Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov, also known as Dimitar Berbatov or simply Dimi, is a Bulgarian football player with a stunning track record. The young player has won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year six times to date, with more awards already in his pocket as well. Berbatov’s career as a professional football player started when he joined Pirin Blagoevgrad and has been glorious since.
Shortly after joining Pirin Blagoevgrad, Berbatov was spotted by CSKA Sofia’s manager Dimitar Penev. At the age of 17, Berbatov joined the team and started playing for CSKA Sofia. The early days of his career was fantastic indeed, winning his first Bulgarian Cup in 1999, only a year after joining the team. His father, Ivan, was also a player for CSKA Sofia.
Another Bulgarian team, Levski Kjustendil, owned by Bulgarian gangster Georgi Iliev tried to kidnap the young player and force him into signing a new contract, but Berbatov survived the kidnapping and continue to play for CSKA Sofia. Berbatov was also reported to have reached an agreement with a Serie A team Lecce, although the agreement was never completed due to last minute changes.
It was not until January 2001 that Berbatov ended his time with CSKA Sofia. It was Bayer Leverkusen that succeeded in signing Berbatov after seeing his spectacular performance in the 2000-01 season. Berbatov started his career in Leverkusen with 16 goals for the team, but the slow start didn’t make the young player any less motivated to show better performances in the future.