Dimitar Berbatov felt 'horrible' after Sir Alex Ferguson left him out of 2011 UCL final

Dimitar Berbatov recalled the time when Sir Alex Ferguson broke the news that he wouldn't be featuring in the 2011 Champions League final against Barcelona. Dimitar Berbatov admitted that the conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson was very difficult for him as he found out he was out of the squad. The Bulgarian international was on top form that season as he had 20 goals to his name in all competitions. However, Dimitar Berbatov failed to score in seven appearances in Europe that season, which was pinpointed as the reason Sir Alex Ferguson opted for Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Michael Owen instead.

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Man United vs Barcelona Champions League final: Why Dimitar Berbatov was surprised 

Manchester United went on to lose against Lionel Messi's Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League final. Barcelona scored thrice and restricted Manchester United to just one goal that night at Wembley. Speaking to talkSPORT about the Champions League final, Dimitar Berbatov said, "It was just before the game, he called me and said 'Berbs, it's killing me, but I need to leave you out.' So it was like that and it was painful to hear that because I was a goalscorer of the team and of the Premier League. I was surprised because I felt so confident if I can shoot from somewhere."

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Man United vs Barcelona Champions League final: Sir Alex Ferguson's statement about the incident

In one of his interviews, Sir Alex Ferguson also admitted that the discussion with Dimitar Berbatov before the 2011 Champions League final was a tough one. Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that Dimitar Berbatov didn't take his decision in a good way. Sir Alex Ferguson later added that Dimitar Berbatov didn't deserve to be dropped that game. "No player deserves to be left out of the final. That's why we try hard at these European seminars with the coaches to try to get 11 subs in the final," added Sir Alex Ferguson.

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Dimitar Berbatov's journey in world football