Ferguson And Berbatov Scoop January Awards

FERGUSON AND BERBATOV SECURE MANCHESTER UNITED DOUBLE OF TOP BARCLAYS MONTHLY AWARDS



Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and striker Dimitar Berbatov have been named Barclays Manager and Player of the Month for January, after a fantastic start to the year in which the Barclays Premier League leaders won four and drew one of their five matches to extend their unbeaten 2010/11 campaign.

Sir Alex Ferguson is certainly no stranger to the award and wins it for an unprecedented 25th time in his distinguished career, after seeing his side pick up wins at home to Stoke and Birmingham and away at West Brom and Blackpool, as well as claiming a hard-fought point away against Tottenham.

Ferguson's Manchester United teams are renowned for building title-winning momentum after the turn of the year, and this season would appear to be no different after they took 13 points from a possible 15 to finish the month in a commanding position.

Bulgarian marksman Berbatov, the leading scorer in the Barclays Premier League this season, immediately picked up where he left off in 2010 with five more goals in January to take his tally to 19. He struck a stunning hat-trick as United eased past Birmingham 5-0 at Old Trafford, and then scored twice to help his side complete a trademark comeback to win 3-2 at Blackpool, having been two goals down at half time.

It is the first time that Berbatov has won the award as a Manchester United player, and the second time in his career after sharing the April 2007 Barclays Player of the Month award with former Tottenham strike partner Robbie Keane.

The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel that includes representatives from football's governing bodies, the media and fans.



SIR ALEX FERGUSON: BARCLAYS MANAGER OF THE MONTH FOR JANUARY:
* Alex Ferguson was born on 31st December 1941 in Glasgow, Scotland
* After spells managing East Stirlingshire and St. Mirren, Ferguson made his name with Aberdeen, leading them to domestic league and cup success before triumphing in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983
* Since his appointment at Manchester United in November 1986, Ferguson has won a total of 32 trophies including 11 Premier League titles between 1993 and 2009
* He won the first-ever Manager of the Month award in August 1993
* He remains the only manager to lead an English team to the treble of League Championship, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League, which he achieved in 1999
* He has won more Manager of the Month Awards than any other manager - this is his 25th award. He has also won the most Manager of the Year Awards in Premier League history, with nine in total.



DIMITAR BERBATOV: BARCLAYS PLAYER OF THE MONTH for January

* Dimitar Berbatov was born on the 30th January 1981 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
* His career began at local club Pirin Blagoevgrad, but he quickly signed for CSKA Sofia at the age of 17. He made 50 league appearances, scoring 25 goals
* Berbatov signed for German side Bayern Leverkusen in 2001 where he spent five years, scoring 68 league goals in 154 appearances
* He joined Tottenham Hotspur for £10.9 million in the summer of 2006, and went on to score 27 Barclays Premier League goals in 70 appearances
* Manchester United signed Berbatov for a club-record £30.75 million in September 2008, and his Barclays Premier League record to date is 40 goals in 85 appearances
* He retired from international football in May 2008, after scoring 48 goals in 77 games
* This is Berbatov's second Barclays Player of the Month award. He won his first in April 2007

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