Hristo Stoichkov

At a glance

Source: Wikipedia: Hristo Stoichkov¹

Playing career

Stoichkov began playing football for Maritsa Plovdiv at the age of 11. He moved to Hebros Harmanli in 1982 and scored 14 goals there. In 1985 he joined CSKA Sofia, where he won domestic honours and scored 38 league goals in 30 matches in the 1989–90 season, earning the European Golden Shoe.¹

He moved to Barcelona in 1990 and became part of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team”. The club won four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994 and the 1992 European Cup. Stoichkov formed a strike partnership with Romário and also played for Parma, Al-Nassr, Kashiwa Reysol, Chicago Fire and D.C. United.¹

Bulgaria career

Stoichkov made his Bulgaria debut in 1987 and scored 37 goals in 83 appearances. At the 1994 World Cup, Bulgaria reached the semi-finals and finished fourth. Stoichkov scored six goals, sharing the tournament’s top-scorer award, and received the Bronze Ball. Bulgaria defeated defending champions Germany in the quarter-finals before losing to Italy.¹

He also helped Bulgaria qualify for Euro 1996, scoring ten goals during qualification. At the finals he scored three times in three matches. Bulgaria exited after the group stage. Stoichkov retired from international football in 1999; his final appearance came in a 1–1 draw with England during Euro 2000 qualification.¹

Coaching and later

After beginning as a forward coach at Barcelona, Stoichkov became manager of Bulgaria in 2004. He left the position in April 2007 after the team’s poor results in Euro 2008 qualifying. He later managed Celta Vigo, Mamelodi Sundowns and Litex Lovech, then briefly coached CSKA Sofia in 2013 before resigning.¹

Stoichkov’s individual awards include the 1994 Ballon d’Or and World Cup Golden Boot. In 2004, Pelé included him in the FIFA 100 list. He is a current football commentator for TUDN. He is married to Mariana, and they have two daughters, Hristina and Mihaela.¹

As of 2026 he works as a football commentator for TUDN.¹