Dimitar Berbatov really likes Robbie Keane.
It's no surprise, as the Bulgarian striker has made it perfectly clear before that he rates Ireland's all-time leading goalscorer as the best strike-partner he ever had in a playing career that saw him start in a Champions League final for Bayer Leverkusen as well as playing for Manchester United.
Early this year, Berbatov paid glowing tribute to Keane during an appearance on Goals on Sunday when he compared their partnership to that of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole, such was their understanding.
Berbatov has doubled down on that claim in an interview with ESPN today where he described why their partnership was so strong not only on the pitch, but off it too.
We just understood each other. He knew who I was. He wasn't going to bother me and ask why I wasn't speaking and I respected that. We had an understanding on the pitch and I always knew where he was.
Berbatov was famed for being a thinker not a worker, rarely covering a huge amount of ground. He credits Keane’s work rate as the reason this proved successful at Spurs.
Robbie was so passionate, always running, while I ran in my head, trying to anticipate the moves and see where the ball was going to go before it went there. That's what good players do. We complemented each other very well and scored so many beautiful goals.
Berbatov confesses that he hadn’t heard of Spurs when first informed of their interest, but he grew to love it. Although the fans expression of appreciation for him was not exactly welcomed at first.
Spurs fans liked me. When I heard them singing my name I thought: 'What the f---? Why are they singing for me?' I didn't like that attention. Some players do, but I was embarrassed and thinking: 'Please, please shut up.' I don't know why I felt like that but, when my family wanted to come and watch me play, I always asked that they didn't come to the stadium. Sometimes I had to be tough and say: 'No, you're not coming.' Even my father. He knows I prefer him to watch me on television, without the pressure of having to perform if they come to the stadium.
You can read the full interview here: Life at Spurs, Man United and more -- Dimitar Berbatov talks to ESPN FC
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