A late volley from Lionel Messi gave Barca a 3-2 victory (5-4 on aggregate) in a second-leg match that saw three players sent off, Cesc Fabregas hacked down on his debut and Mourinho involved in ugly scenes on the sidelines.

The Real coach has become a controversial figure in Spain, just as he was in England and Italy, and a bad-tempered run of five ‘clasicos’ last season, in which his side had four men sent off, continued in the traditional curtain-raiser to the Spanish season.

A brutal challenge from Marcelo saw the Real defender dismissed in the closing moments of the Supercopa, which was followed by a huge melee involving players, substitutes and staff from both sides, with Mesut Ozil and David Villa both shown red despite having already been substituted.

Mourinho, meanwhile, may come under scrutiny for his role in the fracas as he was pictured heading towards Barca coach Tito Vilanova and making contact with his face. Vilanova responded by pushing Mourinho, who walked away grinning.

After the game, a fuming Pique railed at Madrid’s conduct. “I do not talk about the brawl. But it’s a shame, it is not the first time and it’s always the same,” the Barca defender said.

“Someone has to take action on the matter. Mourinho is destroying Spanish football. There is talk about the Catalans, but the problem is with Madrid. I think it’s going too far. It cannot always end well. In the end this will end very badly.”

Mourinho’s opposite number Pep Guardiola did not wade into the issue but had a word of caution for those involved in the tense atmosphere on the pitch.

“The images speak for themselves,” he said. “We must be careful, because one day we will cause harm, not on the field but off, and we’re all a little responsible for this. ”

Despite sustaining a serious injury as a child, he started his professional career with Sporting de Gijón. He moved to Real Zaragoza after two seasons, where he made his La Liga début, winning his first senior honours – the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España. He joined Valencia CF in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million and was part of the Valencia team that won the Copa del Rey in the 2007–08 season. In 2010 he moved to FC Barcelona for €40 million.

Villa made his international début in 2005. He has since participated in three major tournaments, becoming an integral member of the Spain teams that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. He scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup, was top scorer at Euro 2008 and earned Silver Boot at the 2010 World Cup. With 44 goals, Villa is Spain’s joint all-time top goalscorer with Raúl González and has also scored more World Cup goals than any other player in Spain’s history. His goals per game ratio at World Cup matches is higher than the competition’s all-time top scorer Ronaldo, while the goals per game ratio he has achieved for the national team has not been matched by any Spaniard since Alfredo di Stéfano.

Personal life

In 2003 Villa married his childhood sweetheart Patricia González (who had also been a footballer in her teenage years). They had a daughter who they named Zaida. Her name is engraved on his personalised Adidas F50′s, while one boot bears the Spanish flag, the other has the Asturian flag. In 2009, his second daughter Olaya was born, named after the wife of Fernando Torres, who is a close friend of Patricia. His footballing idols are Luis Enrique and Quini.

Villa frequently attends charity events. He is actively involved with the campaigns of the UNICEF charity.

Beginning in July 2008, a “David Villa Camp” is held annually, where children receive training from professional footballers. Villa also participates in a training session with the children.

Villa featured on the Spanish box art for video game FIFA 07.

Career statistics

Club

As of 12 December 2010

International

International statistics

As of 12 October 2010.

Note: Each season is September – August

Honours

Club

Real Zaragoza

• Copa del Rey: 1

2004

• Supercopa de España: 1

2004

Valencia

• Copa del Rey: 1

2008

Barcelona

• Supercopa de España: 1

2010

Country

Spain

• UEFA European Championship: 1

2008

• FIFA World Cup: 1

2010

Individual

Awards

• Don Balón Award (Spanish Player of the Year): 2005-06
• Zarra Trophy: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10
• UEFA Euro 2008 Golden Boot
• UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament^[102]
• Man of the Match Spain vs Russia, Spain vs Sweden Euro 2008
• 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe
• 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament.^[112]
• 2010 FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe
• 2010 FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010
• Man of the Match Spain vs Honduras World Cup 2010

Achievements

• Valencia Top Scorer: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10
• La Liga’s Top Assisting Player: 2006-07^[14]
• Spain all time top scorer: 44 goals
• Spain’s all time top scorer in FIFA World Cup matches
• Most goals scored in one World Cup (by a Spanish international): 5
• Most goals scored in one calendar year (by a Spanish international): 12 (2008, 2009)
• Largest streak of games having scored (by a Spanish international): 6

Afellay has been since a few weeks ago moved Barcelona. But only on Thursday (12/23/2010) local time yesterday he signed a contract with Barcelona a deal that will hold throughout the 4.5 years at Camp Nou.

