DIMITAR BERBATOV believes Cristiano Ronaldo was right to claim back his Manchester United No.7 jersey.
And the former Red Devil admits he has seen team-mates “fight” over shirt numbers because of “silly” superstitions.
The sensational return of Ronaldo, 36, to Old Trafford from Juventus this summer has shaken up the Premier League.
It has also rocked the United kit-man, with Ronaldo taking his beloved No.7 off of team-mate Edinson Cavani – who now has the No.21.
Ronaldo has worn the No.7 during the most successful and trophy-laden parts of his career with United, Real Madrid and Juventus.
And ex-striker Berbatov – a team-mate of Ronaldo’s at United in the 2008/09 campaign – says wearing the right number can sometimes make all the difference on the pitch.
Asked whether players really care about the number on their back, Betfair Ambassador Berbatov said: “Are you superstitious? The same goes for football players.
“The number plays a big, big role in a football player’s life. In the case of Ronaldo, he is very attached to No.7.
“That number brought him great success over the last 12 years.
“Even if he wasn’t No.7 he would be the same player because the number doesn’t play, but sometimes we are like this as football players.
“You want that specific number. I always wanted No.9 when I was playing, especially at Tottenham.
“And I would also wear No.10 when I was playing Champions League football. It is important.
“It looks silly sometimes. Players can fight over numbers. One says: ‘I want that number’ and the other says: ‘no it is already mine I am not giving it up to you’. You fight.
“But for some players it really matters.”
**Dimitar Berbatov was speaking ahead of the launch of Betfair’s new VAR-Batov series, where the Premier League legend will be judging the unfair moments in football that affect so many punters. Watch the first in the series on Betfair’s twitter next week **
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
