Hristo Stoichkov stands out even among the stars of football. He deserves special respect, since one represents the whole galaxy of this magnificent game. His personality is an explosive mixture of great sports talent and vibrant human charisma.
This year, 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.
The biography of the future best soccer player in the world of the 1992 season, reusable champion of Bulgaria and Spain, the legend of the Spanish “Barcelona”, the leader of the “bronze” Bulgarian team (meaning the 1994 World Cup) began in the second largest Bulgarian city of Plovdiv.
The formation of a football player
Hristo Stoichkov was born in a family of sports, football, 02/08/1966, his father played the goalkeeper in the Plovdiv team “Maritsa”. The fact that the guy was born with the ball was first said by his mother, Penka Stoichkova. And it was not said in vain. As a boy, instead of playing with his peers, he eagerly watched the game of adults, passing them balls. And from 10 years old, Hristo Stoichkov began to attend the sports section.
The science of football
The Maritsa Youth Sports School was a good springboard for Bulgarian football players. Coaches Ognyan Atanasov and Savva Savov managed to find a way to the heart of a young talent. The sports school became his second family. Looking ahead, let's say that Hristo Stoichkov, having received his first big money under a contract with the Spanish “Barcelona”, will send $ 7,000 each to his first coaches Atanasov and Savov from their first salary.
Izo (such a nickname since childhood was at home) in the children's team at first played a defensive midfielder. However, the boy then lacked rigidity, but there was sharpness and speed, he entrenched in the attack. The famous game style was not immediately apparent. Hristo Stoichkov played first in the factory team “Yuri Gagarin”, then in the second league team “Hebros”. After the young forward of the second league scored 14 goals against opponents, he was noticed by the coaches of the Major League.
Player CSKA (Sofia)
He was invited by CSKA Sofia coach . The young obstinate forward immediately organically got accustomed to the team. He never suffered from a lack of fighting qualities. In the first season, Hristo Stoichkov was disqualified with four other players. The reason for this was the abundance of red and yellow cards in the CSKA-Levski match of the Bulgarian Cup final, when the athletes got into fights.
Fall and take off
Probably, he really suffered seriously, being on the rise of his career excommunicated from football. What remains behind the scenes is that huge internal work, that deep meditation on football, which he carried out in this difficult time for himself. About this Stoichkov Hristo keeps silent in an interview.
But the fact remains: when he was “forgiven” (fortunately, the passions inflated by the partocrats subsided and the suspension was canceled), a completely different striker entered the field. No, he was not a trendsetter in dribbling (although he owned his own unique manner), he was not a record holder for assists (there were players and more distributing them). The connoisseurs of football agreed on one thing: Izo turned into a real machine for scoring goals. He immediately became an icon for fans of Bulgaria.
Three-time champion of Bulgaria
At CSKA, he was accepted by a team of like-minded people and became an integral part of the team. From 1986 to 1990, together with his team, he became the owner of the Bulgarian Cup 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 gained in the Moscow club Stoichkov Hristo.
His goals in 1989-1990 served as an occasion for awarding the player the title of best football player in Bulgaria. And this is 24 years old! His talent was also noticed in Europe: the Bulgarian football player was awarded the Golden Boot in 1990 - the best player on the continent.
The fateful game of CSKA Moscow, “Barcelona”
However, the bright footballer, thanks to his talent, soon began the second stage of his career. It began with the fact that the Sofia CSKA - the team where Hristo Stoichkov played played in the semifinals of the Cup Cup . “Barcelona” was the enemy of the Bulgarians.
To the credit of the Catalans, they then won by the sum of two matches. However, Hristo, who scored three goals against the blue garnet club, made a great impression on the Catalan coach Cruyff. He immediately after the Cup presented an ultimatum to the president of Barcelona on the acquisition of Stoichkov.
Idol of the Catalans
The Spanish public first fell in love with the magnificent strikes and explosive passages of the forward-left-hander, starting from the position of the left forward or central, and then with 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 dedicated game and his Catalan signature contempt for the club "Real" enthralled the fans.
