXT: A tribute to Dimitar Berbatov, a man who made you forgive his mistakes
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every £10m+ player Sir Alex Ferguson has signed for Man Utd?
You can't think of Dimitar Berbatov's time at Manchester United without mentioning that skill.
Berbatov recounted the moment he pirouetted past West Ham defender James Collins in an interview with FourFourTwo magazine in 2018.
"The spin was something I was trying to do, because when you're on the boundary line, the defender thinks you have nowhere to go," Berbatov said. “His guard is down, and it's time to improvise. I spotted James Collins and he thought, "You have nowhere to go, Berbs".
"After Ronaldo scored, I tried to look so cool - no emotion, just going back to the halfway line like nothing happened, like, 'Yeah, c 'is a typical day for me.' But inside I was like, 'Holy shit, have you all seen this?'
When asked what was the best skill he had performed on a soccer field, Berbatov replied, "Probably not."
Probably not. It's hard to tell if he was modest, humble, or exhibited the kind of arrogance that any charismatic character needs.
Besides, Berbatov could well have thought back to a January night in Blackpool ten years ago and a sweeter touch than Usher buttering a slice of toast.
United were unbeaten and top of the league heading into the January 2011 game, but soon found themselves trailing 2-0 at Bloomfield Road.
Ian Holloway, a man so Bristolian he makes Tricky look like the queen, had assembled a ragtag group of entertainers busy laying the finger on the pundits who predicted instant relegation for the Seasiders.
In mid-table before United's visit, Blackpool fully deserved their advantage with Charlie Adam directing play from midfield.
But that was Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson - a team so resilient you suspected they could cheat death themselves. Once Berbatov scored a goal in the second half, it was inevitable that they would win 3-2.
And that's what happened. Javier Hernandez plundered an equalizer before Berbatov rushed in a superb pass from Paul Scholes to drive the winner home and break Blackpool's heart.
Berbatov's hug grabbed headlines as the assembled reporters produced the written equivalent of a roll of eyes and a knowing wink. That's what United were famous for after all.
But the comeback was signaled in the first half when the languid Berbatov produced such a classy moment that Blackpool should have immediately packed up and gone home.
The presence of Paul Scholes helped create the opportunity. Deep into the fall of his career, the United legend lacked the mobility of his early years, but retained the unerring knack of picking a team-mate.
That would explain why the Blackpool midfielder, realizing the futility of shutting him down, gave Scholes the freedom of Pleasure Beach to pick out Berbatov with a driven pass.
That's when the former Tottenham striker transformed into a champion ballerina.
Demonstrating the kind of athleticism that can break a pair of hamstrings just by looking at it, Berbatov extended his right leg and killed the stone ball.
It didn't lead to a goal, or even a clear chance, but summed up Berbatov's game perfectly. You suspected he could have controlled this pass by wearing a pair of slippers and pulling on an exotic cigarette.
Berbatov ended the 2010-11 season with mixed emotions. His 20 goals were enough to make him joint top scorer in the Premier League, but the striker was inexplicably left out of the squad for the Champions League final against Barcelona.
He told FourFourTwo: "It certainly wasn't a great feeling, because I really thought I deserved to be there. But it was the manager's decision, and the good thing is that he later admitted it was a mistake not to bench me."
Even Berbatov in his pomp wouldn't have made much of a difference against an imperial Barcelona side, but the decision to pick Michael Owen ahead of him clearly pissed him off.
A rift developed between player and coach and Berbatov barely featured afterwards. He was sold to Fulham in 2012 with suggestions that United could not base their squad on the ultimate luxury item.
That argument had merit, but no soul. Berbatov was a fantastic footballer capable of bewitching genius - what more did people ask for?
By Michael Lee
READ NEXT: A tribute to Dimitar Berbatov, a man who made you forgive his mistakes
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every £10m+ player Sir Alex Ferguson has signed for Man Utd?
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