Hristo Stoichkov

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Hristo Stoichkov
Христо Стоичков
Hristo Stoichkov FC Litex Lovech manager.JPG
Stoichkov in the summer of 2012 as coach PFC Litex Lovech
Personal information
Full name Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov
Date of birth (1966-02-08) 8 February 1966 (age 47)
Place of birth Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Striker, Winger
Youth career
1976–1982 Maritsa Plovdiv
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1981–1982 Zavod "Yuri Gagarin" 16 (3)
1982–1984 Hebros 32 (14)
1984–1990 CSKA Sofia 119 (81)
1990–1995 Barcelona 151 (77)
1995–1996 Parma 23 (5)
1996–1998 Barcelona 26 (7)
1998 CSKA Sofia 4 (1)
1998 Al-Nassr 2 (1)
1998–1999 Kashiwa Reysol 28 (13)
2000–2002 Chicago Fire 51 (17)
2003 D.C. United 21 (5)
Total 473 (225)
National team
1987–1999 Bulgaria 83 (37)
1990 Catalonia 11 (?)
Teams managed
2004–2007 Bulgaria
2007 Celta Vigo
2009–2010 Mamelodi Sundowns
2012– Litex Lovech
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (Bulgarian: Христо Стоичков Стоичков), sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation2 and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time.34 Nicknamed The Dagger (Камата), The Dog (Кучето), The Modern Left (Модерния ляв). At Barcelona he earned the Spanish nickname 'El Pistolero' which translates to 'the gunslinger'. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup, of which he was the top scorer with 6 goals. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. His awards include the European Golden Boot, the Ballon d'Or, the World Cup Golden Boot and the World Cup Bronze Ball.

Contents

Club career

Stoichkov began his career in his hometown, moving to Hebros in 1984. The next year he went to CSKA Sofia. There, he was involved in a fight during the final of the 1985 Bulgarian Cup which resulted in an original lifelong ban, which was eventually reduced to a month suspension.5 After he was brought back to football, he managed to win the European Golden Boot with CSKA by scoring 38 goals in 30 games. He then moved on to FC Barcelona, where he was part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team', Stoichkov helped Barcelona to one of the most successful eras of the club, winning the Primera Division four years in a row between 1991 and 1994 and the European Cup after defeating Sampdoria in 1992. During his stay in Barcelona, he had become an idol for the club's fans, and was Barça's most popular player at the time, having earned a place in the supporters' hearts much like Johan Neeskens and Diego Maradona in the past. In Barcelona Stoichkov played in tandem with Romário.

In his first season with the club Stoichkov was suspended for two months for stomping on a referee's foot,6 but he still netted 14 league goals and six more in the Cup Winners' Cup. Stoichkov then had short spells with Parma, Al-Nassr, and finally finishing his career in Japan with Kashiwa Reysol and the United States with the Chicago Fire and D.C. United.

In 1994, he was named European Footballer of the Year after leading his national side to the 1994 World Cup semi-finals.

International career

At the 1994 World Cup, Stoichkov was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot as the joint top goal scorer of the tournament (with Oleg Salenko), with six goals, as well as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria past Germany to the semi-finals, where they lost 2–1 to Italy. They subsequently lost the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0.

Bulgaria finished second in the qualifying group for Euro 1996 after the first place was taken by the eventual winners, Germany. Stoichkov scored 10 goals for his team during the qualifiers, as Bulgaria qualified as one of the best 6 runners-up. In the first match against Germany in Sofia, Bulgaria were 2–0 down at half-time. Stoichkov equalized with two goals from penalties and Emil Kostadinov also scored for a 3–2 win. Bulgaria lost the second match in Germany 3–1.

During the finals, Bulgaria lost 3–1 in the decisive group match against a very strong France side (the future World Champions); at the same time, in the other match, Spain won 2–1 late on against Romania and so the Bulgarians went out. In that tournament, Stoichkov scored 3 goals in 3 matches, and another goal against Spain was disallowed for offside, though action replays show that he was actually on-side. Stoitchkov was the only player to score from a free kick (against France) in this tournament.

He was also part of the squad that was eliminated in the first round of the 1998 World Cup. Bulgaria was not nearly as strong as in previous years, earning only one point in a 0–0 draw against Paraguay and scoring only one goal through Kostadinov in a 6–1 defeat by Spain in the so-called "Group of Death".

Stoichkov retired from internationals in 1999 with 37 goals in 83 appearances. Subsequently he was the coach of the Bulgarian national team from 2004 to April 2007.

