During the 2007-08 campaign, Manchester United, spearheaded by the attacking trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez, proved themselves to be the strongest side in European football by winning the Champions League to accompany the Premier League title.
However, despite that success, which had been built upon scoring goals, manager Sir Alex Ferguson had decided that his attacking options were in need of bolstering for the new campaign.
The champions had been linked with a host of options, but one name kept reappearing among the speculation - Dimitar Berbatov.
The Bulgarian had impressed during his three years with Tottenham Hotspur, scoring 46 goals in 102 outings. His laid back style had many believing that he could become United's new Eric Cantona.
It was a deal that United almost missed out on, though. Rivals Manchester City, who hours before had been taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group, lodged a bid for the Spurs frontman five years ago today.
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That prompted United into action and with just a few minutes remaining until the transfer window shut for business until January, a £30m fee, which also included Fraizer Campbell moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan deal, was agreed with the North Londoners, making Berbatov a United player in the process.
"Joining United is a dream come true. I look forward to playing my part in helping this club win more honours," he told the club's official website at the time.
Meanwhile, his new manager Ferguson added: "This is a key signing. Dimitar is one of the best and most exciting strikers in world football. His style and ability will give the team a different dimension and I'm sure he will be a popular player with the fans."
Berbatov was a regular during his first three seasons at Old Trafford, but during the 2011-12 campaign, he found starting opportunities hard to come by.
The arrival of Robin van Persie from Arsenal last summer lessened his chances of starting action even further and so he was granted a switch to fellow Premier League side Fulham as the deadline approached. The 32-year-old left United having won two Premier League titles, one League Cup, two Community Shields and a FIFA World Club Cup.
Liam Apicella
