2 years ago
522 Dimitar Berbatov has told the 1-to-11 show that Liverpool star Fabinho is one of the best footballers he’s ever played with – choosing him in his all-time XI of players he’s played alongside.
The former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur man enjoyed a glittering career, playing with some of the best footballers of his generation.
Berbatov played alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes.
There was room for all three of these stars in his team but the Bulgarian made a surprising choice in Fabinho. The pair played together at Monaco, when Berbatov was coming towards the end of his career and the Liverpool man was coming through the ranks.
But Berbatov claims he could see just how talented Fabinho was, even at such a young age.
Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Berbatov on Fabinho
Speaking on the 1-to-11 show on Optus Sport, Berbatov named Fabinho in central midfield alongside ex-United star Scholes.
“I don’t want to be boring, I want to say something that will surprise people – so I’ve gone with Fabinho,” he said
“We were in Monaco together, he was a young boy back then. I came from the Premier League but straight away I could see his talent. He was very good in training, taking responsibility in the games, he could play at right-back and in the middle of the park.
“In training sessions I was used to physical contact, most of the time I was smashing him here and there, with elbows and shoulders so he could go on the ground. He was like ‘Berba, come on!’ and I’m like ‘I’m preparing you for the Premier League’.
“Funnily enough, years later he’s in the Premier League and one of the best players in the Liverpool team.”
Photo by Michael Bulder/NESImages/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Berbatov also made room for another young talent who was coming through the ranks at Monaco at the time in James Rodriguez.
It’s certainly high praise for Fabinho, especially when you consider the central midfielders he snubbed. This includes the likes of Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick and Park Ji-Sung.
The 29-year-old has been pivotal to Liverpool’s success after making the switch from Monaco back in 2018. The Brazilian has become one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe and has been the glue that holds this amazing Liverpool team together in the middle of the park.
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