Wayne Rooney has revealed why Dimitar Berbatov didn’t play a part in Manchester United’s successful 2008 Club World Cup campaign.
The revised Club World Cup took place over the summer, but Manchester United had no involvement in the competition that took place during the summer.
Instead, Ruben Amorim can be thankful that he got a full pre-season with the United first-team squad to implement his system, while the players also got some time to rest.
Chelsea were victorious at the Club World Cup this summer, but Man City were the only other Premier League outfit competing in the competition.
The Club World Cup has changed a lot since United last took part in 2008. It has become a quadrennial world championship, replacing the annual seven-team format used between 2000 and 2023.
Dimitar Berbatov training at the Club World Cup
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
Dimitar Berbatov missed Club World Cup after night out in London
Dimitar Berbatov missed out on playing at the Club World Cup in 2008, despite being part of United’s squad that travelled to Japan.
However, a spanner was thrown in the works when United had to play Tottenham before flying to Asia the following morning for the Club World Cup.
On a recent podcast for the BBC, former United striker Wayne Rooney revealed the club’s fitness coach told them to stay up all night and sleep on the plane to help their body clocks adjust for when they arrive.
More United News
“It was very difficult before we went to Japan and we played Tottenham away in the Premier League and we were flying the next morning from London,” Rooney said.
“So the fitness coach came up with this idea if we all stay awake through the night and then sleep on the flight it’ll be better for our body clock.
“So we ended up having a night out in London to stay awake. It’s difficult to sleep on planes at the best of times and Berbatov got off, was sick and missed the whole Club World Cup tournament. But we still managed to win it, which was great.”
A night out in London, Dimitar Berbatov being sick and a "complete failure" of a plan 😂
Wayne Rooney on Manchester United's preparation for a Club World Cup… which they still went on to win! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5SZ9jbq5gr
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 22, 2025
View Tweet
This had a disastrous consequence for Berbatov as he felt ill upon arrival and missed out on playing in the competition.
Meanwhile, Rooney was just happy to have won the Club World Cup.
Who did Man Utd play at the Club World Cup in 2008?
In 2008, United took part in the Club World Cup after winning the Champions League.
They entered the competition in the latter stages as their first match resulted in Sir Alex Ferguson’s side beating Gamba Osaka 5-3 in the semi-finals. The scorers on the day were Nemanja Vidic, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney and Darren Fletcher.
United went on to beat LDU Quito 1-0 in the final, with Rooney getting on the scoresheet again before being named player of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Berbatov recovered and regretted his night out in London.