Manchester United: Was Dimitar Berbatov Worth the Money?

It will come as no great shock to the majority of United fans to hear that Dimitar Berbatov will be looking for a way out of the club this summer.

Having joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2008 for the princely fee of £30m, the Bulgarian has received mixed reviews during his time in Manchester.

Despite being heavily criticised for "a lack of goals," Dimitar has managed to net 49 times in 108 league appearances (including becoming the 2010/11 Golden Boot winner), and has scored 56 goals in all competitions for Sir Alex's men.

Ok, this record in front of goal is no match for the likes of Messi or Ronaldo—or even Rooney—but in what world does this constitute a failure?

Remember also, that Berbatov was brought in to be a playing partner with England's leading striker, Rooney, and not to eclipse his goal tally.

As such, Dimitar has fulfilled what was asked of him almost perfectly, providing the clinical finishes when necessary, but primarily working as an aide for his Liverpudlian team-mate.

Lets not forget that Berbatov has scored some very important goals in his tenure at Old Trafford.

Who could forget the hat-trick he scored last season, in the 3-2 victory over bitter rivals Liverpool?

Not to mention a plethora of goals in that campaign which sealed narrow 1-0 victories for —results that would later go on to clinch the Premier League title for a twelfth time.

These sorts of moments are easily forgotten in comparison to games where a striker scores freely.

Nobody can deny that when Jermaine Defoe netted five goals against Wigan Athletic in a 9-1 demolition back in late 2009, his efforts in that game were not remarkable.

However, to say that these five goals were "important" would be wrong.

Berbatov's string of goals coming in 1-0 and 2-1 victories on the other hand, were always crucial in the fight for the gold.

I suppose another way to look at it is like this: Would you rather win every game 1-0, or win every other game 9-1, followed by a defeat?

As boring as it sounds, any wise footballing fan will choose the first option.

After all, what good is scoring goals if you aren't going to achieve your ultimate goals?

I think the real problem for people when they look at the signing of Berbatov, is the amount of money that United splashed out to bring him to Old Trafford.

In just four years the transfer market has become inflated to such an extent that £30m now seems like a reasonable fee to pay for any player going to the top clubs of Europe.

Back in 2008, however, this was a huge amount to spend on just one man—especially a man who at the time had been making his name with a somewhat mediocre middle of the table Tottenham side.

Was this too much money to play for someone who was never going to be United's top striker? Yes.

Is this Berbatov's fault as a result of poor play? No.

The reason for the vast amount that was spent on bringing the Bulgarian talisman to the Red Devils came as a result of their nearest rivals, Manchester City, also wanting the big man in their ranks.

This was before City was the powerhouse that they are starting to become now, and after embarrassing contract breakdowns with Brazilian sensation, Kaka, over the January transfer window, the club had lost a level of respect from the footballing world.

As such, in an attempt to recover from this tarnished image, they went about trying to outbid United for Berbatov.

The move failed, but also bumped up Berbatovs's transfer fee by a good six to eight million pounds.

So, was Dimitar Berbatov worth the money?

Well, yes and no.

Yes, he did a great job as United's second (and for a while last season, first) striker, as well as scoring some critical goals in the race for championships.

However, did his efforts not completely justify the copious amount that was eventually spent on ensuring his place in the Old Trafford dressing room?

The man cannot be blamed for that however, more the greed surrounding football is responsible for this.

As for his future, who knows where Berbatov will end up.

In a recent interview with the Guardian, Berbatov stated that he is frustrated to not be getting first team football any more, and understands that there is no longer a place for him at Old Trafford.

This is unfortunately both sad, and true.

With the ever improving Danny Welbeck, and the plucky young Xavier Hernandez to contend with for the position of second choice striker, Berbatov, as he begins to age will simply no longer be able to compete.

When questioned about a move to the blue half of Manchester, Dimitar replied:

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"I would never join Man City, I am a loyal person after all. I had the opportunity to sign for City in the past but I chose United."

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It's nice to see this kind of dedication in the modern age although one would have to make the solid point that City, with their already vast array of talents, and new found pedigree to bring in even more, would probably not need Berbatov in their ranks.

Still, that sort of dedication and gratitude to a club that has given you four of the most successful years of your career is something that any footballing fan can applaud.

Personally I wish Dimitar all the best with his future endeavours.

It will be sad to see him go, but for his sake, as he so correctly states, he must leave.

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