'I ended my Manchester United drought with five goals vs Blackburn... Rasmus Hojlund must stay strong'

Dimitar Berbatov's office in his home in Sofia, Bulgaria is the envy of most footballers.

There are trophies, golden boots and Premier League winner's medals on the shelves, along with other mementoes from an outstanding career which spanned 20 years.

Berbatov was a natural goalscorer and perched on a particular shelf is the ball from the day he scored five goals for Manchester United against Blackburn Rovers in a 7-1 victory.

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It was a special performance, which meant he became the fourth player to score five goals in a Premier League game, joining Andy Cole, Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe.

"I hadn’t scored for a couple of games before that match," Betfair Ambassador Berbatov told the Manchester Evening News from his well-decorated office in his homeland.

"Sir Alex came to me during the training session and told me ‘are you ready because you’re playing tomorrow’ and he just left, so that gave me confidence the manager counted on me.

"And the result was five goals the next day and a great day for us and myself, so I remember it fondly. It’s very high in my memory, especially because I was the first foreigner to score five goals in a game.

"I still have the ball over there next to me, signed by all of my teammates. It’s a good memory to have and it’s up there with all my best highlights because five goals for a special club - I’m very proud of this.

"You don’t need someone to give you a hug and a kiss, you know you’ve done something special and helped your team to achieve a win. The boss said 'well done son' and there was the usual banter in the dressing room."

The goal which sealed Berbatov's hat trick epitomised him