013.
Hristo Stoitchkov
One of Europe’s
best players over the last decade, Hristo Stoitchkov, started his professional
career in CSKA Sofia. He soon caught the eyes of many scouts because of his
talent, but also for his temperament which caused him some problems over the
years. Hristo was a player who was difficult to mark because of his pace and
quick movements and most defenders were left behind when he had his sight on
goal. Having scored 38 goals in his last season with CSKA, a total which won
him the Golden Boot as top scorer in Europe,
Stoitchkov then left Bulgaria
for bigger challenges in Barcelona
in the summer of 1990.
He lived up to his reputation both as a lethal striker and trouble-maker in his
first season at the Nou Camp. He was suspended for weeks having stamped on a
referee’s foot on purpose, but he delivered the goods when he was on the field.
He had many successful seasons in Barcelona
which saw him win four straight league championships and a European Cup.
He took part in his first big tournament for Bulgaria
in the 1994 World Cup in USA.
Bulgaria
reached the semifinals against all odds and Stoitchkov was the key to their
success. He proved on soccer’s biggest scene that he was one of the world’s
best players scoring 6 goals and shared the top scorer title with Russian
Salenko. He scored a great goal against Mexico
in the second round and a well executed free-kick against Germany
in the quarterfinal when Bulgaria
came from behind to knock-out the defending champions. Stoitchkov won at the
end of the year the European Player of the Year award with a record winning
margin.
He later had a short spell with Parma
before returning to Barcelona
for another couple of years although not with as much success as in his first
period. At the age of 32, he was included in the Bulgarian squad for the World
Cup in France,
but neither he nor the team could produce the form of four years earlier.
Stoitchkov retired in 1999.
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