‘They were going to kidnap me here and I didn’t want to go… I was thinking to myself, this is it for me. Maybe they’re going to beat me’ Manchester United title winner reveals terrifying kidnapping ordeal over potential transfer

Manchester United won the Premier League in 2008-09 and 2010-11, two of Sir Alex Ferguson’s last three titles.

Ferguson won 13 league titles in all during his time in charge of Man United and led generations of elite players through the most dominant period of the club’s history.

There were a handful of players who were a little bit different, who played with an extra twinkle in the eye, and two-time title winner Dimitar Berbatov was certainly one of those.

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Dimitar Berbatov was in demand before his time at Manchester United and competition for his services reached extreme levels

Dimitar Berbatov in action for Manchester United (Image credit: Alamy)

Berbatov was in some ways a stylistic heir to Eric Cantona and is ranked at no.64 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest Premier League players of all time. Under Ferguson’s guidance, he earned his own legendary status at Old Trafford as the team won the title and reached two Champions League finals.

But in the days before he moved to England, the Bulgarian forward encountered the scary limits of underground football business.

Speaking to former teammate Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Berbatov revealed that he was held hostage as a teenager in a terrifying transfer gambit.

“I was playing for CSKA Sofia and I was really starting to show my qualities,” Berbatov said.

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“Normally, when you show your quality as a player, teams will come for you, submit offers, ask how long do you have as a contract, how much do you cost to buy, and stuff like this.

Berbatov found himself at the centre of a different approach when a teammate drove him to a restaurant to meet ‘a friend’ with questionable intentions.

“On one table, there was a guy by himself. And on three others tables, there were big guys, refrigerators, typical Balkan guys behind him, just looking scary,” he told Ferdinand.

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Ex-Man United striker Dimitar Berbatov (Image credit: Alamy)

Berbatov was face-to-face with a man who called himself ‘The Cook’ and was informed that his unnamed team wanted the young striker.

Unwilling to leave CSKA Sofia but fearing for his safety in the company of a group ‘believed to be henchmen of gangster Georgi Iliev, according to the Mirror, Berbatov called his father and agreement was reached by means unknown.

“I’m like, ‘what the f**k? They’re going to kidnap me here and I don’t want to go, I want to go home.’ said Berbatov.

“And he’s like, ‘OK, OK. Let me see what I can do. I’ll call the guy.’ So eventually someone calls someone, and the big bosses of the two teams figure out a way of me not moving, just staying where I was.

“And in that situation, 18 years old, seeing and knowing how things were done back then in Bulgaria, I was thinking to myself, ‘this is it for me. Maybe they’re going to beat me, or I don’t know, you know’.”

Dimitar Berbatov is a Manchester United legend (Image credit: Getty Images)

“Eventually someone calls someone and the big bosses of the two teams figure out a way of me not moving.”

“My dad came in and took me in the car, and I was like, ‘oh my God.’ Makes me realise I need to grow up quick and be a man really early in my stage of life.”

The enigmatic forward remained at CSKA until a move to Bayer Leverkusen made his name. He went on to play Premier League football for Tottenham Hotspur, United and Fulham.

Man United would have loved to have a player of Berbatov’s ability travelling with them as they return to Premier League action with a visit to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

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