Hristo Stoichkov: biography, career

Hristo Stoichkov stands out even in the row of football stars. He deserves special respect, because one represents the whole galaxy of this magnificent game. His personality is an explosive mixture of great sporting talent and bright human charisma.

This year, on February 8, one of the most brilliant football players of the end of the last century celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Childhood

In his homeland, in Bulgaria, they say that Hristo Stoichkov was born with the ball.

Biography of the future best player in the world of the 1992 season, re-champion of Bulgaria and Spain, the legend of the Spanish "Barcelona", the leader of the "bronze" Bulgarian team (referring to the 1994 World Cup) started in the second largest city in Bulgaria - Plovdiv.

Becoming a football player

Hristo Stoichkov was born in a family of sports, football, on 08/02/1966. His father played as a goalkeeper in Plovdiv's Maritza team. The fact that the guy was born with a ball was first told by his mother, Penka Stoichkov. And it was said for good reason. As a boy, instead of playing with peers, he eagerly watched the play of adults, giving them balls. And from the age of 10, Hristo Stoichkov began attending the sports section.

Soccer Science

The youth sports school "Maritsa" was a good springboard for Bulgarian football players. Coaches Ognian Atanasov and Savva Savov managed to find a way to the heart of the young talent. The sports school became his second family. Looking ahead, we will say that Hristo Stoichkov, having received his first big money under a contract with the Spanish "Barcelona", will send out his first salary of $ 7,000 to his first coaches Athanasova and Savov.

Itzo (such a nickname from his childhood he had at home) in the children's team initially played as a supporting midfielder. However, the boy then lacked rigidity, but there was sharpness and speed, he was entrenched in the attack. Not immediately marked the famous style of play. Hristo Stoichkov played first in the factory team "Yuri Gagarin", then in the team of the second league "Hebros". After the young striker of the second league scored 14 goals against the opponents, he was noticed by the coaches of the Major League.

Player CSKA (Sofia)

He was invited by the coach of CSKA Sofia. The young obstinate striker immediately organically got used to the team. He never suffered from a lack of fighting qualities. In the first season, Hristo Stoichkov was disqualified along with four other players. The reason for this was the abundance of red and yellow cards in the CSKA-Levski match of the Bulgaria Cup final, when the athletes were dealing with fights.

Fall and takeoff

Probably, he really suffered hard, being on the rise of a career excommunicated from football. It remains "behind the scenes" that huge inner work, that deep meditation on football, which he realized at this difficult time for himself. Stoichkov hovers about this in an interview.

But the fact remains: when he was "forgiven" (fortunately, the passions, inflated by the partocrats, subsided, and the disqualification was canceled), on the field came a completely different striker. No, he was not the trendsetter in the dribbling style (although he had his own unique manner), he was not the champion in scoring passes (there were players and distributing them more). Soccer experts converged in one: Itzo turned into a real machine for scoring goals. He immediately became an icon for the fans of Bulgaria.

Three-time champion of Bulgaria

In CSKA, he was received by a team of like-minded people and became an integral part of the team. From 1986 to 1990, together with his team, he won the Cup of Bulgaria four times, three times - its champion. It is characteristic that at the same time the level of the forward game grew, thanks to the experience that he acquired in the capital club Stoichkov Hristo.

His goals in 1989-1990 served as an excuse for assigning the player the title of the best football player in Bulgaria. And this is in 24 years! His talent was noticed in Europe: the Bulgarian football player was awarded in 1990 with the "Golden Boot" - the award to the best player of the continent.

Fateful play of CSKA- "Barcelona"

However, the bright football player, thanks to his talent, soon began to carry out the second stage of his career. It started with the fact that the semifinals of the Cup Winners' Cup came CSKA Sofia - the team where Hristo Stoichkov played. "Barcelona" was an opponent of the Bulgarians.

To the credit of the Catalans, they then won the match by the sum of two matches. However, Hristo, who scored three goals at the gates of the blue-garnet club, made a great impression on the coach of Catalans Cruyff. He immediately after the Cup presented an ultimatum to the president of "Barcelona" about the acquisition of Stoichkov.

Idol of the Catalans

The Spanish audience first fell in love with the magnificent blows and explosive passages of the left-handed striker, starting from the positions of the left-handed forward or central, and then into the player himself.

The character of the Bulgarian was like Catalan. He deeply absorbed the values of the club, which became his family, and the selfless game and the branded Catalan contempt he expressed for the Real club delighted the fans.

