When I was growing up in Bulgaria, I had no knowledge of the rivalry between United and Liverpool.

When I was growing up in Bulgaria, I had no knowledge of the rivalry between United and Liverpool. 

When I moved to Germany, I was focused only on my development as a player for Leverkusen. When I joined Spurs, I was focused on the rivalry between Spurs and Arsenal, but I have to admit that I made some observations watching the games between United and Liverpool.

You see the tension, the build-up to the game, the newspapers running different stories about the players, you hear about the history of the fixture and you think to yourself:

Okay, that is a serious game.

Then, you think about that for a couple of minutes and just go back to yourself, because you’re thinking about your own club and your own situation. But it’s there. You know now that it’s big.

When you become part of United, now you have no choice. You have to think about that game, that rivalry. Liverpool was the team we were trying to surpass on league titles when I got to Old Trafford. They had 18, we had 17.

Sir Alex was with me when we were finalising the transfer and it was so last minute, so worrying that it was happening so late, that he said:

“Berba, I know it’s stressful, what you’re going through, but, when we finish this, I promise you can have a week’s break so you can get yourself together.”

Okay, that works.

As soon as I signed, it was:

“Okay, get ready. Next game is Liverpool.”

In my head, I’m like: Where’s my one-week break?!
But that was all fine. As the game got closer, I could feel the excitement, the nerves, the tension. You start to get more and more knowledge about the rivalry and the history between the two clubs. The expectation of winning the game, of performing, it’s important. This is all building up until, on the day of the game, I stepped out on the pitch for the first time… and it was something I had been to Anfield with Spurs, but, this time, it was completely different. It’s a different game.

Now you can feel the crowd.

Now the pitch has become even smaller. 

The spectators are on top of you.

When you get to be a part of that fixture, for the first two or three seconds, you’re like…

Wait a minute. What is going on here?

But it is what it is. This is what you signed up for. You signed for Manchester United; there’s no place for panic or fear, just try to do what you can do best and play football. 

After two minutes, I had the perfect start. I made a good assist for Carlos [Tevez], he finished and put us 1-0 up. When you make a start like that, you’re thinking:

We’re gonna have a good day today. 

In the end, things didn’t work out the way we wanted. That day, a couple of mistakes on our part meant that we lost the game. Later in the season, when we played them again, we lost 4-1 at Old Trafford.

That was s***. 

When you lose, not only against Liverpool, but against anyone, and concede four goals at Old Trafford, you have to wonder what happened. Fernando Torres was on fire for Liverpool at that time. His understanding with Gerrard was great for them, but it was a bad day for us. A very tough result to take.

But, it was all about the end battle. We won the war because we became champions. After results like that, you get yourself up and continue. There are difficult pills to swallow, but you take a conclusion from them and we reacted the best way by winning the title. By the end of my first season, it was 18-18. For me personally, this was what I had been working for my whole life. I had taken my own pathway to the top and United was my peak. Coming from a small country, climbing up the ladder to United, reaching that peak and becoming a champion, you know there and then that nobody can take that away. I earned that honour of playing for United and ending my first season as a champion. I earned that right to jump around my house with my medal like a kid, showing it to everyone.

My second season wasn’t such a happy ending and we lost the title to Chelsea. We also lost at Anfield again. For me, it was three meetings with Liverpool, three defeats since I became a United player. 

Turns out, I was saving my goals up!