The former goalkeeper didn’t deny his old teammate’s footballing abilities, but the ex-Tottenham man may need to work on those communications skills.
Former goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has revealed that one of his Fulham teammates barely spoke to the rest of the club’s players at the club during their time at the club, in an interview on Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on Friday, January 27.
The Australian spent five years at Fulham towards the end of his career, making 218 appearances for the Cottagers before supporting roles at both Chelsea and Leicester City, and he told the studio that Bulgarian star Dimitar Berbatov was not one for words at Craven Cottage.
“There was no doubting his ability on the pitch,” Schwarzer told the the Sports Breakfast show.
“He just didn’t really talk to anyone, you’d walk into a room and he’d be sitting there and he wouldn’t lift his head.
Dimitar Berbatov (C) celebrates scoring for Tottenham Hotspur
“You’d go ‘Morning Dimi’ and he’d just grunt at you. He never ever opened up, you could never find out more about him.”
Schwarzer went on to say that Fulham boss Martin Jol, who also managed Berbatov at Tottenham, was protective of the enigmatic talent.
“We had a lot of discussions with the manager about it and he was completely protective and in the end we weren’t allowed to bring it up again.
“Big Martin Jol wouldn’t allow it.”
The two featured for Fulham in Schwarzer’s last season at the club in 2012/13, with former Tottenham and Manchester United striker Berbatov staying for one more year before departing on a free transfer.
Dimitar Berbatov (L) in action with Joe Bennett (C)
Whether the attacker was the same at White Hart Lane and Old Trafford, we may never know, but like a number of mercurial talents, Berbatov tended to do his talking on the pitch.
Berbatov first moved to England with Spurs, where he enjoyed an impressive period under Jol that earned him a big money move to Manchester United. Following a mixed spell that saw the Bulgarian often struggle to secure a regular starting role, he returned to London with Fulham – netting 20 times during his two years there, which included an impressive debut campaign where he scored 15 times in the Premier League.
With 122 goals in English football in his locker, the 35-year-old is looking for a new club after leaving PAOK in the summer, but with Schwarzer’s comments, it sounds like sides pursuing Berbatov for ‘talks’ may find it more difficult than they expected.
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