The Glory of the Scandalous Virtuoso

As at home, I felt in Catalonia Hristo Stoichkov. Photos of a popular football player flooded the whole of Spain. On the field against the royal club, he scored more than others, was irresistible. He struck the gate of opponents in his first season of 1990 21 times, thanks to him, "Barcelona" for the first time after 1986, regained the championship of Spain. Stoichkov was not shy of power play, he answered rudeness with rudeness.

Once, even a judge turned to the coach of the blue-pomegranate Cruyff, that he, in order to avoid the red card in the game with the "Real", replaced Christ. The judge said this rather rudely, calling the Bulgarian "bull". Stoichkov heard this and instantly struck hard with a booted-up judge on his leg, for which the striker was disqualified for six months.

Fans of Barcelona fell in love with him, because he was "his own in the board": speaking of "Real", Hristo then claimed that he would first shake hands dumping the atomic bomb on Madrid, then asked in his presence not to say the words "Real" in general, because from It feels nauseous. About the player "Leopard" Laudrup, who moved to the "Real" in 1994., Hristo referred to as Judas. Such is he in life: a rebel, shocking some and provoking ecstasy among others.

Looking ahead, we say that with the remarkable game Stoichkov, "Barcelona" has cleanly won three more subsequent football seasons - 1991/1992, 1992/1993, 1993/1994; Four times became the owner of the Super Cup of Spain - in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1996. The Catalans not only won at Real Madrid, but also received the European Cup of 1991/1992, twice the UEFA Super Cup - in 1992 and 1997, the Cup of Cups in 1996/1997. Of course, without proper assistance it would not have taken place Football star Hristo Stoichkov. With whom played the Bulgarian "Bars"? His football duet with Aitor Begiristain deserves attention. This football bunch pleased the Catalan fans, for the first time in the history of the team, having extracted the third "gold" of the Championship of Spain in a row.

Season 1993/1994

However, his best partner was the one who came to the "Barca" Romario in the season 1993/1994. He also became the best friend of Iso and the godfather to his children. Perfectly complementary and understanding each other on the field, these two magicians of the ball formed one of the best forwards in the history of football. "Barcelona" in the season of 1993/1994 stood in a row with the grandees of world football.

However, this season of the rise of "Barcelona" marked for the club and personally for Stoichkov future troubles. From the club in the season 1994/1995 important players left: Laudrup, Romario, Subisaretta. Stoichkov accused the head coach of Barça Cruyff that he unreasonably introduced his son to the main body of blue-garnet. For this rebel Hristo by transfer was sold to "Parma".

Bronze World Championship

However, according to his compatriots, Hristo Stoichkov scored his best goals precisely on the "bronze" for Bulgaria World Championship 1994, held in the United States.

Dramatically, he formed for a team of compatriots, led by Christo - a defeat of 0: 3 from the national team of Nigeria. Opponents after that did not appreciate her chances. And wrong! Having defeated the Greeks, the Bulgarians did the impossible: they beat one of the favorites - the Argentina national team. Then they managed to defeat the Mexican team, thanks to the classic powerful "from the game" Stoichkov's blow to the "nine".

And already in the quarterfinals the Bulgarians won against the "German football machine". In this game Stoichkov scored a free-kick, and also made a decisive assist pass to Lechkov.

In 1994, Hristo Stoichkov recognized as the best player in Europe, he was awarded the prize "Golden Ball".

Season of 1997

As we have already said, in 1994, due to the conflict with Cruyff, Stoichkov moved to the Italian "Parma", where he played one season and after returning from Cruyff's coaching post he again returned to Barça.

Return of Iso to "Barcelona" was triumphal. Their favorite team again won the lost title of the champion of Spain (in 1997), and also received the European Cup.

Sunset career forward

At the end of his football career, Hristo Stoichkov played in the American football team "Chicago Fire". His team won the US Cup. Imagine, for his part, this was not a formality: he used love and respect here, overseas. Americans saw the main thing in it - the heart, immensely loving football.

Conclusion

Hristo Stoichkov stands out even in the row of football stars. He deserves special respect, because one represents the whole galaxy of this magnificent game.

His personality - a rattling mixture of great sporting talent and bright human charisma - in the last decade of the last century shook the entire football world with loudly motivated scandals.

And what was his duet with Romario worth? These two strikers with their ultra-class game have written more than one bright page in the history of football.