Style of play

The Golden Ball won by Stoichkov in 1994

Stoichkov played as a left winger who was known for his explosive acceleration and speed dribbling, and for taking unpredictable shots on goal. He was also notable at taking free kicks and penalties as well as being among the best crossers in the world at his prime. He gained infamy because of his aggressive temper on the pitch. He could often be seen arguing with the referee, or with his opponents. In 2006, he was sued by a former American University college student whose leg he broke in a violent tackle during a match against D.C. United in 2003. The case was settled out of court in 2007 for undisclosed financial terms.7 The student's coach called Stoichkov's challenge "criminal". Ray Hudson, who coached D.C. United for whom Stoichkov played at the time, called it a "rash tackle". Following an investigation by MLS, Stoichkov was suspended two games and fined $2,000.8

Coaching career

In the 2003–04 season, Stoichkov started a coaching career, serving as a forwards coach at Barça. After Bulgarian national team coach Plamen Markov resigned in the wake of the team's first-round exit from Euro 2004, the Bulgarian Football Union named him as the new national team coach on 15 July.

Stoichkov's coaching career got off to a bad start with him failing to qualify the Bulgarian national team for the 2006 World Cup. He brought his bad temper from his career as a player to the coaching bench. A couple of proven players quit the team due to personal differences with Stoichkov. The most notable scandal was on 5 September 2003, in a game against Sweden, where he was sent-off for insulting the referee.

The biggest blow to Stoichkov as a coach of the national team of Bulgaria came on 12 October 2006, when Stiliyan Petrov, the captain of the team, announced he would not play for Bulgaria as long as Stoichkov was manager.9 Petrov is the third player and the second captain in two years to leave the team because of differences with Stoichkov. However, on 17 March 2007, Stiliyan Petrov announced that he had had a private conversation with Stoichkov, in which they were able to work their differences out. As a result, Petrov would return to the team.10

On 10 April 2007, the Bulgarian Football Union announced they had accepted the resignation of Stoichkov from the post of national coach. That was as a result of the poor performance of the team at the ongoing Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, followed by widely spread criticism and debate over the qualities of the coach. The specific game, which led to increased pressure on Stoichkov, was the 0–0 home draw with Albania (despite the fact that the Bulgarians generally controlled the game and hit the post twice). He had a short disappointing stint as manager at Celta Vigo, for which he was sacked following the team's slump that took them to the lower reaches of the Spanish Second Division. On 8 October 2007, he was replaced by ex-Real Madrid manager Juan Ramón López Caro. On 12 March 2009, Stoichkov visited the Manchester City training ground after requesting a visit.11

On 14 May 2009, Iranian club Abu Moslem reported the signing of Stoichkov as coach.12 However Stoichkov then changed his mind due to the tense political situation in Iran, instead opting to move to Mamelodi Sundowns, where he replaced Henri Michel on 29 June 2009.13 On 16 March 2010 he quit Mamelodi Sundowns, with the former South African national team manager Trott Moloto named caretaker until a full-time replacement is found.14

In 2011, Vietnam Football Federation invited him to become the first Bulgarian head coach of Vietnam national football team.

As of the 2011–12 season he works as an advisor at Russian team FC Rostov.

In January 2012, he was appointed as coach of Bulgarian side Litex replacing Lyuboslav Penev, who left to become head coach of the Bulgarian national football team.

Career statistics

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bulgaria League Bulgarian Cup League Cup Europe Total
1982–83 Hebros 11 4 11 4
1983–84 21 10 21 10
1984–85 CSKA Sofia A PFG 11 0 11 0
1985–86 19 2 19 2
1986–87 25 16 2 0 - 7 1 34 17
1987–88 27 20 4 4 - 7 5 38 29
1988–89 26 28 7 3 - 8 8 41 39
1989–90 30 38 5 7 - 3 2 38 47
Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Europe Total
1990–91 FC Barcelona La Liga 24 14 6 2 - 8 5 38 21
1991–92 32 17 2 1 - 9 4 43 22
1992–93 33 20 6 2 - 6 2 45 24
1993–94 34 16 6 1 - 8 7 48 24
1994–95 26 10 4 5 - 8 3 38 18
Italy League Coppa Italia League Cup Europe Total
1995–96 Parma Serie A 23 5 2 0 - 5 2 30 7
Spain League Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga Europe Total
1996–97 FC Barcelona La Liga 22 7 6 1 - 6 0 34 8
1997–98 4 0 1 0 - 3 1 8 1
Bulgaria League Bulgarian Cup League Cup Europe Total
1997–98 CSKA Sofia A PFG 4 1 4 1
Saudi Arabia League Crown Prince Cup League Cup Asia Total
1997–98 Al-Nassr 2 1 2 1
Japan League Emperor's Cup J. League Cup Asia Total
1998 Kashiwa Reysol J. League Division 1 16 8 1 0 0 0 - 17 8
1999 11 4 0 0 1 1 - 12 5
United States League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
2000 Chicago Fire Major League Soccer 18 9 3 1 21 10
2001 17 6 3 2 20 8
2002 16 2 0 0 16 2
2003 D.C. United 21 5 3 1 24 6
Country Bulgaria 174 119 18 14 - 25 16 217 149
Spain 175 84 31 12 - 48 22 254 118
Italy 23 5 2 0 - 5 2 30 7
Saudi Arabia 2 1 2 1
Japan 27 12 1 0 1 1 - 29 13
United States 72 22 9 4 81 26
Total 473 243 61 30 1 1 78 40 613 314

