Sir Alex Ferguson once allegedly had to arrange a private jet to fly one of his Manchester United stars plus his fiancee and daughter out of their homeland after a terrifying mafia kidnap threat
10:27, 02 Feb 2026Updated 10:27, 02 Feb 2026
Sir Alex Ferguson
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Sir Alex Ferguson arranged a jet to rescue one of his players' family from kidnap threats(Image: Getty Images)
Sir Alex Ferguson once had to arrange a private jet to rescue one of his Manchester United stars and the player's family after they were allegedly the victims of a terrifying mafia kidnapping plot.
Dimitar Berbatov, who celebrated his 45th birthday on Friday (January 30), landed his dream move to Old Trafford in August 2008 from Tottenham Hotspur, but the year is believed to have ended in chaos for the Bulgarian striker and his family after a £500,000 ransom was said to have been demanded by the mafia.
Vicious mafia dons in the eastern European state were alleged to have contacted Berbatov's mum Margarita to warn that his daughter Dea and his partner Elena Shtilianova were in danger if the star did not pay a £500,000 ransom. Margarita, who worked as a chief nurse in a hospital, had also been threatened with abduction for ransom in 2011.
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 09: Sir Alex Ferguson manager of Manchester United and Dimitar Berbatov look on prior to the FA Community Shield match between Manchester United and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on August 9, 2009 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
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Ferguson intervened during Berbatov's traumatic family kidnap threat(Image: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
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It was claimed Berbatov refused to involve the police because underworld contacts had warned him they too were in on the plot. After a week of tense negotiations between Berbatov and crime lords in his homeland, it was said he was given assurances his family were safe.
But the striker seemingly didn't take any chances and was said to have offered neighbours of his family in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia cash to report any suspicious activities to him.
Friends admitted the star was left shaken by the ordeal. A United source speaking at the time added: "He understands that with success sometimes comes problems, but when people threaten your family, it’s a step too far."
However, his agent later disputed the reports, stating: "It is below my level to comment on such tabloid rumours. This is misinformation that was published in a Bulgarian newspaper sometime ago and has now been re-printed in England.
Elena Shtilianova
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Berbatov's wife Elena Shtilianova was threatened by the mafia(Image: X)
"I think that it is below the dignity of all to believe such sources." He added: "These are complete fabrications."
However, Berbatov has disclosed he was previously held hostage in a restaurant in a bid to join a new club when he was a teenager making his name at CSKA Sofia in his homeland.
He was taken to a restaurant by a team-mate after training, and held for several hours by a group of men who wanted him to join a rival club instead.
Berbatov revealed the incident on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, he said: "I was playing for CSKA Sofia and I was really starting to show my qualities. And normally, when you show your quality as a player, teams will come for you, submit offers, ask, you know, how long do you have as a contract, how much do you cost to buy, and stuff like this.
"But back home was more different. Back home it was like, 'Him? All right, bring him here. I didn't have a car. So a teammate of mine, after training, he was like, 'come with me, I need to bring you to a friend of mine.'
Dimitar Berbatov has given his predictions for the return of Bundesliga action
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The Bulgarian claims he was kidnapped before joining Bayer Leverkusen(Image: 2005 Getty Images)
"And I was a bit naive, of course. And maybe I trusted him because we played in the same team. So I get into his car. He drove me to a restaurant.
"We get into the restaurant, and in the restaurant there were obviously tables. And on one table, there was a guy by himself. And on three other tables, there were big guys, refrigerators, typical Balkan guys sitting behind him, just looking scary. And the guy who brought me there was like, 'go over there, sit, I’ll see you later.' And the guy was like, 'come here, sit down.'
"I'm sitting down, and it's like, thinking to myself in my mind, 'what is going on? What is going on? I need to call my dad, I need to call my dad.'
"And the guy started talking. He's like, 'do you know what they call me?' Now, in English, it’s going to be like, the word probably is going to be, they call me the cook.
"I'm like, all right. 'So we know about you. We need to change the team. We want you in our team. We need to get you.' And I’m like, 'yeah, but I'm playing in CSKA Sofia. I mean, I like it there.'
Rio Ferdinand talking with Dimitar Berbatov
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Rio Ferdinand talking with Dimitar Berbatov
"He said, 'we will figure that out. Don't worry about it.' And the guys were sitting there and I'm just like this, you know, intimidated, of course.
"So maybe two, three hours sitting there, and in the end, the guy let me call my dad. And I'm like calling my dad, 'I'm here. I don’t know where I am. You know, the people around me, big guys.' You know, I was talking really fast, and he’s like, 'calm down, breathe. Like, just calm down and just breathe.'
"And I'm like, 'what the f***? They're going to kidnap me here and I don't want to go, I want to go home.' And he’s like, 'OK, OK. Let me see what I can do. I'll call the guy.'
"So eventually someone calls someone, and the big bosses of the two teams figure out a way of me not moving, just staying where I was.
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"And in that situation, 18 years old, seeing and knowing how things were done back then in Bulgaria, I was thinking to myself, 'this is it for me. Maybe they’re going to beat me, or I don't know, you know'.
"But eventually my dad came in and took me in the car, and I was like, 'oh my God.' Makes me realise I need to grow up quick and be a man really early in my stage of life."