NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Hristo Stoitchkov

Hristo Stoitchkov (Bulgarian: Христо Стоичков; born February 8, 1966, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria; sometimes spelled Khristo, Stoixkov and/or Stoichkov) is one of the most renowned left-footed football (soccer) players. Stoitchkov has already cemented his status as a sports legend. He is considered among soccer's elite, arguably one of the top soccer players of the 20th Century. Stoitchkov's extraordinary talent, fiery temper and determination to succeed have led him to the heights of personal and professional triumph. February 8 is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Plovdiv (Bulgarian: ÐŸÐ»Ð¾Ð²Ð´Ð¸Ð²) is the second largest city in Bulgaria, with a population of 376,918 citizens. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...

At the 1994 World Cup, Stoitchkov was awarded the Golden Boot as the top goal scorer of the tournament as he miraculously led Bulgaria to the semi-finals. Apart from his numerous awards and trophies, Stoitchkov gained much popularity because of his aggressive on-pitch temper. He could often be seen mumbling Bulgarian profanities at the referee and/or his opposing team. His relentless attitude was known to irritate his opposition and enthrall his fans who preserve his image close to their hearts. Stoitchkov also played at Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup and ended his international career with 37 goals in 83 appearances for his country. Qualifying countries The 1994 Football World Cup held in the USA was won by Brazil who beat Italy 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the game and extra time ended 0-0. ... The World Cup Golden Boot is the award given to the top goalscorer in the FIFA World Cup. ... The 1996 European Football Championship (or simply Euro 96) was hosted by England. ... The 1998 Football World Cup was held in France, by the FIFA decision in July 1992 beating the Morocco bid to host the event. ...

He was the only player to score from a free kick in Euro 96, but they lost that match 3-1 to France and were eliminated in the group stage.

As a player, Stoitchkov played as a left attacker/winger. His specialties included free kicks, penalties and taking unpredictable shots on goal. Stoichkov was also known for his explosive acceleration and speed dribbling. A free-kick in football describes the situation where a player on the opposing team has committed a foul, and you are given the ball to play from the position where the offence took place. ... In Association Football (soccer), a penalty kick is a free kick from twelve yards (eleven metres) out with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal. ...

Stoichkov began his career in his hometown, moving to Hebar(Harmanli) in 1984. The next year he went to CSKA Sofia, before moving on to the more prestigious Barcelona, Parma, and finally finishing his career in Japan with Kashiwa Reysol and America with the Chicago Fire and D.C. United. PFC CSKA Sofia is the football club of the CSKA sports club of Sofia, Bulgaria, founded on May 5, 1948. ... Futbol Club Barcelona, popularly known as BarÃ§a, is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia. ... Parma Football Club (formerly Parma Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, nicknamed the Crociati (Crusaders) and the Gialloblu (Yellow-Blues). ... Kashiwa Reysol is a J. League team. ... Year Founded 1997 League Major League Soccer Stadium Toyota Park Coach Dave Sarachan, 2003â€” First Game Miami Fusion 0â€“2 Chicago Fire (Lockhart Stadium; March 21, 1998) Largest Win Kansas City Wizards 0â€“7 Chicago Fire (Arrowhead Stadium; July 4, 2001) Worst Defeat New England Revolution 5â€“1 Chicago Fire... Year Founded 1995 League Major League Soccer Stadium RFK Stadium Coach Peter Nowak, 2004â€” First Game San Jose Clash 1â€“0 D.C. United (Spartan Stadium; April 6, 1996) Largest Win 6â€“1, once; 5â€“0, 4 times Worst Defeat Kansas City Wizards 6â€“1 D.C. United (Arrowhead Stadium...

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. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Euro 2004 Logo The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly called Euro 2004, was held in Portugal between 12 June and 4 July 2004. ... Categories: Football (soccer) stubs | Football (soccer) governing bodies | Bulgarian football ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ...

Stoichkov's coaching career got off to a bad start with him failing to qualify the Bulgarian national team for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He brought his bad temper from his career as a player to the coaching bench. His first couple of seasons will be remembered with several scandals. A couple of proven players quit the team due to personal differences with Stoichkov. The most notable scandal was at the 03/09/05 game against Sweden, where he was sent-off for insulting the referee.

Career

Maritza can be: The river Maritsa Maritza (musical) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... PFC CSKA Sofia is the football club of the CSKA sports club of Sofia, Bulgaria, founded on May 5, 1948. ... Futbol Club Barcelona, popularly known as BarÃ§a, is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia. ... Parma A.C. (Associazione Calcio) is an Italian football club based in Parma, nicknamed the Gialloblu. ... Futbol Club Barcelona, popularly known as BarÃ§a, is a sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia. ... PFC CSKA Sofia is the football club of the CSKA sports club of Sofia, Bulgaria, founded on May 5, 1948. ... PFC CSKA Sofia is the football club of the CSKA sports club of Sofia, Bulgaria, founded on May 5, 1948. ... Kashiwa Reysol is a J. League team. ... The phrase Chicago Fire can refer to: The Great Chicago Fire, the fire that burned much of Chicago in 1871 The Chicago Fire soccer club The Chicago Fire American football team in the defunct WFL The Chicago Fire Department This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with...

External links

Categories: 1966 births | Living people | Bulgarian footballers | European Footballers of the Year | FIFA 100 | Bulgarian football managers | FC Barcelona footballers | Parma F.C. players | Chicago Fire players | D.C. United players Roberto Baggio (born February 18, 1967 in Caldogno, near Vicenza) is a famous former Italian footballer, considered to be among the best forwards in the world throughout the 1990s. ... Ronaldinho posing on the cover of France Football with the Ballon dOr. ... George Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (born October 1, 1966 in Monrovia) is a Liberian politician and former football player. ... Salvatore TotÃ² Schillaci (born December 1, 1964 in Palermo) is a former Italian football player. ... For more information about the FIFA World Cup, go to FIFA World Cup At the end of each World Cup final tournament, several awards are attributed to the players and teams which have distinguished from the rest, in different aspects of the game. ... Davor Å uker celebrating his goal against Germany in World Cup 1998 quarterfinals Davor Å uker is former Croatian football player born on January 1, 1968 in Osijek. ...