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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Darren Wells

Dimitar Berbatov explains turning down Man City transfer to join Man Utd

Dimitar Berbatov has revealed he rejected the chance to join Man City in favour of a switch to their rivals Man Utd.

The Bulgarian striker moved to Old Trafford in a £30million deal in 2008 having impressed during his time at Tottenham.

City were on the up at the time having just received the financial backing of Sheikh Mansour.

Though for Berbatov, it was a very straightforward decision to make.

"In my mind, it was never [close to a City move]," he told MUTV. "Because in that time, for me, it was about reaching my personal top, and that was Man United at that time.

Berbatov opted to move to United over rivals City (-)

"When you see the shirt, the red shirt, the badge, the history, the players, the managers... I mean, you fell in love immediately.

"My agent said, 'We have the interest from Man City' but I said, 'Man, please, you know where I want to go, just one way'."

It was hardly a difficult choice for Berbatov, as for all City's new-found riches, they still floundered some way behind their neighbours.

United had just come off the back of a double-winning campaign which saw them crowned Premier League and European champions.

City meanwhile had only mustered a ninth-place finish in the domestic table.

Berbatov went on to win two Premier League titles during his time with the Red Devils, also sharing the Golden Boot with City's Carlos Tevez in the 2010/11 season.

However he admitted he struggled to cope with the adulation of the United fans so soon after his arrival.

"I did [enjoy supporters' songs], but I feel very strange - it was the same in Spurs - when someone is going to sing a song for me," he said.

"I'm thinking to myself, 'Guys, please', because I feel embarrassed. Embarrassed is the right word, because I don't deserve that.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I did not feel in my place. I felt in a spotlight, and I didn't like that.

"I just wanted to play football, and when you hear something like this, it's a good thing, but I felt embarrassed."

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