Dimitar Berbatov snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo as he named his best five-a-side team consisting of his former teammates. Berbatov and Ronaldo shared the pitch when they were teammates at Manchester United.
Berbatov also didn't pick any Tottenham Hotspur player, as all five players of his team are from the Red Devils. Edwin van der Sar, Paul Scholes, Nemanja Vidic, Berbatov himself and Wayne Rooney made the cut.
Berbatov has surprisingly decided to put himself as a defender. Naming his side, the Bulgarian legend told The Sun:
"Of course, I'm going to put myself in there, I'm very good at five-a-side. Since I was f***ing eight or nine years old, I was playing five-a-side back home. And let me tell you it helps a lot when you play five-a-side. It can develop your speed, quick-thinking, technique, touch, everything."
He added:
"Five-a-side, they probably need to all be from United days. I played with so many good players there. Van der Sar probably in the goal. I will put myself in the back because five-a-side I play in the back. Myself and Vida (Vidic) probably."
Berbatov added:
"I will have Scholesy because his thinking is so quick. Up front, it's going to either be Wazza - I can say easily Ronaldo - but I'll go with Wazza probably because Wazza was good also in tight spaces, quick with the feet."
Cristiano Ronaldo's exclusion, though, might come as a surprise to many, as the Portuguese scored 26 goals and provided 12 assists in Berbatov's first season at the club. However, the ex-striker justified his choice to pick Rooney over Ronaldo to lead the attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Portugal's national team for Euro qualifiers
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a sensational start to his campaign with Al-Nassr. He scored six goals and provided four assists in four Saudi Pro League games.
The Portugal captain has now joined up with his national team as Roberto Martinez's side play Slovakia (September 8) and Luxembourg (September 11) in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers. Ronaldo reacted on social media:
"It's nice to be back home! 🇵🇹🙌🏼 Maximum motivation and total focus to face these next 2 games on our road to Euro2024!"
Cristiano Ronaldo made his 200th international appearance during the previous international break and has scored 123 goals, both being records for a male player.