Bayer Leverkusen's young Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov claimed the prize Bulgaria Football player for 2005 in a contest, which drew more than 200 local journalists.

Stilian Petrov, the captain of the Bulgarian national team and the much-praised playmaker of Celtic, ranked second.

Organizers boasted that was a record number of media participated in the annual event.

Earlier Berbatov scored in an all-stars match against poverty, played in Dusseldorf, Germany. The Bulgarian striker was part of Zinedine Zidane's side, which won 4-2 over Ronaldo's.

Almost 50 000 fans watched the superstar game live, world media said.

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