LONDON: Former Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov opened up on the heartbreak that he suffered after missing out on a place in the squad for their 2011 UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona.
The Red Devils were thrashed 1-3 by their Spanish counterparts at the iconic Wembley Stadium with Lionel Messi, Pedro and David Villa scoring for the Catalans. Wayne Rooney scored for the English giants but it didn't have any effect on the outcome of the clash.
Berbatov was in rich vein of form for United, scoring 20 goals in all competitions that season. However, he failed to find the net in seven European matches leading up to the final and that saw him being left out by then manager Alex Ferguson as he went ahead with Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Michael Owen.
"It was just before the game, he called me and said 'Berbs, it's killing me, but I need to leave you out'," Berbatov was quoted as saying by talkSPORT.
"So it was like that and it was painful to hear that because I was a goalscorer of the team and of the Premier League.
"I was surprised because I felt so confident if I can shoot from somewhere, it's going to go in. So that was a surprise for me, but in the end it was like that," he added.