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Football

21st May 2016

Irishman makes Dimitar Berbatov’s Ultimate XI because of course he bloody does

What a team

Darragh Murphy

Dimitar Berbatov played alongside some absolute legends at Manchester United.

The fag-smoking, ball-trapping, energy-conserving striker enjoyed some magic moments during his time at Old Trafford and it’s entirely understandable that, when asked to name the ultimate XI of former teammates, the side was dominated by those from the Red Devils.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney are all obvious selections, as is Ryan Giggs on the left and the full back four.

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

In fact, the only two non-United players to make Berbatov’s side are Stiliyan Petrov, with whom Berbatov played in the Bulgaria national team, and Ireland’s own Robbie Keane.

Keane and Berba had a fruitful strike partnership at Spurs, where they dazzled defences with their combination of skill and clinical finishing.

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“I struck a great partnership with Robbie Keane at Tottenham,” Berbatov said on The Fantasy Football Club. “We didn’t speak much off the pitch, although that was down to me not liking to speak much. But he knew this and he was like: ‘Berba don’t worry, I know you’.

Middlesbrough v Tottenham Hotspur

“On the pitch he was great and we scored a lot of goals together. I liked him as a person. He was tireless, running around screaming, supporting the team-mates, trying to make everybody feel good. I never saw him get offended by anything, he was always positive and a great, great guy.”

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