Joining with The Catalans called Afellay as something that is very happy himself. But Barcelona’s status as one of the best clubs the world today no doubt also make him feel nervous.

“It’s special to be here, I am very happy. I am a little nervous, but that’s okay. I was in the best club in the world, great club, and I enjoy this moment, “said Afellay at Soccernet.

Barca need to spend is estimated at three million pounds to get Afellay to the Camp Nou Stadium. The number who considered beneficial they see great potential owned by former Ajax Amsterdam player.

“I still they really did not realize it until the time arrived here. I’ve come, this is my first day in town and I think I need time to adapt “

“It’s a big dream. All players want to reinforce Barca. And the players announced to the world if they want to play here. Here we have the best training facilities in the world, “complete the 24-year player.

In English, this award is better known as the European footballer of the Year (or Europe’s top football player).

The player must be a player who is bolstering a club member of UEFA. Until 1995, the player must also be a European citizen. Elections conducted by a group of European football journalists.

There are only three players who until recently has won this title three times, namely Johan Cruijff and Marco van Basten, are both from the Netherlands, and Michel Platini of France.

Ballon d’Or Winners

Year	Place	Player	Nationality	Club	Points
1956	1st	Stanley Matthews	England	Blackpool	047
	2nd	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid	044
	3rd	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	033
1957	1st	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid	072
	2nd	Billy Wright	England	Wolverhampton Wanderers	019
	3rd=	Duncan Edwards	England	Manchester United	016
	3rd=	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	016
1958	1st	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	071
	2nd	Helmut Rahn	West Germany	Rot-Weiss Essen	040
	3rd	Just Fontaine	France	Stade Reims	023
1959	1st	Alfredo Di Stéfano	Spain	Real Madrid	080
	2nd	Raymond Kopa	France	Real Madrid	042
	3rd	John Charles	Wales	Juventus	024
1960	1st	Luis Suárez	Spain	Barcelona	054
	2nd	Ferenc Puskás	Hungary	Real Madrid	037
	3rd	Uwe Seeler	West Germany	Hamburg	033
1961	1st	Omar Sívori	Italy	Juventus	046
	2nd	Luis Suárez	Spain	Internazionale	040
	3rd	Johnny Haynes	England	Fulham	022
1962	1st	Josef Masopust	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Prague	065
	2nd	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica	053
	3rd	Karl-Heinz Schnellinger	West Germany	Köln	033
1963	1st	Lev Yashin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Moscow	073
	2nd	Gianni Rivera	Italy	Milan	055
	3rd	Jimmy Greaves	England	Tottenham Hotspur	050
1964	1st	Denis Law	Scotland	Manchester United	061
	2nd	Luis Suárez	Spain	Internazionale	043
	3rd	Amancio	Spain	Real Madrid	038
1965	1st	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica	067
	2nd	Giacinto Facchetti	Italy	Internazionale	059
	3rd	Luis Suárez	Spain	Internazionale	045
1966	1st	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United	081
	2nd	Eusébio	Portugal	Benfica	080
	3rd	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	059
1967	1st	Flórián Albert	Hungary	Ferencváros	068
	2nd	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United	040
	3rd	Jimmy Johnstone	Scotland	Celtic	039
1968	1st	George Best	Northern Ireland	Manchester United	061
	2nd	Bobby Charlton	England	Manchester United	053
	3rd	Dragan Džajić	Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	046
1969	1st	Gianni Rivera	Italy	Milan	083
	2nd	Luigi Riva	Italy	Cagliari	079
	3rd	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	038
1970	1st	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	077
	2nd	Bobby Moore	England	West Ham United	070
	3rd	Luigi Riva	Italy	Cagliari	065
1971	1st	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Ajax	116
	2nd	Sandro Mazzola	Italy	Internazionale	057
	3rd	George Best	Northern Ireland	Manchester United	056
1972	1st	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	081
	2nd=	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	079
	2nd=	Günter Netzer	West Germany	Borussia Mönchengladbach	079
1973	1st	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona	096
	2nd	Dino Zoff	Italy	Juventus	047
	3rd	Gerd Müller	West Germany	Bayern Munich	044
1974	1st	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona	116
	2nd	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	105
	3rd	Kazimierz Deyna	Poland	Legia Warsaw	035
1975	1st	Oleg Blokhin	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv	122
	2nd	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	042
	3rd	Johan Cruyff	Netherlands	Barcelona	027
1976	1st	Franz Beckenbauer	West Germany	Bayern Munich	091
	2nd	Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	Anderlecht	075
	3rd	Ivo Viktor	Czechoslovakia	Dukla Prague	052
