“They took the p**s out of everyone” - Berbatov recalls how Manchester United stars including Cristiano Ronaldo got ‘humbled’ during Christmas party
Dimitar Berbatov has revealed that the Manchester United academy players would put on a show for the first-team players and take the 'p**s out of everyone' at the Christmas party every year. He said that the youngsters would leave everyone, including the top stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and more, humbled in the end.
Speaking to Betfair, Berbatov recalled his experience of Christmas Parties at Manchester United. He first spoke about how the players would have a grand feast, saying:
"We had lots of traditions at United. Sir Alex Ferguson and the staff would get all the players together and serve us Christmas dinner. We had banter, jokes, a cracking time. An English Christmas dinner was a new experience for me. There was plenty of food, although it wasn't all to my taste to be honest."
"You had a menu prepared by the chef. Normally it was roasted potatoes, turkey, some other vegetables and salad. We never had pigs in blankets! You ate and took the p*** out of the staff. Never the boss though! It was great fun and a wonderful moment to show camaraderie. It built the team spirit. I loved it."
Berbatov went on to speak about the second tradition, saying that the academy kids would mimic the first-team players.
"The other tradition was that, after you had your lunch with the boss and staff, the academy players put on a bit of a show. They would make fun of the first-team players. They'd pretend to be one of us or show us what some of us were doing on the pitch or the way we spoke - it was so fun," Berbatov said.
"You needed thick skin to watch yourself being played by someone else. It was great. They took the p*** out of everyone: me, Wazza, Ronaldo, Rio. You need moments like this, for someone to humble you because you knew it was just fun."
Manchester United currently have the best record of any Premier League side – winning 21 of their 27 matches and only losing twice. Arsenal are second with 16 wins in their 25 matches, the same as Liverpool.
Manchester United face Aston Villa on Boxing Day
Manchester United take on Aston Villa in the final Premier League game on Boxing Day. The Red Devils have met the Villans four times right after Christmas but just once in the Premier League era.
Their first meeting on Boxing Day came in 1906 when Aston Villa won 2-0 at home. Manchester United got their win in the 1958 fixture, but Villa won 3-0 when the two sides met in 1989.
The lone meeting in the Premier League era was in 2000 when Aston Villa hosted Manchester United and lost 1-0, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær scoring the lone goal of the match in the 85th minute.