Twente keeper beats Berbatov to award

Dimitar Berbatov’s four-year domination of Bulgaria’s footballer of the year award has come to an end.

Twente Enschede goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov emulated his father when he took out the title beating the Manchester United striker who has held the award since 2007.

The 23-year-old, who garnered 224 points in the annual poll, picked up the prize 25 years after his father and former Bulgaria keeper Borislav Mihaylov, the Bulgarian Football Union’s president.

Nikolay’s grandfather Biser also kept goal for the national team in the 1970s.

Aston Villa captain Stilian Petrov was second in the vote with 200 points and Berbatov third on 196.

Bulgaria keeper Mihaylov joined Liverpool from Levski Sofia in 2007 but was loaned to Twente after failing to obtain a work permit because of his lack of international appearances. The Dutch club signed him on permanent basis last year.

Berbatov, Bulgaria’s all-time time leading scorer with 48 international goals, had won the award seven times in the past nine years with Stilian Petrov in 2003 and Bolton Wanderers winger Martin Petrov in 2006 the other winners in that time.

Last year, Berbatov urged sports journalists to stop voting for him, saying he preferred to see some of the younger lads winning.