Berbatov's terrifying experience

Former striker Dimitar Berbatov has recounted the chilling memory of his early career when he was kidnapped and threatened by a rival club in Bulgaria.

Berbatov (left) said he was kidnapped when he was young.

In a conversation with Rio Ferdinand, Berbatov – then 18 years old and playing for CSKA Sofia – said it all started after a normal training session. "I didn't have a car, a teammate said he would take me to meet a friend. I believed him because I thought it was just a normal thing," Berbatov recalled.

But things took a terrifying turn: "He took me to a restaurant. There was a man sitting at a table, surrounded by three other tables of big guys. They were staring at me, coldly."

Sitting down at the table, Berbatov heard the stranger say in a domineering voice: "People call me The Cook. We know about you. We want you on our team. Don't worry, we will take care of everything with CSKA Sofia."

The former Bulgarian said he panicked, believing he would be detained or worse, assaulted if he refused. "I just thought: 'I have to call my dad'. But they wouldn't let me. I sat there for two or three hours. Finally, they let me call. I spoke very quickly, almost crying: 'Dad, they're going to kidnap me'. My dad told me to calm down, then he called a few acquaintances."

Fortunately, the intervention of his father and the leaders of the two clubs helped Berbatov to be released safely. "When my father drove to pick me up, I felt like a terrible burden had been lifted off my shoulders. It was that moment that made me understand that I had to grow up quickly and be strong to survive in football," he said.

The incident happened in the late 1990s, when Bulgarian football was still full of hidden rules. Berbatov then left CSKA Sofia in 2001, moved to Bayer Leverkusen for more than 1 million euros, then climbed to the top of the Premier League with Tottenham and MU.

At Old Trafford, he scored 56 goals in 149 games, won two Premier League titles, and became known as the most technically elegant and refined striker in the league.

Source: https://znews.vn/trai-nghiem-kinh-hoang-cua-berbatov-post1597957.html