Bulgarian Football Star Berbatov Declared 'The Macedonian'

Neighboring Macedonia has been accused in Bulgaria of "limitless megalomania" after labeling Bulgarian star striker and Fulham player Dimitar Berbatov "Mitko the Macedonian."

The Bulgarian Standard daily writes that Macedonian site sitel.com.mk has written the following after Fulham's win against West Bromwich when the Bulgarian football player scored a goal: "Bulgarian national player, born in the city of Blagoevgrad, known in his homeland as Mitko "The Macedonian," scored the first goal in the Premiership League for 2013."

"The boldness of our neighbors does not stop with Berbatov. According to the Macedonian site, Swedish national with Serbian origins, Alex Kacaniklic, also has Macedonian roots," Standard writes.

Similar reports appeared in a number of Bulgarian media Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sitel already struck back, quoting the Bulgarian publications, and reminding readers that there is a Facebook page with 2 000 supporters titled "Dimitar Berbatov, the Best Macedonian Football Player."

Sitel further insists that Dimitar's father Ivan, who felt Macedonian, took the young player first to sign with the Vardar Football Club, and he ended with the Sofia-based CSKA only because Vardar rejected him.

"We don't have anything else left to say, except to wish Mitko to continue scoring goals in the new season and that the time has come for him to play, let it be only in a humanitarian game, for Macedonia. Fast forward, Mitko..."

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