London, Apr.3 (ANI): Dimitar Berbatov has said that Manchester United's clash with Cheslea tonight is 'nothing personal, its purely business'.
There have already been offers for the Bulgarian to move from the glamorous world of football to another in cinema, and he has been likened to actor Andy Garcia, but he is happy being at Manchester United.
Berbatov, 29, learnt English from watching The Godfather trilogy as he made his way from the dark mean streets of Communist Bulgaria to the bright lights of the Premier League.
As a kid in the bleak mining town of Blagoevgrad, he was reduced to kicking an old dusty basketball to hone his talents, as there was no money for a proper football. This came after he queued for bread for anything up to eight hours.
"I don't know many footballers who will have experienced what it was like being a child in a communist country," he says.
As a rising star, the mob kidnapped him after training with CSKA Sofia. Gangland chief Georgi Iliev wanted him to play for his club Levski Kjustendil.
Berbatov managed to make a call to his dad Ivan, who was also a professional footballer, who did a deal to free his son.
He said: "It was an horrific ordeal but a long time ago now."
Then, in November last year, he had to evacuate his wife Elena and daughter Dea from Bulgaria when his mother Margarita was warned of a kidnap plot against them.
Berba is understood to have struck an agreement to keep all his family safe.
All this is perhaps why the striker is different and something of a loner at Old Trafford.
While others indulge in usual football banter, he can often be seen standing alone in his own thoughts at airports on United's travels.
He has never forgotten his roots and gives money to five children's care homes and has his own football foundation.
Even when he was starting out as a player in 2001, he saved the life of a sick Bulgarian girl by paying for her liver transplant operation.
For him, the leafy lanes of Cheshire have not eclipsed the streets of Blagoevgrad.
His mother Margarita says her son finds strength from his faith in the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.
She once said: "When he left for England, he carried a Bible I gave him. I pray for him before every game."
Those prayers will be offered as Berba faces Chelsea today.(ANI)
|
|
Comments:
