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Berbatov investment is a stroke of genius for Fulham
M_Campbell23
Roar Guru
26th September, 2012
3
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M_Campbell23
Roar Guru
26th September, 2012
3

Anyone who is a regular watcher of the English Premier League highlights show will have noticed something in the last couple of weeks.

There is a gangly, sharp-featured and distantly familiar Bulgarian performing wizardry with the football.

Dimitar Berbatov is back. How sweet it is.

When Manchester United signed Berbatov on deadline day back in 2008 it seemed a perfect match. Sure, £30 million seemed a lot, but this was no plodder.

Berbatov was a rare type. This was a player who, in his first year in England, was voted fans’ player of the year, and in his second year did it again.

This was a player who reminded some of Eric Cantona – an elegant touch with exquisite flair, wrapped up in a brooding personality. Berbatov moving to Manchester United just made sense.

But it didn’t quite work out. There’s no question that Berbatov had his moments. Think of his first game, where he twisted and turned down the by-line at Anfield and delivered a cut back for Carlos Tevez, all within the first half hour of his Manchester United career.

Think of his hat-trick against the same opponents two years later, including that magnificent overhead kick. You might even think of his five goals against Blackburn Rovers, on one of the rare days when Berbatov was United’s main man.

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However, chances are that you’ll also think of the bad days. The penalty miss in the FA Cup shootout comes to mind, where many were left wondering if the ball had merely been blown off the spot by a strong gust of wind.

You may remember the day that Berbatov led the line against Blackburn Rovers, deputising for the injured Wayne Rooney in the closing weeks of the 2009/10 season, and couldn’t find a way to get United home. The 0-0 draw that day was arguably the terminal blow to their title chances that season.

Being left out of the squad entirely for the Champions League final a year later was the terminal blow to Berbatov’s confidence, and his standing in the United pecking order.

But now, after another frustrating season on the United bench (and beyond), Berbatov has finally packed up and gone elsewhere. Where United and Berbatov seemed a perfect match, Fulham and Berbatov might actually be one.

Simply, he can be the main man again, the star of the show. Dimitar Berbatov is many things, but a support player he is not.

There are few more pleasing sights in football then Dimitar Berbatov in top form. His dazzling skills and silky dexterity could make him the star of the Fulham show, and if they do, it will be a show well worth watching.

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