'It was easy to choose between Man Utd and Man City – I saw myself in the shirt' - The Mirror

A former Premier League icon admitted it was easy picking between Manchester United and Manchester City

Dimitar Berbatov has revealed how easy he found it to turn down Manchester City in favour of joining Manchester United. The two clubs are set to reignite their rivalry in the Manchester derby this weekend.

Berbatov, 44, became United's record signing in 2008 when he arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in a £30million transfer. Having previously established himself as a prolific goalscorer at Bayer Leverkusen, the Bulgarian scored 46 times in 102 appearances for Spurs.

His knack for finding the net attracted attention from multiple clubs during the transfer window, including City, who had just been bought by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour. The takeover marked the start of what would become a period of dominance in the blue half of Manchester.

However, at that point, United remained the top power in English football. Sir Alex Ferguson's side were recruiting from a position of strength after securing a Premier League and Champions League double. Berbatov chose to join United, later confessing that the decision was not a difficult one.

"Look at the shirt: the red, the gold, the badge. The history, the manager, the players, the trophies," Berbatov said during his appearance on BT Sport's What I Wore. "Back in the day, there was no comparison [between Man Utd and Man City].

"There was no second-guessing or choice to be made. Just one [team]. In my mind, this was the moment to make, maybe, the last step on my mountain... my personal top."

The chance to line up alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney proved irresistible for Berbatov when deciding to join United. "One of the reasons I wanted to be part of this team is because of the players," he explained.

"Who doesn't want to play with players like [Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez]? You want to be there and be part of that team. You want to test yourself against the best players.

"It was challenging, it was fun – of course, you need to have fun along the way. And you need to hold your own – if somebody yells at you, yell back. Otherwise, they're going to walk all over you. You need to show how strong you are.

"The mentality was different because we are talking about a winning team. You fight between each other...scream, yell and curse...but everything is about the win. You stop...the training session or the game, and it stays on the pitch."

During his four-year spell at Old Trafford, Berbatov netted 56 times in 149 appearances, claiming two Premier League titles. Beyond sharing the Golden Boot with former teammate Carlos Tevez in the 2010/11 season, he guided United to Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011, though both ended in defeat against Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

The Premier League icon will likely be watching the Manchester derby on Saturday as new United caretaker boss Michael Carrick takes charge of his first match. Meanwhile, City will be hoping to close the gap to Arsenal in the title race as well as looking to leave Old Trafford with bragging rights.

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