Dimitar Berbatov went from ‘the worst player on the pitch’ to ‘playing like Johan Cruyff’, former Tottenham striker Mido reveals

Dimitar Berbatov went from ‘the worst player on the pitch’ to ‘playing like Johan Cruyff’, former Tottenham striker Mido reveals
Dimitar Berbatov went from ‘the worst player on the pitch’ to ‘playing like Johan Cruyff’ almost overnight during his early days at Tottenham, according to former team-mate Mido.The maverick Bulgarian striker is fondly-remembered by Spurs fans for his sensational two seasons with the club, where his scored 46 goals in 102 appearances and lifted the League Cup.4

Berbatov is a cult hero at Tottenham

His impeccable touch, sublime finishing and undeniable arrogance on the ball alerted Manchester United and he ended up joining the Premier League giants in a 30million deal, going on to win two Premier League titles.But, as his old team-mate explains, Berba didnt enjoy the smoothest of starts when he first arrived in north London.Egyptian frontman Mido was a big hit when he initially joined Spurs on an 18-month loan deal from Roma in January 2005.He scored 14 goals in one-and-a-half seasons before returning to Italy but, as the star revealed, it wasnt long before he was back at White Hart Lane – because manager Martin Jol wasnt convinced Berbatov was good enough.He told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: Tottenham bought Berbatov [that summer] but for the first three games, Berba was the worst player on the pitch.Like, unbelievable.4

It wasn’t an easy start to Premier League life for Berbatov…

So after three games Martin Jol called me and said, Mido, I made a big mistake. Come to Tottenham, please. I will do whatever you want. This guy I bought, hes not as expected. I need you back.So I signed and two days later I played Man United away at Old Trafford and Martin put Berba on the bench. He needed time, but Martin told him he would never make it in England.But once I came back, he started to play like Cruyff! He was unbelievable, he became a totally different player.4

…but he soon became one of Tottenham’s biggest players

And to be honest, I struggled.I did my best, I was fighting every day trying to get into the team, but it wasnt easy because he was just unbelievable. His first touch and the way he could finish was just from a different planet.Berbatov was known for much more than his supreme elegance and calmness with a football at his feet he was also one of the most quirky characters in the Premier League at the time.And Mido admitted he thought the Bulgarian was a bit weird.4

Berbetov won two Premier League titles with Manchester United

He used to come to the training ground with his own knife and fork.He used to get a knife and fork out of his pocket and eat. We all used to think: What is that? Whats going on?!Hes a photographer, too. He goes out into the wild to take photos hes a bit weird.

'In his first 3 games he was the worst player on the pitch… then I came back to #THFC & he became Cruyff!" 'He used to bring his own knife and fork to training' 'He's a bit weird'@Midoahm talking about Dimitar Berbatov is brilliant![ w/ https://t.co/gCPtsiLjeK] pic.twitter.com/EXupRMuYi2— The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast (@SportsBreakfast) November 26, 2018

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