Hristo Stoichkov

Hristo Stoichkov, born on 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian former footballer who now works as a commentator for TUDN. Considered the finest player his country has ever produced, he finished second for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in both 1992 and 1994, and took home the Ballon d'Or in 1994. That same year, he was also named the BTA Best Balkan Athlete of the Year. In 2004, Pelé included him on the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

At the club level, Stoichkov began at age 11 with Maritsa Plovdiv, then moved to Hebros Harmanli in 1982, scoring 14 goals in Bulgaria's third division. He joined CSKA Sofia in early 1985. His temper surfaced quickly: after a fight in the 1985 Bulgarian Cup Final, he received a lifelong ban, later reduced to a one-year suspension. He returned on 30 April 1986, scoring in the Cup of the Soviet Army final on 21 May. By the 1986–87 season, he was a regular on the left wing, winning his first league title with six goals. In 1989–90, he netted 38 league goals in 30 matches, earning the European Golden Shoe as Europe's top scorer.

Moving to Barcelona in 1990, Stoichkov was suspended for two months after stomping on a referee's foot, yet still scored 14 league goals and six in the European Cup Winners' Cup. Under Johan Cruyff, he became part of the "Dream Team" that won four straight La Liga titles (1991–1994) and the 1992 European Cup against Sampdoria. He formed a prolific partnership with Romário, even ensuring the Brazilian showed up to training on time after late nights. He finished runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992 and 1994, and won the 1994 Ballon d'Or after leading Bulgaria to the World Cup semi-finals.

He later had a brief spell with Parma, scoring seven goals, before returning to Barcelona until early 1998. A second stint with CSKA Sofia followed in spring 1998. In April 1998, he signed a two-match contract with Saudi club Al-Nassr, helping them win the Asian Cup Winners' Cup by earning a penalty and assisting in the semi-final, then scoring the only goal in the final. He then played in Japan for Kashiwa Reysol, finishing his career in the United States with the Chicago Fire and D.C. United, winning the U.S. Open Cup with Chicago and scoring the first goal in the final.

Internationally, Stoichkov debuted for Bulgaria on 23 September 1987 in a Euro 1988 qualifier against Belgium. His first goal came in his fourth appearance, a 3–2 friendly win over Qatar in Doha. During 1994 World Cup qualifying, he scored five goals, helping Bulgaria reach its first major tournament since 1986. At the finals, he shared the Golden Boot with Oleg Salenko after scoring six goals, and received the Bronze Ball. He led Bulgaria to a shock 2–1 quarter-final win over defending champions Germany, then lost 2–1 to Italy in the semi-finals and 4–0 to Sweden in the third-place match. For Euro 1996, he scored ten goals in qualifying, including two penalties in a 3–2 comeback win over Germany in Sofia. Bulgaria qualified as one of the best runners-up but were eliminated in the group stage after a 3–1 loss to France.