Bayer 04 wish him many happy returns: Happy birthday, Berbo. And we take a look back at one of the many special moments in his career.
The boy matured into a man at Leverkusen and, in an interview with bayer04.de, when he returned to the BayArena in May 2019 for the 40th Bundesliga anniversary of the club, he said: "That's why I still associate this city and the club with a sense of belonging."
He spent five and a half years at Leverkusen. Longer than at any other of his clubs. He made by far the most appearances (202) for the Werkself and scored the most goals (91). That included many exceptional and typical Berbatov strikes. It's actually incredible that only one of them was voted Goal of the Month. A goal, that he presented himself on his 21st birthday, was scored against 1860 Munich in the DFB Cup quarter-finals on 30 January 2002.
It was in the 66th minute. Michael Ballack hit a high ball from midfield to Ulf Kirsten on the edge of the box, the 'Schwatte' headed the ball towards the penalty spot where Berbo and his opponent Filip Tapalovic both attempted an overhead kick at the same time. The Bulgarian just got to the ball first and hit it over the keeper Simon Jentzsch into the back of the net. What a goal! 1-0 to Bayer 04. Seven minutes later, Berbo struck for a second time and Thomas Brdaric rounded off the scoring at 3-0. Before that, in the second round of the competition, Berbatov scored all three goals in a 3-2 win at Bochum. He also scored a goal in the final against Schalke 04 (2-4). The Bulgarian’s star was on the rise in that incredible season of 2001/02. He began to follow in the big footsteps of Ulf Kirsten.
In his final season at Bayer 04, where he played in all 34 Bundesliga games, scoring 21 goals and providing nine assists, Berbatov had already attracted the attention of top international clubs. His transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2006 was his next career move and that was followed by Manchester United, where he celebrated his biggest successes, Fulham, AS Monaco, PAOK Saloniki and finally the last adventure with the Kerala Blasters in India. He officially retired from the game in the autumn of 2019.
But he is still involved in football. Just before his 40th birthday, Dimitar Berbatov started his coaching career: Since the middle of January of this year, he is the striker coach at the Bulgarian top-flight club Etar Veliko Tarnovo. According to the head coach Alex Tomas, he will "work free of charge to get the experience he needs."
We wish you every success and all the best, Berbo.
Werkself-TV shows the highlights of the Bayer 04 women's 1-2 loss against VfL Wolfsburg on the 2nd matchday of the Google Pixel Women's Bundesliga 2026/27.
Show more
In the 3-2 defeat at Bundesliga newcomers SV 07 Elversberg, the Werkself found the back of the net in the closing stages and, with a bit of luck, could still have equalised. “Today, our play wasn’t good enough, particularly when it came to the basics,” said head coach Carles Martínez. Like the boss, Ibrahim Maza also wants to learn from the match and look ahead: “Next week, people should be able to see from the very first minute that we want it more than our opponents.” The Werkself review on the Bundesliga opener in 2026/27.
Show more
No points to start the league campaign: Bayer 04 lost 3-2 away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg in the first Bundesliga match of the 2026/27 campaign. Two quick-fire goals from Lukas Petkov (8’) and Cole Campbell (10’) gave the hosts an early lead, before David Mokwa scored the Saarland side’s third shortly after half-time (46’). In the closing stages, the Werkself rallied and staged a late comeback with goals from Patrik Schick (77’) and Christian Kofane (90+1’), but the Black and Reds were denied an equaliser.
Show more
The Black and Reds kick off the new Bundesliga campaign today, Saturday 29 August (kick-off 15:30 CEST), away to newly promoted SV 07 Elversberg – and the Werkself will come up against a familiar face who is currently causing a stir at ‘Elv’. For an affordable and easy journey to the Saarland, the 1,600 travelling fans can still use the WERKSELFgo car-share platform. Today’s matchday news..
Show more
The European jersey has been launched, the UEL opponents have been drawn – and anticipation for the European campaign is running high. To mark the occasion, an autograph session was held on Friday afternoon, 28 August, at the Fanwelt with current Werkself player Montrell Culbreath and official club legend Paulo Sergio.
Show more
