By Martin Cloake
With the very real possibility that he may be returning to the Premier League next season (seriously, nothing would make us happier than seeing Berba join Bournemouth!) after being released by Monaco last week, we thought we’d revisit one of the silkiest goals Dimitar Berbatov scored during his two flawless years at Tottenham Hotspur.
Looking like Andy Garcia’s cooler younger brother, Berbatov scored many, many great goals for Spurs, but the best of the bunch – for my money – came on a May evening at The Valley against a Charlton Athletic side that desperately needed to win to avoid relegation. It didn’t start well for them.
Just six minutes in, Berba opened the scoring by showcasing not only his strength, touch and finishing finesse but a rare turn of pace too!
Indeed, the Bulgarian actually picked it as his second best goal for Spurs in an interview with Sky Sports in 2010 – topped only by his clipped free-kick against West Ham two months previous.
Here it is, as described by the man himself…
Poor old Talal El Karkouri. He hasn’t been seen in public since.
Sadly, the goal did not feature Berbatov’s trademark trick of bringing the ball to a dead stop in mid-air with his instep, but it was a classic all the same.
A proper all-action striker’s goal, and just one of the reasons we loved him so much at Spurs.
Follow writer and editor Martin on Twitter @MartinCloake and see his books at www.martincloake.com/bookstore.html
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Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink almost breaks the sound barrier
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Nwankwo Kanu’s cute-as-a-button backheel
Laurent Robert’s weird ninja volley
The most beautiful goal of Zico’s career, as voted by Zico
Jorge Campos (yes *that* Jorge Campos) scores a bicycle kick