We move on to the prima donna players now and Dimitar Berbatov would have to make any list that contained the most arrogant stars of the game. Berbatov became the costliest player in Manchester United's history when he moved to Old Trafford from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.75 million, but ran hot and cold during his time at the club. The prime example of a temperamental player, Berbatov was brooding one minute and happy the next, scoring a hat-trick against Liverpool in one game before going missing a week later and constantly irking his own fans with his languid, "couldn't give a damn" playing style. The Bulgarian once defended his perceived lack of effort out on the pitch, saying:
"There is a saying in Bulgaria that great quality doesn't require much effort. You're not going to see me puffing around the pitch. I always play like this. That is what got me here. Last season was proof that, even if you have some downs in your career, if you believe in your style of play, you can do it as well. I'm a proud person. I don't like to show my weaknesses and emotions in public. That is why people probably sometimes misjudge me."
Those comments rankled with some considering he was being paid wages of £110,000-a-week wage at the time to "put in an effort" and his poor attitude proved to be his downfall at Old Trafford. In his final season at the club, in 2011-12, Berbatov fell out of favour at United and made just 12 league appearances before being sold for Fulham for £5 million. And the Bulgarian, ever the whinger, hit out at manager Sir Alex Ferguson for allegedly treating him poorly, pouting:
I found it hard to accept his decision I still have my dignity. I scored many goals, I won the league two times, and I was the league top scorer, so its not bad. Ill have no problems playing against United as this already happened in my career. But theres no point to look back again. I said goodbye to the people who deserve it. I couldnt say goodbye to Ferguson.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
