Berbatov Raring To Go

Dimitar Berbatov came face-to-face with the UK media on Friday as he was officially unveiled as a United and revealed trophies are top of his list at OT...

What was it about United that made you want to join?
It’s everything about the club from the red shirt to the glory that people think of when you simply say the words ‘Manchester United.’ It makes you think of the great players and the titles they’ve won as soon as you mention the club. The people who know me best - my family and close friends - know that I don’t play for money. I play because I like the game and I like to entertain. I can achieve that here and I want to help the team win more trophies. When the club said they wanted to sign me, I thought of nothing else.

Manchester City came in with a late bid on transfer deadline day. Was there any possibility of you joining them?
No. My only goal was to join United and now that I’m here I’m really pleased. My ambitions and goals are big and I want to fulfil them at the biggest club in the world. I was surprised when I heard about City’s offer and the money they wanted to spend, but it didn’t make any difference to me. I always wanted to come here.

There was a lot of uncertainty over your future before you actually joined United. How troubling was that for you?
Sometimes people don’t realise how the pressure can get to a player. During this transfer window it was really difficult for me. But when things work out in the end, you can look back and know it was worth waiting for.

Your game has been compared to that of Eric Cantona and Teddy Sheringham – do you see any similarities between yourself and those players?
It’s obviously a big compliment to hear these comparisons, but I have my own game and I never want to be compared to anyone else. Maybe in the future when I stop playing some people will ask the same question about me. But that’s why I play the game. I try to entertain and make people smile. If I can do that here like I did at Tottenham, I’ll be happy.

Did you model your game on anyone when you were growing up?
I always watched good players and worked hard to try to be like them. Marco van Basten was someone I looked to. He was a great striker and I tried my best to be like him.

Your body language when you play suggests that you have supreme confidence in your own ability. Is that the case?
Is that what I look like? [Interviewer: Yes, you look more than confident.] I may look like that but inside it might be a different story. As a player you have periods when things aren’t going well and you lose your confidence. You start asking yourself ‘am I good enough?’. I have been through a lot of those periods, but at the end of the day I know what my abilities are and I believe in what I can do on the pitch. That helps me through many difficult times and will help me come to a club like United.

It’s always been said that Cantona was born to play on the Old Trafford stage. Do you feel you are born to play here?
Only time will tell, but I really hope I will be successful here.