1977	1st	Allan Simonsen	Denmark	Borussia Mönchengladbach	074
	2nd	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg	071
	3rd	Michel Platini	France	Nancy	070
1978	1st	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg	087
	2nd	Hans Krankl	Austria	Barcelona	081
	3rd	Rob Rensenbrink	Netherlands	Anderlecht	050
1979	1st	Kevin Keegan	England	Hamburg	118
	2nd	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich	052
	3rd	Ruud Krol	Netherlands	Ajax	041
1980	1st	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich	122
	2nd	Bernd Schuster	West Germany	Barcelona	034
	3rd	Michel Platini	France	Saint-Étienne	033
1981	1st	Karl-Heinz Rummenigge	West Germany	Bayern Munich	106
	2nd	Paul Breitner	West Germany	Bayern Munich	064
	3rd	Bernd Schuster	West Germany	Barcelona	039
1982	1st	Paolo Rossi	Italy	Juventus	115
	2nd	Alain Giresse	France	Bordeaux	064
	3rd	Zbigniew Boniek	Poland	Juventus	053
1983	1st	Michel Platini	France	Juventus	110
	2nd	Kenny Dalglish	Scotland	Liverpool	026
	3rd	Allan Simonsen	Denmark	Vejle	025
1984	1st	Michel Platini	France	Juventus	128
	2nd	Jean Tigana	France	Bordeaux	057
	3rd	Preben Elkjær	Denmark	Verona	048
1985	1st	Michel Platini	France	Juventus	127
	2nd	Preben Elkjær	Denmark	Verona	071
	3rd	Bernd Schuster	West Germany	Barcelona	046
1986	1st	Igor Belanov	Soviet Union	Dynamo Kyiv	084
	2nd	Gary Lineker	England	Barcelona	062
	3rd	Emilio Butragueño	Spain	Real Madrid	059
1987	1st	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands	Milan	106
	2nd	Paulo Futre	Portugal	Atlético Madrid	091
	3rd	Emilio Butragueño	Spain	Real Madrid	061
1988	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan	129
	2nd	Ruud Gullit	Netherlands	Milan	088
	3rd	Frank Rijkaard	Netherlands	Milan	045
1989	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan	119
	2nd	Franco Baresi	Italy	Milan	080
	3rd	Frank Rijkaard	Netherlands	Milan	043
1990	1st	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Internazionale	137
	2nd	Salvatore Schillaci	Italy	Juventus	084
	3rd	Andreas Brehme	Germany	Internazionale	068
1991	1st	Jean-Pierre Papin	France	Marseille	141
	2nd=	Dejan Savićević	Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	042
	2nd=	Darko Pančev	Yugoslavia	Red Star Belgrade	042
	2nd=	Lothar Matthäus	Germany	Internazionale	042
1992	1st	Marco van Basten	Netherlands	Milan	098
	2nd	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Barcelona	080
	3rd	Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Ajax	053
1993	1st	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus	142
	2nd	Dennis Bergkamp	Netherlands	Internazionale	083
	3rd	Eric Cantona	France	Manchester United	034
1994	1st	Hristo Stoichkov	Bulgaria	Barcelona	210
	2nd	Roberto Baggio	Italy	Juventus	136
	3rd	Paolo Maldini	Italy	Milan	109
1995	1st	George Weah	Liberia	Milan	144
	2nd	Jürgen Klinsmann	Germany	Bayern Munich	108
	3rd	Jari Litmanen	Finland	Ajax	067
1996	1st	Matthias Sammer	Germany	Borussia Dortmund	144
	2nd	Ronaldo	Brazil	Barcelona	143
	3rd	Alan Shearer	England	Newcastle United	107
1997	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale	222
	2nd	Predrag Mijatović	Yugoslavia	Real Madrid	068
	3rd	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus	063
1998	1st	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus	244
	2nd	Davor Šuker	Croatia	Real Madrid	068
	3rd	Ronaldo	Brazil	Internazionale	066
1999	1st	Rivaldo	Brazil	Barcelona	219
	2nd	David Beckham	England	Manchester United	154
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan	064
2000	1st	Luís Figo	Portugal	Real Madrid	197
	2nd	Zinedine Zidane	France	Juventus	181
	3rd	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan	085
2001	1st	Michael Owen	England	Liverpool	176
	2nd	Raúl	Spain	Real Madrid	140
	3rd	Oliver Kahn	Germany	Bayern Munich	114
2002	1st	Ronaldo	Brazil	Real Madrid	169
	2nd	Roberto Carlos	Brazil	Real Madrid	145
	3rd	Oliver Kahn	Germany	Bayern Munich	110
2003	1st	Pavel Nedvěd	Czech Republic	Juventus	190
	2nd	Thierry Henry	France	Arsenal	128
	3rd	Paolo Maldini	Italy	Milan	123
2004	1st	Andriy Shevchenko	Ukraine	Milan	175
	2nd	Deco	Portugal	Barcelona	139
	3rd	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona	133
2005	1st	Ronaldinho	Brazil	Barcelona	225
	2nd	Frank Lampard	England	Chelsea	148
	3rd	Steven Gerrard	England	Liverpool	142
2006	1st	Fabio Cannavaro	Italy	Real Madrid	173
	2nd	Gianluigi Buffon	Italy	Juventus	124
	3rd	Thierry Henry	France	Arsenal	121
2007	1st	Kaká	Brazil	Milan	444
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United	277
	3rd	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona	255
2008	1st	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Manchester United	446
	2nd	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona	281
	3rd	Fernando Torres	Spain	Liverpool	179
2009	1st	Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona	473
	2nd	Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid	233
	3rd	Xavi	Spain	Barcelona	170

Born in Blagoevgrad, Berbatov began his football career with his local club, Pirin Blagoevgrad, but joined CSKA Sofia as a 17-year-old in 1998. In January 2001, he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen, and 18 months later, he played in his first UEFA Champions League final, coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdarić in the 2002 final against Real Madrid. After five-and-a-half years with Leverkusen, he was signed by Tottenham Hotspur, before joining Manchester United two years later. He played in his second Champions League final in 2009, competing against Barcelona. Berbatov is one of four players in Premier League history to have scored five goals in a single Premier League match.

Club career

Early career

Berbatov’s career began at Pirin Blagoevgrad, where he played until he was spotted by legendary CSKA Sofia scout and manager Dimitar Penev.

CSKA Sofia

At the age of just 17, Berbatov moved to CSKA Sofia following in the footsteps of his father, Ivan, who also played for the club as a left winger and later as a defender. He played for CSKA Sofia in the Bulgarian A PFG between 1998 and January 2001, making his debut as an 18-year-old in the 1998–99 season. He started to make his name the following year when he scored 14 goals in 27 league games and won the Bulgarian Cup in 1999.

At the age of 18 Berbatov was kidnapped following a training session as Bulgarian gangster Georgi Iliev, who has since been killed, tried to coerce the striker to sign for his own club, Levski Kjustendil.

In June 2000 he was about to be signed by Serie A side Lecce. Former U.S. Lecce Director of football Pantaleo Corvino stated in an interview that Berbatov had already undergone a medical, but when it came to signing the contract, the move collapsed, probably due to another request by the player himself.

Bayer Leverkusen

A run of nine goals in 11 games in 2000–01 was enough to persuade Bayer Leverkusen to sign Berbatov in January 2001. Berbatov had a slow start to his Leverkusen career with just 16 goals in his first 67 appearances for the club. He did however play a crucial role in the Champions League during his first full season with the club scoring a memorable solo effort against Lyon with an excellent piece of skill, as well as a goal against Liverpool in the quarter finals. He also played a part in the final against Real Madrid coming on as a substitute for Thomas Brdaric after 38 minutes.

In 2001–02, Leverkusen were runners-up in the Fußball-Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. During the 2002–03 Bundesliga season, Berbatov established his place as the first-choice forward at Bayer Leverkusen, and scored a well taken goal against Manchester United in September 2002. However, it was not until the 2003–04 season that he really began to shine, scoring 16 goals in 24 starts. The following two seasons saw him go from strength to strength, netting another 46 goals including five in the Champions League 2004–05, raising awareness of his talent and generating interest from teams throughout Europe.

Tottenham Hotspur

2006–07 season

In May 2006 Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for Berbatov’s transfer for a fee of €16million (£10.9 million), making him the most expensive Bulgarian player in history. After being granted a work permit, the transfer was completed and Berbatov joined Tottenham on 1 July 2006, donning the number nine shirt.

He scored two goals in two minutes in his first match as a Tottenham player against Birmingham City in a pre-season friendly. Berbatov scored his first competitive Tottenham goal two minutes into his home debut in the Premier League game against Sheffield United at White Hart Lane.

In the group stage of the UEFA Cup, Berbatov scored a goal each against Besiktas and Dinamo Bucharest as well as a brace against Club Brugge, which helped Tottenham secured top spot in Uefa Cup Group B.

Despite his good form in European competition, Berbatov took a while to adapt to the Premier League. However, he soon began to regain the league form he had shown at Leverkusen with an excellent performance against Wigan Athletic, scoring one and creating the other two in a 3–1 win. On 9 December 2006, Berbatov scored his first Premier League brace for Spurs in a 5–1 victory for his side against Charlton Athletic. On 18 February 2007 Berbatov came on as a second half substitute against Fulham in the FA Cup to score his first two goals in the competition. Berbatov scored his first away goal in the Premier League at Goodison Park against Everton, a first-time shot from around the penalty spot after an Aaron Lennon cross. Spurs went on to win the match 2–1.

Berbatov and Spurs team-mate Robbie Keane were named joint winners of the Premier League Player of the Month award for April, becoming the first players to share the award since Arsenal’s Dennis Bergkamp and Edu in February 2004. Berbatov had two goals included in the BBC’s goal of the month competition shortlist for April 2007, with his efforts against Wigan Athletic and Middlesbrough being included. He scored the 100th goal of Tottenham’s 2006–07 season with the first goal of a 2–0 victory over Charlton Athletic on 7 May 2007. On 13 May 2007, he scored his 23rd goal of the season against Manchester City to secure a UEFA Cup place for Tottenham.

Berbatov ended the 2006–07 season with 12 goals in 33 appearances in the Premier League.^[25] Berbatov won both the Tottenham Hotspur player of the season award and was also included in the FA Premier League’s PFA Team of the Season.

2007–08 season

After Spurs narrowly lost to Arsenal in the North London derby on 22 December 2007, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger compared Berbatov to Thierry Henry.

His first Spurs Premier League hat-trick came on 29 December 2007 after he bagged four goals in a 6–4 win against Reading.

Berbatov played in his first cup final for Tottenham on 24 February 2008 in the Football League Cup at Wembley Stadium against Chelsea in which he scored an equalising penalty. Tottenham went on to win the game 2–1 after extra time, with Berbatov collecting his first trophy in English football. On 9 March, Berbatov scored a brace of headers in the 4–0 demolition of West Ham United.

He ended the season with 15 league goals.

2008–09 season

The 2008–09 season began in circumstances when Berbatov’s desires for greener pastures dominated tabloid headlines. After a newspaper quoted Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson as saying he expected to sign Berbatov, Tottenham submitted a complaint to the Premier League alleging that Manchester United had broken Premier League rules. Ongoing rumours of a substantial bid by United unsettled the striker, and despite training with Tottenham, Berbatov was dropped for the games against Sunderland and Chelsea. Before the close of the transfer window, Ferguson described his feelings as “less optimistic” about securing new signings.

Manchester United

2008–09 season

After much speculation, Berbatov completed a move to Manchester United on 1 September 2008 for a fee of £30.75 million, with Fraizer Campbell joining Tottenham on a season-long loan and Tottenham’s complaint to the Premier League withdrawn as part of the deal.This came despite Tottenham accepting a bid for Berbatov from Manchester City on the same day. Berbatov’s contract to United is for four years, and he wears the number 9 shirt previously worn by Louis Saha. Berbatov later insisted he never even considered a move to Manchester City. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger accused Tottenham of using the complaint to the Premier League as a trick for negotiations in order to get a better price, and expressed his doubt about the genuineness and validity of the complaint.

Berbatov marked his Manchester United debut with an assist to a Carlos Tévez goal away to Liverpool but United went on to lose the game 2–1. He scored his first two goals for Manchester United in their 3–0 win away to Aalborg BK in the Champions League group stage on 30 September 2008.^[43] He scored the third goal in a 4–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion to mark his first Premier League goal as a Manchester United player. On 29 October 2008, Berbatov assisted Cristiano Ronaldo to open the scoring in Manchester United’s home game against West Ham United after using deft footwork to get past defender James Collins. On 17 January 2009, he scored a last-minute goal to secure a 1–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers and help United to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in the season. Alex Ferguson defended Berbatov after the Bulgarian was the subject of much criticism for a penalty miss in the FA Cup 2008–09 semi-final against Everton, with Manchester United eventually losing to Everton in the penalty shoot-out.^[45] Soon after, Berbatov scored the fifth of United’s goals as they came back from 2–0 down at half-time to win 5–2 against his former team, Tottenham Hotspur on 25 April 2009.^[46] Manchester United won the Premier League on 16 May 2009 with a 0–0 draw at home to Arsenal, to make him the first Bulgarian to win the competition. In the same season Berbatov made 10 assists in the Premier League and finished joint second (along with Fabregas, Gerrard and Lampard) behind league leader Robin van Persie with 11.

2009–10 season

Berbatov scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season against Wigan Athletic on 22 August 2009, scoring the second goal of a 5–0 away win. On 3 October 2009, three days after an inspiring performance against Wolfsburg in the Champions League, he produced a scissor-kick finish for the first of United’s two equalisers against Sunderland. He scored again on 31 October with a sublime control and finish against Blackburn Rovers  but he got an injury in that game that kept him out of the team for more than a month. He scored again after nearly two months against Hull on the 27 December 2009. He scored the fourth goal in the very next game, a 5–0 home win against Wigan Athletic. Dimitar scored his ninth goal in the Premier League in the 3–1 defeat to Everton. That goal also meant that he had scored five goals in his last five league starts. His tenth league goal came against Fulham after a run of strong performances. He also provided the assist for Wayne Rooney’s second. On 27 March 2010, he scored his first league brace for the club in a 4–0 away win over Bolton Wanderers.

Berbatov came under criticism from some sections of supporters due to his disappointing goal return. This led to suggestions that he might leave United in the summer transfer window after just two seasons at Old Trafford, speculation which was denied by Sir Alex Ferguson.

2010–11 season

Berbatov scored United’s first goal of pre-season on 16 July 2010, in a 3–1 friendly win over Celtic at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada. On 8 August, he scored United’s third goal in the 92nd minute of their 3–1 win over Chelsea in the 2010 Community Shield. After some sharp inter-play from Fletcher, Giggs and Nani, the Portuguese lifted the ball through for Berbatov who then lobbed it over the advancing Chelsea goalkeeper, Hilário. Just eight days later Berbatov scored his and United’s first league goal of the season, opening the scoring in their 3–0 home victory over Newcastle United in their opening fixture. On 29 August, Berbatov completed the scoring in a 3–0 home win over West Ham United.^[56] On 11 September, Berbatov netted his fourth goal of the season in a 3–3 away draw against Everton. On 19 September, he scored his first hat-trick for United in a 3–2 home win against Liverpool. The second goal, which was a fantastic overhead kick, became a contender for Goal of the Season. This was the first hat-trick by a Manchester United player against Liverpool in 64 years, since Stan Pearson in a 5–0 victory in 1946. On 4 October, Berbatov’s fine start to the season was rewarded as he was named PFA Fans’ Player of the Month, taking the honour ahead of Chelsea trio Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Nicholas Anelka.^[60] Berbatov made his 100th appearance for United on 10 November in a 0–0 away league draw in the Manchester derby. On 25 November, Berbatov was one of six United players named on a 55-man shortlist for the FIFPro World XI 2010. On 27 November, Berbatov tied a Premier League record as he scored five goals in a 7–1 home victory over Blackburn, equalling the feat achieved by Andrew Cole, Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe (and becoming the first and only non-English player to do so).

International career

Berbatov made his debut for Bulgaria on 17 November 1999 in a friendly match against Greece. On 12 February 2000, he scored his first goal for the national side in a friendly match against Chile. On 14 October 2009, he netted a hat-trick in the 6–2 home win in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Georgia, enabling him to bring his goal tally for the national side to 46 goals, just one short of the then all-time top scorer for Bulgaria Hristo Bonev. On 18 November 2009, he scored two goals against Malta for a 4–1 away win in a friendly match and became the all-time top scorer of the national team of Bulgaria. Yet, although his good performances for Bulgaria, the only big international competition he played in was Euro 2004.

Berbatov was also the captain of the team from 2006 to 2010, succeeding Stiliyan Petrov in 2006. On 13 May 2010, Berbatov announced his retirement from international football, citing his growing disillusionment with the side amid recent criticism of his performances, as well as some personal concerns. He said of his retirement: “It was a difficult decision, but sometimes we have to take difficult decisions.”

Career statistics

Statistic correct as of matches played 27 November 2010

Honours

Club

CSKA Sofia

• Bulgarian Cup (1): 1998–99

Tottenham Hotspur

• Football League Cup (1): 2007–08

Manchester United

• Premier League (1): 2008–09
• FIFA Club World Cup (1): 2008
• Football League Cup (1): 2009–10
• FA Community Shield (1): 2010

Individual

• Bulgarian Man of the Year (1): 2009
• Bulgarian Footballer of the Year (6): 2002^, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009
• Tottenham Hotspur Club Player of the Year (1): 2006–07
• PFA Premier League Team of the Year (1): 2006–07
• Premier League Player of the Month (2): April 2007 September 2010

The rivalry comes about as Madrid and Barcelona are the two largest cities in Spain, and the two clubs are the most successful and influential football clubs in the country. Real Madrid has amassed 73 trophies and Barcelona 68, while Athletic Bilbao comes third with 32 trophies. They are sometimes identified with opposing political positions, with Real Madrid and Barcelona representing Spanish nationalism and Catalan nationalism respectively.

Rivalry

At this time, Christiano Ronaldo and Leonel Messi is the most player on their clubs. They become the center of attention in the match.

The Primo de Rivera and Franco years

As early as the 1930s, Barcelona “had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan pride and identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid”. During the Franco dictatorship, most citizens of Barcelona were in strong opposition to the fascist-like régime, with several players of Barcelona enrolling with the opposition forces in 1934. On a representative level, the president of Barcelona Josep Sunyol was killed by Franco’s security police as part of his political activities while visited Republican troops north of Madrid. Phil Ball, the author of Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football, calls the El Clásico “a re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War”.

Though the first socialist party in Spain was founded in Madrid, almost all the ideas that have shaped the country’s modern history – republicanism, federalism, anarchism, syndicalism and communism – have been introduced via the region of Catalonia, where Barcelona is.^[7][8] During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de Rivera and of Francisco Franco, all regional languages and identities were frowned upon and restrained. In this period FC Barcelona gained their motto més que un club (English: More than a club) because of its alleged connection to progressive beliefs and its representative role for Catalonia. However, during Franco’s regime, the blaugrana team seemed to be granted profit due to its good relationship with the dictator at management level.^[10] In any case, for most of the Catalans, and many other Spaniards as well, Real Madrid was regarded as the establishment club, in spite of the fact that during the Spanish Civil War, presidents of both clubs like Josep Sunyol and Rafael Sánchez Guerra, suffered in the Spanish Civil War.

Di Stéfano transfer

The rivalry was intensified during the 1950s when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo di Stéfano. Di Stéfano had impressed both Barcelona and Real Madrid whilst playing for Club Deportivo Los Millonarios in Bogota, during a players’ strike in his native Argentina. Both Madrid and Barcelona attempted to sign him and, due to confusion that emerged from di Stéfano moving to Millonarios from River Plate following the strike, both clubs claimed to own his registration. After intervention from FIFA representative Muñoz Calero it was decided that both Barcelona and Real Madrid had to share the player in alternate seasons. Barcelona’s Franco-imposed President backed down after a few appearances as Barcelona’s side claimed but Real say Barcelona’s decision was voluntary, and di Stefano moved definitively to Madrid.

