Petrov breaks down Berbatov's character

A bumper crowd is expected at the Theatre of Dreams, with tickets still available, as the charity match raises vital funds for Manchester United Foundation.

Stiliyan Petrov will be a leading light for the Bhoys and is being reunited with fellow countryman Dimitar Berbatov, a regular team-mate at international level. The pair were on opposing sides in the 2010 League Cup final, when Petrov played for Aston Villa, but there is clearly an enormous amount of respect between them.

'Stan' told us about what Berba is like off the field, as the cool customer never seemed too concerned with building his media profile during his time as a top-class striker with the Reds and other clubs, such as Tottenham and Fulham.

"He’s a genius," the ex-midfielder enthused about Berba's skills. "I mean, his movement, his strength is understanding the game in a different way. He always talks about that.

"You don’t have to run but you can still succeed. Well, my game was completely different but he was the biggest star. He was the biggest star and the biggest talent. The biggest player in Bulgaria when I was playing.

"When he was playing for the national team, we counted on his goals and on his brilliance and his ability to change games from nothing. So, on the pitch, he was a world-class player and I had the privilege to play with him."

Berbatov will grace Old Trafford again in September, and is certain to show off his quality again, and Petrov knows him well away from the field too. Only Stiliyan's namesake Martin Petrov appeared alongside him more often for Bulgaria than Dimi, and the centre-forward's laid-back nature was appreciated by his colleague.

"Off the pitch, very smart," added the Celtic man. "Quite the perfectionist. That’s why I can say that not many people know him but he’s got a great sense of humour.

"If you let him in, he will let you know him because sometimes he just closes himself in and he doesn’t trust many people. But, if you earn his trust, you’ll see that he’s a great person.

"He’s great, so for me to have him as a friend and as a team-mate, as well as in the opposition as well, was a great honour. When he signed up for the Legends game in September I said well, I’d like to be playing against him this time rather than with him.

"I’ve seen him training really hard! He looks really fit and really lean. He looks after himself, as many players do now in the modern world. You can see that in many of those charity games and players are fit and ready. You don’t just come into it as a friendly game. It becomes more of a competitive game.”