The most successful Bulgarian football player and winner of the Golden Ball and the Golden Shoe awards, as well as winner of the UEFA Champions League, legendary Hristo Stoichkov celebrates his 50th birthday.
Hristo Stoichkov was born on February 8, 1996. He played in the children’s team of Maritsa (Plovdiv) and made his first steps among the men with the team of Hebros (Harmanli). There he attracted the attention of coach Manol Manolov and Hristo Stoichkov became part of the renowned team of CSKA Sofia. During his first season, the 19-year-old teenager showed his huge talent, but also his wild temper. At the end of the season after a fight that took place in the final match for the Cup of Bulgaria against rivals Levski in May 1985, he was banned from playing football again but later the punishment was reduced to a year.
The one-year break motivated him even further to prove his skills. In season 1989/90 he won the Golden Shoe Award, being Europe's top scorer with 38 league goals. In the spring of 1990 with the team of CSKA he reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup where the red team was eliminated by Barcelona. Despite the loss of CSKA, Stoichkov scored a total of three goals in both matches which made famous coach of Barcelona Johan Cruyff want Stoichkov to become part of his team. Soon Barcelona attracted Stoichkov for USD 4.5 million. The Bulgarian quickly became the favorite player of coach and fans. With the team of Barcelona he reached the final of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and won the European Cup in 1992. The Bulgarian also became 5-times champion of Spain, 1-time winner of Copa del Rey, and 4-time winner of the Spanish Super Cup.
Hristo Stoichkov is also part of the biggest success for Bulgarian football so far - fourth place at the World Cup in 1994. This enormous success brought him the greatest personal recognition. In that same year Stoichkov won the "Golden Ball" - prestigious award presented by the most reputable sports magazine - “France Football.”
The successes of the great Bulgarian footballer continued during his stays with other teams around the world. In addition to Barcelona, Stoichkov played with Italian "Parma", "Al-Nassr" (Saudi Arabia), which won the Asian Cup Winners Cup, and "Kashiwa" in Japan, where he won the cup of the country. Hristo ended his active career in the US, where he played in the period 2000-2003 and won the country’s cup with the team of Chicago Fire. In a poll for player of the century in Bulgaria he ranked second after Georgi Asparuhov.
On the occasion of his 50th birthday Stoichkov has been preparing a big football show that is to take place on May 20. On this day in 1992 Hristo grabbed the European Cup on Wembley Stadium in front of Britain’s queen. Among the football starts expected to come for the show in Sofia is godlike Diego Armando Maradona, as well as Romario, Roberto Baggio, Gheorghe Hagi, Michael Laudrup, Ronaldinho and many others.English: Alexander Markov
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