Dimitar Berbatov: Seriously, Is He Any Good for Manchester United?

I hate Marmite, though many of my friends love it. Dimitar Berbatov, to me, is Marmite in all but the jar. An outrageously gifted footballer on the one hand, and a lethargic waste of valuable grass on the other. I don’t know of many players that so divide opinion.

As I listened to Berbatov casually roll in his fifth goal against Blackburn this weekend, I realised I really don’t know what the hell to make of him.

For a man seemingly on his way out of Old Trafford, and a man who could not make the match day squad for the previous game, to post such a witheringly brutal riposte contravenes all my preconceptions on Berbatov’s demeanour.

Eye-wateringly lazy, yet possessing the moral fibre to motivate himself to perform to such a standard, under such pressure? Such juxtaposition is, however, typical of Dimitar.

Lazy yet motivated, lethargic gait but a mind-working overtime, outrageously skillful yet prone to unforgivable errors. Dimitar the player, like Dimitar the man, is an enigma.

It is simply Berbatov’s price tag that has maintained his Old Trafford position to this point (it can’t be his performances). The great Sir Alex would have to admit he was wrong, and he doesn't like doing that, so he won't be selling a player he bought for 30 million at an inevitable loss.

So Berbatov stayed, struggling to live up to the reputation of Manchester United’s most expensive signing. And then Saturday happened.

Bad players don’t score five goals. No matter the opposition, no matter the service, to score five goals in the Premier League demonstrates class. His hat trick against Liverpool earlier in the season was even more impressive, and his second in that game was one of the most outrageous goals I have ever seen.

Two examples in one season is not the mark of a bad player, simply a great one shrouded in mediocrity.

Maybe it is the stigma of "United’s most expensive player" that’s weighing heavily on Berba's shoulders. Maybe he generally is the sloth of the footballing community and is simply making the most of his debilitating laziness.

Whatever the finer nuances and explanations for Berbatov’s game, Sir Alex Ferguson believes in him, and I believe in Sir Alex.

No doubt Berba the donkey will return on the beaches of Blackpool this weekend, and the debate will rise afresh. But for the moment, contrary to everything I ever thought I would say, Dimitar Berbatov is a good player.