Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has lifted the lid on his conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson when he was told he would not be involved in the squad for the Champions League final in 2011.
The Bulgarian had enjoyed a prolific Premier League campaign, having scored 20 goals in the division, but he had not managed to find the back of the net in his seven appearances in Europe that season.
Due to United's impressive strength in depth Berbatov was left out altogether for the match, with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez starting up-front and Michael Owen on the bench.
The Red Devils lost the match 3-1, and speaking to talkSPORT Berbatov spoke of his hurt when being told the news by Ferguson.
"It was just before the game, he called me and said 'Berbs, it's killing me, but I need to leave you out,'" Berbatov said.
"So it was like that and it was painful to hear that because I was a goalscorer of the team and of the Premier League.
"I was surprised because I felt so confident if I can shoot from somewhere, it's going to go in. So that was a surprise for me, but in the end it was like that.
Ferguson has spoken in the past about his regret at having to drop Berbatov, and in an interview with MUTV he said: "At Wembley, I dropped Dimitar Berbatov and he took it badly.
"He didn't deserve it. No player deserves to be left out of the final. That's why we try hard at these European seminars with the coaches to try to get 11 subs in the final."
Berbatov also revealed during the interview that he was hoping to join United before his move to Tottenham in 2006, and had always dreamed of playing for the club.
