'I didn't say bye to Sir Alex Ferguson when I left Man Utd – not after how he treated me'
Dimitar Berbatov enjoyed a successful four-year stint at Manchester United, but the manner of the Bulgarian's Old Trafford departure saw him lose respect for Sir Alex Ferguson
Dimitar Berbatov admitted Sir Alex Ferguson's treatment of him led to his acrimonious Manchester United departure. The Bulgarian became the Red Devils' most expensive player in 2008 when they forked out £30.75million to prise him away from Tottenham Hotspur.
After scoring 21 Premier League goals in his first two seasons combined at Old Trafford, Berbatov netted 20 goals in his third season, which not only clinched his second league title in England but his first Golden Boot honour.
Despite coming off what was the second-best scoring season of his career, Berbatov found games hard to come by the following season, as he appeared in just 12 league games, while scoring seven.
In the last 15 games of the 2011/12 season, the former striker had just 28 minutes of action to his name. The frustration felt by Berbatov at the time could be traced back to the season prior where he was left out of the squad by Ferguson for United's 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League final.
The 2011/12 campaign turned out to be the last Berbatov would be a United player as he opted to sign for Fulham. Upon his arrival in west London, he didn't hold back when revealing how his fractured relationship with Ferguson was created, admitting he wouldn't say goodbye to the Scotsman when leaving the club.
Speaking in 2012 to The Guardian, he said: "I don't think I deserved such treatment at United – not playing in the last year. I went more than 10, probably 15, times to ask the coach if they need me.
"And every time I was told that I'm an important player and should not leave, but then again I was not in the team. Maybe I should've gone when he [Ferguson] left me out of the squad for the Champions League final [in 2011]. I know he's the boss, but he has lost, to some extent, my respect because of the way he treated me."
Berbatov revealed the writing was on the wall for him at United after he was informed by Ferguson of his decision to change the team's style of play. "He [Ferguson] tried to explain to me that the team will be using a more direct style, with more speed," he explained.
"But I've never been among the fastest players, I like to hold the ball, this is my style. I found it hard to accept his decision – I still have my dignity. I scored many goals, I won the league two times, and I was the league top scorer, so it's not bad.
"I'll have no problems playing against United as this already happened in my career. But there's no point to look back again. I said goodbye to the people, who deserve it. I couldn't say goodbye to Ferguson."
Berbatov was 31 years old when signing for the Cottagers, but that didn't stop him from continuing to be one of England's most potent strikers as he scored 15 league goals in his debut campaign.
He played just one more year in England before departing for Monaco. After two years in the Principality, he enjoyed short stints with PAOK and Kerala Blasters before retiring from football in 2018.
Berbatov will surely be a keen viewer when United and Fulham clash at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon with kick-off set for 4.30pm.
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