My ambition is greater than my fear

Dimitar Berbatov is a name, that needs no introduction. But who is the man behind the football legend today?

Behind the football legend today stands a man who continues to learn, to search, and to grow. A man who no longer measures success solely by goals, trophies, and applause, but by the lessons that life has taught him. Today I am a father, a person with a cause and a desire to be helpful. I am interested not only in football, but also in people, character, the choices we make, and the way we stand up after difficult moments.

When you look back at your childhood in Blagoevgrad, what is the first thing that taught you discipline and character?

The persistence I had to pursue my dream every day. This led to discipline. And the moments when I fell and got back up built my character.

Which meeting, which coach or which person changed the direction of your life the most?

It’s hard to point to just one person because every important meeting in my life has left a mark. Those marks became my values, such as discipline, persistence, and the pursuit of dreams, which in turn became successes.

When you look back at your career – from Pirin, CSKA, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Manchester United and Monaco – which decision turned out to be the most important?

My move to Leverkusen. That was a very important moment for me, even though I didn’t realize it at the time, but my stay in Leverkusen turned me from a boy into a man, giving me the necessary discipline on and off the field.

Is there a match, a goal, or a moment that people remember, but for you, the real story behind it is quite different?

Yes, there are such moments, but they are primarily related to the efforts put in during training. People remember the goal, the applause, or the final result. But what is not seen is everything that comes before it, the months of work, doubts, loneliness, and the price you pay to be ready at that exact moment. So that the audience can applaud, and children want to be like you.

Over the years, you have built an image of a person who is not influenced by others' opinions. Is this an innate quality or did you learn to develop it?

I listen to others' opinions, as long as I know it comes from someone who can teach me something. Otherwise, I developed the ability not to be influenced over the years and through the difficulties I went through.

How would you describe your personal philosophy of life in a few sentences?

Impossible is nothing - everything is possible! My ambition is greater than my fear!

What does success mean to you today? Is it different from the success you pursued twenty years ago?

Yes and no. Before, I inspired with my game on the field, today I try to inspire with my words. About life, about my story, about success. But they overlap. If someone takes something from my success, puts it in their own story, and it helps them - wonderful. That is another inspiration, the unseen inspiration that I have felt many times - when you don’t suspect how much you can influence someone’s life, in a distant country, but it happens somewhere out there in the world.

Is there a principle you have never compromised on – whether in football, business, or personal life?

I always did, do, and will do things my way! Of course, in certain situations, you need to be able to adapt your approach to the other side, but never to the extent that you cannot recognize your own way of acting and thinking.

After the end of your professional career, many athletes find it difficult to discover their new identity. How did you find yours?

I don’t think I have found it yet. And I don’t think it should be just one. I have the opportunity to do many different things now. To be accepted in various environments in life, and that gives me the chance to learn, to observe, to build knowledge and then use it in what I have as a plan. And based on that, to get to know myself even more.

What brings you today the same excitement that once came from stepping onto “Old Trafford”?

Right now, the show "Berbatov: Decoding". The premiere was in my hometown Blagoevgrad, where my journey began. And a truly exciting national tour has begun. Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora, and Pleven until the end of 2026, and in 2027 - Ruse, Haskovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Kazanlak, Shumen, Varna, Burgas, Gabrovo, Plovdiv, and the culmination in Sofia. People can see the dates for the respective city and get tickets from kupibileti.bg. I would be happy to decode together. I am sure it will be exciting for everyone, just as it is exciting for me. I stepped onto another stage - the theatrical one, and although we are doing something different, not exactly theater, but rather a hybrid version, I am extremely excited. The emotion of stepping onto the stage for the premiere in Blagoevgrad I would compare to that of my first match for each of my clubs and my first match for the national team. It was unforgettable. Huge excitement. And a little tension. Because my team worked very hard over the past year and we had to present it in the best way possible. Because I am the face on stage, but I represent the entire team that did tremendous work from the idea to the premiere. When the performance ended, one question immediately popped into my head: "Did I fulfill my mission?". But I didn’t have much time to seek the answer. The applause we received from the packed theater was the answer. A truly unique feeling. But let’s not forget that this was just the beginning. And I can’t wait to see the audience in other Bulgarian cities. I will be happy to take them back to that excitement like stepping onto “Old Trafford”. 

What are the most important lessons you want to pass on to your daughters – not as the children of Dimitar Berbatov, but as future individuals?

To read "the game", that is, life, two steps ahead. This means thinking proactively. If they can read a given situation in life, before it happens, to avoid it or accept it, that is a very useful quality. But that means wisdom. And it comes hard and through difficult lessons. And of course, when life puts them in a difficult situation, to know how to get out of it.

How would you like them to describe you as a father one day?

While he loved us, the coolest dad taught us and prepared us for life.

Besides football, you are developing various business projects. What have you learned about entrepreneurship that sports could not teach you?

I think they have many touchpoints. Both fields require certain qualities such as discipline, persistence, and patience. And when the moment comes, you need to be prepared for it, to seize it and use it!

How do you determine whether an opportunity is worth pursuing – in sports, business, or life?

It depends on the opportunity. It may require a greater analysis. It may only require intuition on my part and acting. It may require consulting someone. It varies.

Through the Dimitar Berbatov Foundation, you have been supporting talented Bulgarian children for years. What was the real reason for creating the foundation?

There is only one - to support talent. In Bulgaria, there are many talented children, but sometimes their environment is not right, the family lacks resources, and the child needs guidance. And we try to be there for them in every possible way of support, from financial, through awards for the most deserving to purely human support like advice, conversations, or time spent together.

When you talk to talented young people, what do they most often lack – talent, confidence, or environment?

They do not lack talent. They just need to develop it. If they do not develop it, that means a lack of confidence or the wrong environment that does not allow them to develop that talent. When that is corrected, then through confidence comes the development of talent. Or vice versa - through the development of talent comes confidence and moving forward boldly. Of course, sometimes it is a lack of resources, while the child has everything else to succeed.

Today the world is changing at an incredible speed. How do you view artificial intelligence – as an opportunity, as a challenge, or as an inevitable next step?

As something that is already here. Not only in our lives but also in football. I think it will increasingly enter sports, while in our lives, there are greater specialists than me who can predict what might happen. Let’s just hope we don’t experience "Terminator" live one day.

What do you think will be the most important skill for young people in ten years?

If I had to point out just one skill, I would say the ability to adapt. The world is changing at an incredible speed. Professions will disappear, new ones will appear, and technologies will change the way we live and work. This means adaptation, discipline, and not stopping learning about the new life around you.

What continues to motivate you to develop, after you have already achieved almost everything a footballer can dream of?

To find the next mountain, the next peak I want to conquer.

How do you manage to find a balance between ambition, calmness, and the pleasure of life?

I am still searching for it, at 45 years old!

When do you feel happiest – not as a football legend, but as a person?

When my most important people are healthy.

If you had to leave one message to people who are just starting to build their career and personal brand, what would it be?

Ambition must be stronger than fear!

And finally – how would you like people to remember Dimitar Berbatov many years from now – for the goals, for the man, or for the legacy he leaves behind?

They are connected! Some will remember the footballer, others the man. But in both cases - I created art, in my own way!