Hristo Stoichkov: biography, career and achievements

Hristo Stoichkov - a legendary Bulgarian football player who became a legend not only in his homeland, where he has long advocated CSKA Sofia, but also in one of the best clubs in the world - the Catalan "Barcelona". Now he is fifty years old, and he managed to get to the position of head coach has a few clubs. When Hristo Stoichkov was a player, he served as Wing forward.

Early career

Hristo Stoichkov was born February 8, 1966 in the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv and childhood began to get involved in football. At age ten, he joined the football academy of the club "Maritza", where he spent almost all his young years. However, in 1982, when Christ was 14 years old, he moved to another Bulgarian club, "Hebros", where more involved in the youth academy. But even then it was clear that the adolescent has a great future in the world of football, so it was clear that he will not stay long in a small club. Already in his first season at the age of 16 years Stoichkov made his debut for the first team and spent eleven appearances, scoring four goals. The following season, he was chop ten goals in 21 games - of course, it attracted the attention of bigger clubs, and in 1984, when the football player turned eighteen, Hristo Stoichkov moved to the biggest club in Bulgaria - CSKA Sofia.

The flowering CSKA

It is the performance of the central Bulgarian club flourished and this player as Hristo Stoichkov. Statistics striker in "Hebros" impressive - even before the coming of age he had already managed to score 14 goals in 32 matches. However, CSKA levels were much higher, so the first season Stoichkov practically did not show up on the field. Moreover, he remained in the reserves for two whole years, for which the played only eleven games. But in 1986, Stoichkov got his chance - he played 34 matches, scoring seven goals in them. It was not the most impressive figure, but at the heart of the young talent almost did not go. However, it is this season was a turning point, as Hristo talent was noticed, and the following year he became a regular player base. In the 87/88 season he managed to chop 23 goals, which is more than in all the years that followed. But that did not stop Hristo Stoichkov - statistics it has continued to improve from season to season. In 88/89, he has scored 34 goals, and 89/90 broke all records, chop 47 goals in 38 matches. It was an unprecedented success, and everyone understood that the 24-year-old striker will remain in Bulgaria. They became interested in the leading clubs of the world, and after winning three championships and four Bulgarian Cups Bulgarian Stoichkov has decided to rise to a qualitatively new level.

The yield of the peak in the "Barcelona"

Hristo Stoichkov, whose biography includes stops in lots of different clubs, most of his career gave the two teams - CSKA and "Barcelona", which passed in 1990 for three million euros. There he immediately began to appear in the starting lineup, although many thought it was too big step for a young player. But Stoichkov managed - he scored in the first season, 21 goals in 38 matches. Nobody expected that he will score 30-40 goals, yet the level of the championship in Spain is very different from the level of the Bulgarian championship. Moreover, it was not a one-time surge - for five seasons that Stoichkov spent in the "Barcelona", he played 212 games, scoring 109 goals in them. However, in 1995, the relationship soured a player and coach, so it was decided to sell the striker. Hristo Stoichkov, photos of which were still on the covers of sports magazines all over the world, was estimated at € 11 million - and he moved to the Italian Serie A, namely in the "Parma".

Season in "Parma"

However, in the "Parma" attacker tune, unfortunately, failed. Hristo Stoichkov, whose goals in the game for CSKA and "Barcelona" excited the whole world, for thirty games in the "Parma" has managed to hit the gate opponents seven times. At the age it was impossible to write off - the Christ was only 29 years, the heyday for the attacker. Anyway, in "Parma", he did not stay, and the summer of 1996 Stoichkov returned to the "Barcelona", which paid for it just two and a half million euros.

Returning to the "Barcelona"

Hristo Stoichkov, whose best goals were scored precisely in the "Barcelona", he continued to play for the Catalan club - but to return to the previous level it was not possible. For the year, he scored only eight goals in 34 games, and the next six months in general proved a complete nightmare. Hristo saying only one head, coming out on the field a total of eight times. At this his contract with "Barcelona" came to an end - the club did not renew the agreement with the veteran, and he decided to return home.

A short visit to CSKA

Winter 1997 Hristo Stoichkov, a player who has won seven trophies with CSKA and that added to it five wins in the Liga, one victory in the Spanish Cup and one very important victory in the most prestigious tournament - the Champions League in 1992, returned to Bulgaria. Then he signed a short-term contract for three months with the club, which became for him the starting point - with CSKA Sofia. During this brief period, the striker played in just four games, adding to his track record another goal. And the first of March Stoichkov announced that it has signed another short-term contract - this time with the club, "Al-Nasr" from Saudi Arabia.

A period of "Al-Nasr"

With this contract the club Stoichkov was designed for nine months, but he almost did not show up on the field. Two games and one goal - that showed the new club Hristo Stoichkov. football career will inevitably sought to down, and this was not surprising, as compared to January 1998, when his contract with Arabian club has expired, the attacker was 32 years. However, he did not want to finish performance in professional sport, so has signed a one-year agreement with the Japanese club "Kashiwa".

The game in Japan

Season that Christ spent in Japan, turned out to be quite successful for him - in 17 games, he scored eight goals, bringing extended his contract for another six months. During this time he was able to appear on the field is still 12 times and added to your account with an extra five goals. It was only in 2000, the legendary striker has decided that it is time to collect on the rest. But, like many players in the age, he decided to earn some money in the American League, where to send the famous European football veterans.