Glory of the scandalous virtuoso
Like at home, Hristo Stoichkov felt in Catalonia. Photos of a popular soccer player flooded all of Spain. On the field against the royal club, he scored more often than others, was unstoppable. He hit the rivals gate 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 about power play; he answered rudeness with rudeness.
Once, even a judge went to a blue-garnet coach Cruyff to replace Hristo in order to avoid a red card in the game with Real Madrid. The judge said this rather rudely, calling the Bulgarian a "bull." Stoichkov heard this and instantly harshly hit the boot of the presumptuous judge on the leg, for which the striker was disqualified for six months.
Barcelona fans fell in love with him, because he was “on the board”: speaking of Real Madrid, Christ claimed that he would be the first to shake hands with the atomic bomb dropped on Madrid, then he asked in his presence not to utter the word Real at all, because it feels nauseous. About the player, “Barca” Laudrup, who moved in 1994 to “Real”, Hristo spoke of as Judas. This is his life: a rebel, shocking some and causing delight in others.
Looking ahead, we’ll say that with a wonderful game by Stoichkov “Barcelona” won outright three more subsequent football seasons - 1991/1992, 1992/1993, 1993/1994; four times became the owner of the Super Bowl of Spain - in 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1996. The Catalans not only won against Real Madrid, but also won the European Champions Cup 1991/1992, twice the UEFA Super Cup - 1992 and 1997, the Cup Cup in 1996/1997. Of course, it would not have taken place without proper assistance football star Hristo Stoichkov. With whom did the Bulgarian play in Barça? Noteworthy is his football duet with Aytor Begirystayn. This football team pleased the Catalan fans, for the first time in the history of the team, having won the third “gold” of the Spanish Championship in a row.
Season 1993/1994
However, his best partner was Romario, who had come to Barça in the 1993/1994 season. He became Izo's best friend and godfather to his children. Ideally complementary and understanding each other on the field, these two ball magicians made up one of the best forwards in the history of football. “Barcelona” in the season 1993/1994 stood on a par with the grandees of world football.
However, this season of take-off of “Barcelona” marked future troubles for the club and for Stoichkov personally. Important players left the club in the 1994/1995 season: Laudrup, Romario, Subisaretta. Stoichkov accused the head coach of Barca Cruyff for the fact that he unreasonably introduced his son into the main team of blue-garnet. For this, the rebel Christo by transfer was sold to Parma.
World Championship Bronze
However, according to his compatriots, Hristo Stoichkov scored his best goals precisely at the 1994 “bronze” World Championship in Bulgaria, held in the United States.
It formed dramatically for a team of compatriots led by Hristo - a 0: 3 defeat from the Nigeria national team. Opponents after that did not appreciate her chances. And they were mistaken! Having defeated the Greeks, the Bulgarians did the impossible: they beat one of the favorites - the Argentine national team. Then they managed to defeat the Mexican team thanks to Stoichkov’s classic powerful “off the beat” kick in the “nine”.
And already in the quarter-finals the Bulgarians won against the “German football machine”. In this game, Stoichkov scored a goal from the penalty area, and also made a decisive assist to Lechkov.
In 1994, Hristo Stoichkova was recognized as the best football player in Europe, he was awarded the Golden Ball prize.
1997 season
As we already wrote, in 1994, due to the conflict with Cruyff, Stoichkov moved to the Italian “Parma”, where he played for one season and after leaving Cruyff the coaching post he returned to “Barca”.
The return of Izo to Barcelona turned out to be triumphant. His favorite team again won the lost Spanish title (in 1997), and also received the European Cup.
Forward career sunset
At the end of his football career, Hristo Stoichkov played on the Chicago Fire football team. His team won the US Cup. Imagine, on his part, this was not a formality: here, overseas, he enjoyed love and respect. The Americans saw the main thing in it - the heart, immensely loving football.
Conclusion
Hristo Stoichkov stands out even among the stars of football. He deserves special respect, since one represents the whole galaxy of this magnificent game.
His personality - an explosive mixture of great sports talent and bright human charisma - in the last decade of the last century shook the entire football world with loud motivated scandals.
And what was his duet with Romario worth? These two forwards with their ultra-class game have written more than one bright page in the history of football.