Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov admits he has become “more mature” about mental health after keeping things hidden during his time at Old Trafford
Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov admits he has become “more mature” about mental health after keeping things hidden during his time at Old Trafford Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov admits he has become “more mature” about mental health after keeping things hidden during his time at Old Trafford
Dimitar Berbatov has admitted he went to a “dark place” after being snubbed by Sir Alex Ferguson for the 2011 Champions League final and has told footballers to always seek help for any mental health struggles.
Bulgaria international striker Berbatov finished the 2010-11 season as the top scorer in the Premier League, but had fallen out of favour with manager Ferguson during the run-in. He started just one of United’s final six league matches, and was used sparingly in the Champions League knockout rounds before not even making the squad for the final against Barcelona.
Berbatov has previously spoken of the painful phone call he received from Ferguson before the manager named Michael Owen in the squad ahead of him. United were beaten in the final at Wembley, with Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa on target for Pep Guardiola’s Barca.
Since becoming a father the 43-year-old says he has matured in his understanding of mental health and the need to open up about problems. However, he admits things were very different at the time.
“Of course,” Berbatov tells Mirror Football when asked if it would have helped to reach out to someone at the time. “In these moments where I had my difficulty, I would always be just me in my room, sitting in my dark place, not sharing, thinking, thinking, thinking, which will lead to more thinking and exhaustion, which is never a good thing.
“That’s why, if you have someone that you trust, and you know you can share with them, do it. Don’t be ashamed [or think] you will feel like a weak person. No, that’s a strength to know how to share with someone and to feel a relief that you will have someone who will understand you and maybe give you good advice that you didn’t think of.
“That’s why I say that if I go back, for sure I will share with the people closest to me and try to get good advice, but the irony of life is that sometimes you can get good advice even from strangers. From people that you don’t know, who will tell you something you would never think of.
“So at the same time, as I’m always saying now these days because I’m more mature, I’m 43, I tell my kids as well because I’m a dad as well, I constantly try to speak with them and say ‘If you have a problem, I’m here for you’. The same goes for professional football players. Find someone that you can share and you can speak with.”
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Berbatov was speaking at the launch of LiveScore’s ‘Extra Added Time’ campaign, where a £250 donation will be made to a mental health charity for every key moment delivered via the app post-90 mins throughout November. A total pot of £10,000 will be donated to a leading mental health charity, in addition to a further £3,000 going towards Bloomsbury Football to support its mental health coaches
He is pleased to see the conversation around mental health growing. However, he suggests it’s something which was far from the forefront during his own playing career.
“When I used to play I didn’t share at all,” he says. “If I had a bad game, I had a missed goal, I didn’t get in the squad, et cetera, I would close myself in and just go into that dark place of constantly thinking and thinking and thinking until my brain was ready to explode.
“So I think it’s vital, if we’re talking about football, for the players to be ready and feel that they can share with their families, their friends, their managers, their team mates.”
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“In my time, things were a bit different,” Berbatov adds. “There was not so much spotlight on this kind of stuff, which I think was a mistake.
“Because as I go back and think of this period of time, it was more about professional football players equals supermen equals you need to know how to deal with your emotion by yourself so you keep it to yourself, or maybe you feel ashamed that you need to share it with someone. Which of course was a big mistake.
“So now you need to know how to seek help, how to seek advice, especially because with social media, now everyone had a direct line to your profile and everyone can give their opinion, criticise you, insult you. Now it’s even more vital to know how to seek help, speak with someone and get the necessary advice.”
LiveScore and former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov are teaming up this November to encourage fans to take ‘Extra Added Time’ for their mental health. As part of the campaign, LiveScore will donate £250 to charity for every key Premier League moment delivered via its app post-90 minutes throughout November
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