15

Bulgaria national team
Year Apps Goals
1987 3 0
1988 12 4
1989 8 1
1990 4 0
1991 3 2
1992 5 2
1993 6 4
1994 11 9
1995 7 7
1996 5 5
1997 4 1
1998 10 1
1999 5 1
Total 83 37

Managerial statistics

As of 8 May 2013.
Team From To Competition Record
G W D L Win % GF GA GD
Bulgaria 15 July 2004 10 April 2007 Competitive 700115000000000000015 70006000000000000006 70006000000000000006 70003000000000000003 700140000000000000040.00 24 20 +4
Friendliesnb 1 700114000000000000014 70007000000000000007 70005000000000000005 70002000000000000002 700150000000000000050.00 24 14 +10
Total 700129000000000000029 700113000000000000013 700111000000000000011 70005000000000000005 700144830000000000044.83 48 34 +14
Celta Vigo April 2007 8 October 2007 League 700116000000000000016 70007000000000000007 70001000000000000001 70008000000000000008 700143750000000000043.75 18 22 –4
Copa del Rey 70001000000000000001 50000000000000000000 50000000000000000000 70001000000000000001 &050000000000000000000.00 1 2 –1
Total 700117000000000000017 70007000000000000007 70001000000000000001 70009000000000000009 700141180000000000041.18 19 24 –5
Mamelodi Sundowns 29 June 2009 16 March 2010 Premier Soccer League 700130000000000000030 700116000000000000016 70008000000000000008 70006000000000000006 700153330000000000053.33 43 24 +19
Total 700130000000000000030 700116000000000000016 70008000000000000008 70006000000000000006 700153330000000000053.33 43 24 +19
Litex Lovech 5 January 2012 Present Bulgarian A Professional Football Group 700142000000000000042 700124000000000000024 70008000000000000008 700110000000000000010 700157140000000000057.14 85 34 +51
Bulgarian Cup 70008000000000000008 70005000000000000005 70001000000000000001 70002000000000000002 700162500000000000062.50 14 4 +10
Total 700150000000000000050 700129000000000000029 70009000000000000009 700112000000000000012 700158000000000000058.00 99 38 +61
Career totals League 700188000000000000088 700147000000000000047 700117000000000000017 700124000000000000024 700153410000009999953.41 146 80 +66
Cup 70009000000000000009 70005000000000000005 70001000000000000001 70003000000000000003 700155560000000000055.56 15 6 +9
Competitive 700115000000000000015 70006000000000000006 70006000000000000006 70003000000000000003 700140000000000000040.00 24 20 +4
Friendlies 700114000000000000014 70007000000000000007 70005000000000000005 70002000000000000002 700150000000000000050.00 24 14 +10
Total 7002126000000000000126 700165000000000000065 700129000000000000029 700132000000000000032 700151590000000000051.59 209 120 +89

Honours

CSKA Sofia
1987, 1989, 1990
1985, 1987, 1988, 1989
1989
Barcelona
1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98
1992, 1994, 1996
1991–92, Runner-Up 1993–94
1992, 1997
1996–97
1996–97
Al-Nassr
1998
Chicago Fire
2000
Individual
Top Scorer 1989, 1990
1989
1989
1992
1994
1994
1994
1994
1996
1999
2007

In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Bulgaria by the Bulgarian Football Union as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.16

Mamelodi Sundowns
Coach of the Month: December 200917

Notes

  1. ^ Includes Kirin Cup.

References

  1. ^ http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futbolistas_de_la_Selecci%C3%B3n_de_f%C3%BAtbol_de_Catalu%C3%B1a
  2. ^ http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_de_llegenda/stoichkov.html
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/968067/first-xi:-a-burning-hatred?cc=5901
  6. ^ The singular genius of the mad boy Hristo
  7. ^ Goff, Steven. "AU Player Settles With Club, MLS, Stoitchkov". The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2010. 
  8. ^ Goff, Steven (27 February 2007). "Player Hurt in United Scrimmage in '03 Seeks Damages". The Washington Post. 
  9. ^ Petrov steps back from Bulgaria
  10. ^ Petrov returns to Bulgaria fold
  11. ^ Report: Celta Vigo fires coach Hristo Stoitchkov – International Herald Tribune
  12. ^ Hristo Stoichkov to coach Iranian club Abu Moslem
  13. ^ "Stoichkov named coach of South Africa's Sundowns". The Guardian (London). 21 April 2008. 
  14. ^ Hristo Stoitchkov not to renew contract
  15. ^ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/stoichkov-intlg.html
  16. ^ Golden Players take centre stage
  17. ^ "Hristo Stoichkov and Katlego Mphela were awarded PSL Coach and Player of the month". 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 

External links

PFC Litex Lovech – current squad


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