The first question that you might ask is what, exactly, the Berbatov spin is. The Bulgarian player was known for being one of the most technically gifted of his generation, which is worth bearing in mind if you try to do the spin and struggle. Dimitar Berbatov was running towards the line, chasing the ball, with a defender on his tail. It looked as if the ball was going to go out of play, which is what the defender was hoping, but Berbatov had other ideas. Rather than allow it to go for a goal-kick, the Bulgarian turned 180 degrees, flicking the ball towards goal and over the defender’s leg instead.
@waleden10 The Berba spin #berbatov #manchesterunited #bulgaria ♬ original sound –
The skill is quite an easy one to master on the face of it, but pulling it off at speed is another thing entirely. The first thing that you need to do is to stop the ball with the inside of your foot, also coming to a stop yourself. The chasing defender has a choice to go through you, but if they do so then the likelihood is that they will either give away a free-kick or else concede a corner. As a result, they will also stop when you do, giving you the time and the space to pull off the move. You turn your body 180 degrees to almost face the defender, carrying on around past them.
At that point, you can flick the ball with the same foot that stopped it in the first place, moving it into space. Your body’s movement will allow you to keep turning, leaving the defender behind as you run onto the ball. At this point, what you do next will depend on where on the pitch you find yourself. You could look to cross the ball to another player, for example, or you could choose to dribble with it and even go for goal. The choice is entirely yours, but by getting more time and space, you’ve given yourself a wealth of options that all come from imitating Berbatov.