Manchester United won the Premier League title in 2011 with Dimitar Berbatov as their top scorer, but Sir Alex Ferguson left him out of the 18-man squad for the Champions League final.
Dimitar Berbatov has revealed how humiliated he felt after Sir Alex Ferguson was left out of Manchester United’s squad for the Champions League final. Berbatov admitted he was left speechless and paralyzed when Fergie told him he wouldn’t even be on the bench for the high-profile match against Barcelona at Wembley in 2011.
The decision was even more difficult to accept because Bernatov was United’s top scorer that season. Fergie then went on to apologize to Berbatov and admit that she had made a mistake.
“It was very painful for me. At one point I had to be stopped from leaving the stadium,” Berbatov said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
“Because I felt embarrassed. And it wasn’t the right thing in my mind, because I was the goalscorer for the team, United and the league. And when something like this happens, especially when you’re in that moment, it’s hard to justify it.”
“The coach said, ‘Well, you’re not playing. That’s really hard for me to say. It pains me to say this, but you’re not playing today.’ And I thought to myself, ‘Okay, I’m on the bench. Are you on the bench?’
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“‘No, no, you’re not playing. You’re not on the team.’ And in moments like this, even if you’re strong, even if you’re a man, you can be as paralyzed as I was.
“I was just sitting there and I wanted to move. I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t because even if I did say something, what the team was like, it was already decided.
“I can’t change anything because the kit is there, and my boss just said, ‘I’ll leave it to you,’ and left. And obviously, out of that sadness and disappointment came anger, and I got angry.
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“I scored a goal and thought I didn’t deserve it. And I felt confident and we were champions. And that anger made me want to take action, say something, fight someone. And in my case, I just wanted to leave.
“I just felt worthless. I changed my mind and stayed, but I watched the game in the dressing room. So that was one of the most difficult points of my career. But after a while the manager just apologized. And when I asked him to write the foreword for the book, he wrote the foreword for the book. That was a mistake.”
Listen to the full interview with Rio Meets Dimitar Berbatov on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
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