This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
Former Tottenham and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing an end to a storied 20-year career.
On Thursday, Berbatov, Bulgaria's joint all-time leading international scorer, revealed his decision to retire in a heartfelt Instagram post, accompanied by a video.
"Although when I think about it, it's never The End, because I will stay in the game in one way or another, the time has come to say that after almost 20 years playing football I am stopping with my professional ACTIVE football career!" he wrote.
Berbatov, a highly skilled and accomplished striker, made his debut for CSKA Sofia, where his father Ivan also played, before moving to Bayer Leverkusen and eventually joining Tottenham.
He spent four seasons at Manchester United, winning two Premier League titles and sharing the league's Golden Boot with Carlos Tevez in 2010-11.
Throughout his career, Berbatov played 77 times for Bulgaria, scoring 48 goals, tying him for most with Hristo Bonev, who played 96 internationals between 1967 and 1979.
