var playerInfo={"0E9052569923A91555E1DAF3C456F9CD":"","F52748F924D1E675":"75kg","8084EC95B881D770":"PAOK Saloniki","A494ABC507986833":"Dimitar Berbatov","3F6EEC72E60D52B53E2E6377341938DB":"0","078F3C827B475FC4":"6186","2F200EF80307E2A90BE724565D2038D0":"2015-9-2","1A770A41820EA8876555100F4F89BC57":"Dimitar Berbatov has all the qualities necessary to be a top striker, combining strong physique with impressive speed and a deft touch. <BR><BR>National team <BR><BR>He made his international debut as an 18-year-old in a friendly against Greece in 1999 and has since taken over from Hristo Stoitchkov as Bulgaria's leading marksman. Berbatov scored his first goal against Chile in February 2000 and went on to register 15 times in his first 25 matches. <BR><BR>UEFA EURO 2004? qualifying<BR><BR>His goals and all-round forward play were one of the main reasons for Bulgaria's successful campaign. The striker scored five times in six matches, including crucial strikes against Group 8 rivals Croatia and Belgium. <BR><BR>Club<BR><BR>Berbatov played for his local side PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad until he was spotted by PFC CSKA Sofia manager Dimitar Penev, the former Bulgaria star, in 1998. He struck 26 goals in 49 appearances for CSKA, winning a Bulgarian Cup in 1999, and sealed a move to Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen in January 2001, just before his 20th birthday. <BR><BR>2002: Berbatov struggled to adapt during his early months at the BayArena but enjoyed more success in the 2001\/02 season. He scored eight league goals in 24 appearances - 16 of which were as a substitute - and another two in the UEFA Champions League, including a crucial strike against Liverpool FC in the quarter-final. Leverkusen finished runners-up in the Bundesliga and German Cup and lost to Real Madrid CF in the Champions League final. He secured a regular place in the side in 2002\/03 but managed just four goals in 24 games as Leverkusen struggled to avoid relegation. <BR><BR>Did you know? <BR><BR>Berbatov was Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2002.","1BB8AF7BD3F66066":"189cm","75B83B44A2FCDD1B4FF631FCD2E3CC16":"10","7F6018B84729B122B8EE7594158DA382":"Monaco,Fulham,Manchester United,Tottenham Hotspur,Bayer Leverkusen,CSKA Sofia","86178E7285C328960D9569BD40C7D883":"1981-1-30","90579B4DEA63C3E4":"Dimitar Berbatov","4EB8C1CDD4A86AD4B213AF7FAE87E4FE":"Monaco","7777CB48C34672EC8F83E174F0B7EFC7":"","816C8DE73A2D153866B49ADDE8EB04C4":"Bulgaria","147403B66C8CB5C7":"590","3B9127F7BC829326":"1","e_index":2};