United's £31m star striker Berbatov furious over outing of his father as a gang rapist

Manchester United's £31 million striker Dimitar Berbatov is furious over his father's outing as a vicious gang rapist.

Ivan Berbatov spent two years in prison after a Norwegian girl identified him as one of six footballers who had subjected her to a violent and sustained sexual assault.

Former professional player Ivan - who is now in his 50s - was convicted of taking part in the night-long attack after his team met her in a hotel bar.

Today the moody Old Trafford striker was furious that his shameful family secret had been revealed.

'Dimi loves his father and this will cause a lot of pain for his family. He feels people are using his father to get to him,' said one family friend in Sofia.

Like Dimitar, Ivan was a forward for Bulgarian league side Pirin Blagoevgrad.

The attack happened while the team were drinking in their hotel the night before an away match in 1983.

The boozy squad met a 34-year-old woman identified only as Rose who was also staying at the Golden Sands Hotel in the Black Sea resort of Varna, a favourite with Scandinavian tourists.

The next day - still holding together her torn dress - the victim fled to the local police station.

She told police that the team had subjected her to a violent gang rape 'roasting' as she struggled to get free.

Blonde Rose later picked out seven Pirin players in an identity parade.

Berbatov's father and the other players claimed they had paid the girl £160 for sex.

But six players, including Ivan, were jailed for rape.

Three Pirin players called Murlev, Mularov and Dimitrov were jailed for three and a half years.

Ivan Berbatov and two others were jailed for two years.

Only one of the accused, Vasil Popov, was found not guilty, the son of a Bulgarian secret police chief.

Ivan's wife Margarita stood by him, but his promising football career was finished.

Dimitar - then an 18-months-old toddler - was raised single-handedly by his mum during his early years . The Manchester United ace, 27, has never spoken about his father's conviction.

But his mum once told of his bleak childhood in Communist era Bulgaria.

Margarita explained: 'When he grew up we had a tough life but he never complained.'


Dimitar played a charity football match with his jailbird father last year in Bulgaria and lets him drive his luxury Mercedes car around the capital Sofia.

He recently said: 'My father was the best. He taught me everything.