FORMER Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov has revealed he was kidnapped as a teenager after another club tried to sign him in Bulgaria.
The ex-forward dazzled fans at with his deft touch, effortless skill and finishing ability.
Dimitar Berbatov has revealed he was once kidnapped when he was a teenagerCredit: YOUTUBE / Rio Ferdinand Presents
He made the shocking claim while speaking to a stunned Rio FerdinandCredit: YOUTUBE / Rio Ferdinand Presents
spent four years at Old Trafford, scoring 56 times in 149 appearances and winning two Premier League titles.
But before his time in the Premier League, Berbatov was subjected to “tough, tough times” in his native Bulgaria.
In a fascinating chat with ex-United team-mate , Berbatov revealed his kidnapping ordeal happened while he was playing for CSKA Sofia aged 18.
He said a team-mate of his took him to see a group of men in a restaurant who tried to convince him to sign for a new team.
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand Presents , he said: “It was tough, tough times back home. Different gangs.”
“Because some of the things that for you probably are going to sound unbelievable. For me, it was like nothing special happened. You were just part of life back in the day.
“I was really showing what I can do on the pitch, I was playing for CSKA Sofia and I was really starting to show my qualities.
“After training, I didn’t have a car. So a teammate of mine, he was like, ‘Come with me, I need to bring you to a friend of mine.’
Berbatov won two Premier League trophies during his time at Old TraffordCredit: Getty – Contributor
“I was a bit naive, of course, and maybe I trusted him because we played in the same team. So I get into his car. He drove me to a place, to a restaurant.
“We get into the restaurant, and in the restaurant there were obviously tables. And on one table, there was a guy by himself. And on three other tables, there were big guys, like big guys, refrigerators, typical Balkan guys sitting behind him, just looking scary and just watching you.
“The guy was like, ‘Come here, sit down’” I’m sitting down, and it’s like, thinking to myself in my mind, ‘What is going on? What is going on? I need to call my dad, I need to call my dad’.’
“[He said] ‘So we know about you. We need to change the team. We want you in our team. We need to get you’. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but I’m playing in CSKA Sofia. I mean, I like it there.’ [He said] ‘We will figure that out. Don’t worry about it.'”
A terrified Berbatov said his only thought was “I need to call my dad” and after three hours he was allowed to phone him.
He went on: “And I’m like calling my dad [saying] ‘I’m here. I don’t know where I am. The people around me, big guys.’ I was talking really fast, and he’s like, ‘Calm down, breathe. Like, just calm down and just breathe.’
“And I’m like, ‘What the f***? They’re going to kidnap me here and I don’t want to go, I want to go home.’ And he’s like, ‘Ok, Ok. Let me see what I can do. I’ll call the guy.’
Eventually Berbatov was allowed to stay at his club but the situation left him fearing the worst, as he admitted: “I was thinking to myself, ‘this is it for me. I need to say yes, or maybe they’re going to beat me’.
“But eventually 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.”
Ferdinand was visibly gobsmacked by the story before Berbatov went on to say how his later move to 2001 was “the best thing that happened to him” at the time.
He would stay in Germany for five years before joining Tottenham in 2006, scoring 46 times in 102 appearances there before his £40m move to United in 2008.
Berbatov later had spells with , Monaco, PAOK and Kerala Blasters in the Indian Premier League.
