Former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov has revealed he was kidnapped by gangsters as a teenager in Bulgaria. The incident occurred while he was playing for CSKA Sofia, before his move to the Premier League.
Berbatov, now 42, told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast that after training, a teammate drove him to a restaurant where he was confronted by a group of men. He was forced to sit with a man known as 'the cook', who demanded he transfer to a rival club.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘this is it for me. Maybe they’re going to beat me, or I don't know’,” Berbatov recalled. He was held for two to three hours before being allowed to call his father, who negotiated with the gangsters to secure his release.
The former Bulgaria international later moved to the Premier League, playing for Tottenham, Manchester United, and Fulham. He described the experience as a harsh lesson in growing up quickly.
