Dimitar Berbatov is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for Premiership giants Manchester United. He is considered as one of the best centre forwards in the game currently, and is a five time Bulgarian player of the year.
Berbatov was born on January 30, 1981 in the poor west Bulgarian mining town of Blagoevgrad. His father Ivan, played for CSKA Sofia, and mother Margarita, was a handball player. He also has a younger brother named Asen, whom he is very close to. The family was not very well off, and young Dimitar had a tough life while growing up.
His first club was local side FC Pirin. As a schoolboy, Berbatov was asked to play as a goalkeeper because his friends could not simply keep up with him when he played upfront. His talent was spotted by CSKA Sofia boss Dimitar Penev, the man who led Bulgaria to a third placed finish at the 1994 World Cup. CSKA signed him from Pirin for a fee of 50 footballs and 20 pairs of boots.