Di Stéfano became integral in the subsequent success achieved by Madrid, scoring twice in his first game against Barcelona. With him, Madrid won the initial five European Champions Cup competitions. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the European Cup, Real Madrid winning in 1960 and FC Barcelona winning in 1961.

Current issues

The two teams met again in the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 2002, with Real Madrid winning 2-0. The match, dubbed by Spanish media as the Match of the Century, was watched by more than 500 million people. In the Clásico held on November 2005, Barcelona played away in Madrid, winning 3-0. The star of the Barcelona team was Ronaldinho, who became the first Barcelona player to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans.

The rivalry has been strengthened throughout time by the internal transfer of players between the clubs. Barcelona players who have later played for Real Madrid include Bernd Schuster, who switched in 1988, Michael Laudrup went to Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1994, but the most notorious was former vice-captain Luís Figo’s switch in 2000. Players transferring from Real Madrid to Barcelona are less frequent, the most recent being Luis Enrique, who went to Barcelona in 1996 where he went on to captain the Blaugrana, and since 2008 coach the reserve team.

A 2007 survey by the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas determined that Real Madrid was the team with the largest following in Spain. Thirty-two percent of the Spanish population supported Real Madrid, while twenty-five percent supported Barcelona. In third place came Valencia CF, who were supported by five percent. Barcelona in turn is more popular in Europe than Madrid. According to a survey made by the German research agency Sport+Markt in 2010, Barcelona has approximately 57,8 million fans around Europe, while Real Madrid has 31,3 million fans.^[19][20] Globally, Real Madrid is the most popular football club in the world according to a study performed by Harvard University in 2007, with over 228 million supporters worldwide. Although on Facebook Barcelona has 7 million fans when Real Madrid only has 6 million fans.

Players who played for both clubs

While the transfers of Luis Enrique from Real Madrid to Barcelona and Luís Figo from Barcelona to Real Madrid caused an uproar amongst the fans of their respective clubs, the rivalry between the two teams has not prevented players from switching teams, sometimes without controversy.

• Alfonso Albéniz (Barça to Madrid) (1902)
• Luciano Lizarraga (Madrid to Barça) (1905)
• Charles Wallace (Barça to Madrid) (1906)
• José Quirante (Barça to Madrid) (1906)
• Alfonso Albéniz (Barça to Madrid) (1911)
• Arsenio Comamala (Barça to Madrid) (1911)
• Walter Rozitsky (Barça to Madrid) (1913)
• Ricardo Zamora (Barça to Espanyol to Madrid) (1930)
• Josep Samitier (Barça to Madrid) (1932)
• Hilario Juan Marrero Pérez (Madrid to Valencia to Barça) (1939)
• Alfonso Navarro (Barça to Madrid) (1950)
• Justo Tejada (Barça to Madrid) (1961)
• Jesús María Pereda (Madrid to Real Valladolid to Sevilla to Barça) (1961)
• Evaristo de Macedo (Barça to Madrid) (1962)
• Fernand Goyvaerts (Barça to Madrid) (1965)
• Lucien Muller (Madrid to Barça) (1965)
• Lorenzo Amador (Madrid to Hércules CF to Barça) (1980)
• Bernd Schuster (Barça to Madrid) (1988)
• Luis Milla (Barça to Madrid) (1990)
• Gheorghe Hagi (Madrid to Brescia to Barça) (1994)
• Fernando ”Nando” Muñoz (Barça to Madrid) (1992)
• Julen Lopetegui (Madrid to CD Logroñés to Barça) (1994)
• Michael Laudrup (Barça to Madrid) (1994)
• Robert Prosinečki (Madrid to Real Oviedo to Barça) (1995)
• Miquel Soler (Barça to Sevilla to Madrid) (1995)
• Luis Enrique (Madrid to Barça) (1996)
• Daniel García Lara (Madrid to Real Mallorca to Barça) (1999)
• Luís Figo (Barça to Madrid) (2000)
• Albert Celades (Barça to Celta Vigo to Madrid) (2000)
• Alfonso Pérez (Madrid to Real Betis to Barça) (2000)
• Ronaldo (Barça to Internazionale to Madrid) (2002)
• Samuel Eto’o (Madrid to Real Mallorca to Barça) (2004)
• Javier Saviola (Barça to Monaco to Sevilla to Madrid) (2007)