Berbatov Shirt Message Fulham 1-1 Southampton

Revealing a slogan underneath a team jersey usually means a footballer has something to say, but Dimitar Berbatov’s was a simple instruction. The Fulham man’s ‘Keep Calm And Pass Me The Ball’ t-shirt, or rather, scrawled message on the front of his thermal wear, was unveiled as he celebrated scoring against Southampton. It raised a few smiles – we can give the guy credit for humour – but referee Phil Dowd wasn’t in the mood for laughing and booked him for removing his shirt. But while they’re commended for comedy value, neither the Italian nor Berbatov’s cheeky confidence will earn places in the hall of t-shirt fame alongside Robbie Fowler’s nod to the beleaguered Liverpool dockers or Ian Wright’s ‘179 Just done it’, when he broke the club goalscoring record at Arsenal. Perhaps Berb’s next one could read ‘Pass Me The Ball To My Feet’, however, given his misplaced header from six yards out, just minutes late "Keep calm and pass me the ball," it read. In seven words, Berbatov's footballing ethos writ large to the world. A smile was brought to us all and our love for the enigma of Berba made stronger.