Highlights
- Berbatov picks his ultimate five-a-side team, but shocks everyone by leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo, his former teammate at Manchester United.
- Berbatov's team consists solely of players he played with during his time at Manchester United, leaving out all of his former Tottenham Hotspur teammates.
- Despite being a prolific goalscorer, Berbatov chooses to play in a defensive role and selects Edwin Van der Sar in goal, with Nemanja Vidic as his defensive partner.
Dimitar Berbatov is lucky enough to have lined up alongside some footballing greats so fitting them all into a five-a-side team is a tough ask. But that didn't stop him from trying.
The Premier League icon sat down with The Sun and picked five players for his ultimate team, but there are some very surprising omissions. Most notably, none other than Cristiano Ronaldo.
The seasoned pair played together for just one season at Manchester United, so maybe that’s why the Portuguese cult hero misses out here. Saying that, Ronaldo registered 26 goals and a further 12 assists during that season, a return that just adds further confusion to his absence.
While Ronaldo may be sat feeling hard done by, the same can be said for all of Berbatov's former Tottenham Hotspur teammates seeing as none of them make the grade. His team is solely made up of United stars that he featured alongside during his four-year stint between 2008 and 2012. In that short but sweet time at the club, he won two Premier League titles and reached the Champions League final on two separate occasions, while picking up a solitary League Cup during his time in north London.
The Bulgarian, while reflecting on Manchester United’s bitterly disappointing 3-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, has revealed his perfect five-a-side team made up of players he had the pleasure of playing with. And boy, what a team it is!
Dimitar Berbatov’s dream five-a-side team
As alluded to earlier, Berbatov’s career – especially during his time at the Red Devils – was glittered with star-studded teams and plenty of silverware. And so narrowing down an extensive list of players to reach five is no easy feat, but Berbatov has done it with ease. Much like his ability to take the ball out of thin air like it was nobody’s business.
Despite netting 56 goals in his 149-game Manchester United career, the striker has shoe-horned himself into a defensive role, though he adds a caveat that he is used to playing in that position in smaller-sided games. In between the sticks, he goes with Edwin Van der Sar. And alongside himself in defence, he opted for Nemanja Vidic over Rio Ferdinand.
"“Van der Sar probably in the goal," he told The Sun. "I will put myself in the back because five-a-side I play in the back. Myself and Vida [Vidic] probably."
Paul Scholes would be his lone midfielder. He justified the Englishman’s inclusion (not exactly like he needed to) with references to his ability to think quick, which is a key aspect of five-a-side.
Leading the line for Berbatov’s side would be none other than Wayne Rooney. The Old Trafford cult hero notched 20 goals and 13 assists in the same season that Ronaldo and Berbatov graced the pitch together, though Berbatov gave Rooney’s twinkle toes as reason for his inclusion.
"Up front, it’s going to either be Wazza," he said. "I can say easily Ronaldo – but I’ll go with Wazza probably because Wazza was good also in tight spaces, quick with his feet.”
He did, however, admit that if a sixth spot opened up that Ronaldo would be the player to get a call-up. Though, in the meantime, one of the greatest players of all time will have to accept that he’s ‘first reserve’. Sorry, Cristiano!
