It's 8 o'clock in the evening on August 31st 2008, and two of the three longest-running transfer saga of the summer still have not been resolved. Firstly, Robinho is definitely on his way out of the greatest team of the 20th century, but instead of going to Chelsea, he is now heading towards Eastlands to put his signature on a lucrative contract. And Dimitar Berbatov's future still remains in the balance, as it is unclear which team in Manchester will sign him. City, flexing their muscles at this point, have had a bid accepted by Tottenham, but his heart seems to be set on a move to Old Trafford. Eventually, through some clever wheeling-and-dealing by Sir Alex Ferguson, Berbatov would sign for Manchester United, but in hindsight, maybe City would have been a more appropriate choice.
The Bulgarian has split opinion in Manchester; some hail him as being the heir to Eric Cantona's throne as a true United genius, whereas others see him as a lazy, arrogant waste of money. One of the few times he has left all United fans in awe came against West Ham at Old Trafford. Berbatov chased a hapless ball down the line from Ryan Giggs, before stopping it, twisting his body and flicking it beyond the on-rushing Collins. The turn was fantastic, leaving him through on goal, but he opted to play Ronaldo in who could not miss, two yards from goal.
And that is pretty much all United fans have seen for the 30.75 million pounds that was spent on him. He may have scored 13 goals in this campaign, but none have really needed the ability of a 30 million pound marksman to score. Most have been simple tap-ins and rebounds, and in reality, anyone who plays 36 games as a striker, in a team as creative as Manchester United, has the opportunity to score 13 goals.
To compare the Bulgarian to other strikers in the world, is to see that he simply is not good enough for a team as ambitious as Manchester United. Fernando Torres, for example, cost Liverpool 27 million pounds, and is a much more complete centre-forward than Berbatov, and he, unlike the Bulgarian, has consistently shown the ability to create his own goals. Blackburn a few weeks ago, for example. Drogba has been reborn under Guus Hiddink and single-handedly knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League recently, and cost much less than Berbatov. And Emmanuel Adebayor has become a key player for Arsenal in recent years, and his goal against Villareal in the Champions League recently showed that he too possesses the ability to create his own goals.
One gets the impression United bought Berbatov for buying's sake. After a quite incredible season last year, Manchester United had once again reached the mountain peak by winning the Premier League and the Champions League, and it was hard to see just how they could improve their team. It was more a question of further strengthening an already formidable squad. But ponder this; where would United now be had they signed Franck Ribery or David Villa? Villa, in particular, would seem to fit in perfectly at Old Trafford; something which just does not apply to the lackadaisical Berbatov.
Even if United never had the money to buy Villa, which is doubtful, they could have waited a year, and saved the 30.75 million, to get their man. Instead, they opted to buy a man whose first campaign for the Red Devils was summed up on Sunday at Wembley, when his abysmal penalty allowed Everton to storm back and deny them their quintuple dream.
The most disappointing thing about Berbatov, however, is his age. In a deal similar to Chelsea's purchase of Andrei Shevchenko, United paid 30 million for a player who is not exactly a hot prospect. It is the upsetting state of a game, driven by the high demands of success, that teams now opt to pay such money for players who will never be able to repay the transfer fee. Had Berbatov been 21 years old, there would not be a problem, as the inconsistency seen in Berbatov is common to all young players. As they develop, they usually become more consistent.
It is for such reasons that Berbatov would have perfectly fitted in at the City of Manchester Stadium. The new-age City, backed by Arab oil tycoons, have used their new-found financing to buy over-rated, temperamental players, and Berbatov is no exception. If you have world class ability but do not show it on a regular basis, you are not a world class player, but rather an entertainer, a showman if you will.
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