Former Tottenham, Manchester United and Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov has officially announced his retirement from professional football.
The 38-year-old made the announcement on his social media, a year after his last playing stint at Indian side Kerala Blasters.
Berbatov scored 92 goals during a successful stint at Old Trafford between 2008 and 2012, winning two Premier League titles, a League Cup, two Community Shields, and a Club World Cup.
He also won a League Cup with Spurs in 2008, a club at which he formed a formidable strike partnership with the Republic of Ireland's all-time leading goalscorer Robbie Keane.
Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco count themselves as other clubs Berbatov enjoyed stints with across his career.
Announcing today's news on social media, Berbatov said he wanted to clear up any confusion over whether he was on the look-out for a new club.
"I did it my way!
"I know some of you already thought that I retired, and now maybe you are like WTF Berbs we know that you don't play, but I did try to find something (a club) last year. Didn't happen.
"So, someone told me I need to say something, and seeing that people were asking me, especially back home, I need to give a farewell message! So, here it is!
"My last game was more than one year ago, so I think its the right time now to stop and it's long overdue!
"Although when I think about it, its never The End, because I will stay in the game in one way or another, the time has come to say that after almost 20 years playing football I am stopping with my professional ACTIVE football career!
Berbatov, who scored 48 goals in 78 international appearances with Bulgaria, said he announced his retirement from the game with a heavy heart.
"I will miss it! I will f***ing miss it! Everything! The games, training, the goals, preparations, the pressure, my teammates... the roar of the fans when I scored another banger.
"I was blessed and worked hard to have the opportunity to play with one of the best ever and against some of the best ever! And coming from a small country this makes it even more special for me!
"I had my highs and of course some lows in my career won my fair share of trophies, score some goals along the way as well! I played the way I wanna play, and I scored the goals I wanted to score!
"Thank you to all the people who helped me develop, and became the player I always wanted to be!
"Thank you to all my former teams my teammates and my coaches and staff! It was a pleasure!
"I know at times I was not easy to work with, but I always gave my everything for the teams I played for!
I hope you all have enjoyed my game and everything I gave to entertain you on the pitch!
"Damn it, I will miss all of this people, because I love football so much... But I am sure you will miss me as well. Thank you!"
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