The Long Goodbye

Many believed that Stoichkov will play another year in the United States and would retire, but he was capable of much more. When in his first season he scored as many as ten goals in 21 games, he decided that he should not yet tie with football. So he played another two seasons for "Chicago Fire", a club that has become a haven and a legend in the US. During this time, he scored ten goals in 36 matches, after which concluded last contract of his career player. The agreement was signed for a year with the club, "DC United" which Stoichkov played 24 matches, having featured six goals. It was only in December 2003, the 37-year-old announced that it is completing his professional career.

Love for the "Barcelona", the hatred of the "Real"

Many football fans are asking to what football club had the greatest affection for Hristo Stoichkov. Quotes player, which can now be found online, clearly indicate that it is mainly a club in his life finds it "Barcelona". Thus, Christ used to say: "Catalonia and Barcelona will always be my home This is where I will die and I will be buried.." At the same time, he could not endure the eternal enemy, "Barcelona" Madrid "Real". Hristo Stoichkov of "Real" has always responded negatively. When asked whether he would ever play in the Madrid club, he abruptly announced that it would never happen. And recently, when in the spring of 2016 in Madrid, "Atletico" won the Championship of Spain, ahead of the "Real" at one point, Stoichkov very cruelly mocked the royal club. First he placed the photo on the network on which it stands with T-shirt, "Atletico" in the hands, while the legs comes on t-shirt "Real". But that it was not enough. How else humiliated Hristo Stoichkov "Real Madrid"? He posted a photo on the network playing football pigs, to which attached the signature "Here's how to train the losers, who took second place in the league."

for the national team appearances

As for the national team of Bulgaria, there Stoichkov also showed their best side and became one of the most successful players in the history of the country. He made his debut in the national team in September 1987, when he was only 21 years old. However, said the first goal for the team he managed only a year later, in a friendly against Norway. But this does not mean that he was not successful, because later he became much more likely to score. All for the national team of Bulgaria, he played 80 matches in which scored 41 goal, that is, he has scored in every second match. And his first major tournament in 1994 was the real benefit - thanks largely to the efforts of the Christ, who was recognized as the best European player of the year in Bulgaria reached the semi-finals of the World Cup. It turned out to be the best result in the history of the team. Stoichkov was unable to score in the first match against Nigeria in which the Bulgarians were defeated with the score 0: 3. Nobody could have thought that the team would go so far - but it happened.

In the match with the Greeks, Stoitchkov compensated for his failure, scoring just two goals, and in all the subsequent games scored one ball. However, in the semi-final against Italy that was not enough - the Bulgarians lost 1: 2, and in the match for third place Stoichkov has failed to score. Team morale was broken, and the Swedes took the bronze medal of the World Cup without any resistance. At the 1996 European Championships Stoichkov played in each of the three matches - and in each of them scored a goal, but it did not help the team reach the playoffs, as these were the only three goals, Stoichkov no one helped. World Cup 1998, which became Christ of Latter-turned out to be a disaster for the team - have left the old stars, and to replace them came to the players a completely different level. As a result, in three matches Stoichkov did not score a single goal, and the Bulgarians took off with the championship. The last match for the national team striker spent the summer of 1999 - it was a qualifying match against England, where he scored one goal pass (which, incidentally, was the second of his career for the national team). The last goal for the national team, he scored a little earlier, in March of the same year, in the match against the national team of Luxembourg.

Coaching career

coaching Stoichkov began even before retired from football. The fact that he has signed a contract with the American "DC United" in 2003, but it was not just a player, but a player-coach. And when his contract with the club expired, Christ returned to his beloved "Barcelona", which offered him the post of technical coach Frank Rijkaard at the headquarters. Until the end of season 03 / 04Ctoichkov gained experience under the guidance of a more serious coach, and then decided to go to the next level and responded to the invitation of the Bulgarian Football Union agreement - since the summer of 2004 Christo became coach of Bulgaria. He stayed in this position for two and a half years, and showed quite good results - from 19 matches losing only three, while achieving victories over such superior rivals like Turkey or Slovenia.

In 2007, Stoichkov led the Spanish "Celta", which spent only six months - the results left much to be desired. Therefore, Christ took a break, he returned to coaching in 2009, when he invited me to his "Sandaunz" African club. He spent almost a year, winning 16 matches out of 30. In summer 2011, the former striker moved to Russia, namely in the "growth" as an assistant, but in the winter of 2012, he returned to full coaching - this time in the Bulgarian " Litex ". Under his leadership the team spent half of the season, during which it was played 48 matches, 26 of which were defeated, and 9 were drawn. In the summer of 2013 Hristo Stoichkov was appointed coach and president of his native CSKA, but he stayed in office only one month, and then completely away from football activities. footballer and coach was just incredibly busy - Stoichkov played for different clubs, has won a lot of trophies, top scorer, best player of the year, and led the national team and the clubs both at home and abroad. At the moment, Stoichkov does not conduct any activity that is directly related to football, but he did not officially announce the completion of coaching career. He is only 50 years, so a lot can still happen in the future. Perhaps he will return to coaching, it will probably take some other position. But to date, Stoichkov has not signed a contract with any club. As a coach he was not to become as legendary figure like as a footballer - probably why he decided to temporarily move away from football affairs.