Dimitar Berbatov was last season’s Premier League top scorer, although the 20 league goals he scored weren’t enough to even get him a place on the bench for the Champions League final.

Berbatov watched the game from the dressing room, to keep his emotions hidden, something he claims has lead fans to misjudge him over the years.

“I am a very proud person,” said Berbatov. “I don’t like to show my weaknesses. I don’t want to show my emotions in public. That is why people probably sometimes misjudge me.”

“Lazy” and “languid” are words often used to describe Berbatov, but the Bulgarian claims that quality doesn’t require for him to run around like a headless chicken.

“Yes,” he said, when asked if the claim he does not care bothers him. “I always play like this. That is what got me here. You are not going to see me puffing around the pitch. There is a saying in Bulgaria that great quality doesn’t require much effort.”

The highlight of Berbatov’s season was probably the hattrick he scored against Liverpool in our 3-2 win at Old Trafford, followed by the five goals he scored against Blackburn.

“I didn’t know scoring three goals against Liverpool would mean so much to so many people,” he said. “Obviously three goals – and the second one was a bit special – it will stay in my memory for ever – and after that I scored five! What makes me really proud is that there have been so many foreigners playing in English football, I am the only one with five goals. But it is something I have to push to the back of my mind. Last season I had highs in my career. But what if we didn’t win the title? Then these things wouldn’t matter so much.”