9th June 1994
Bulgarian star has ungodly
reputation
Hristo Stoichkov, whose given name
means Christ in Bulgarian, is given to a
turn of phrase that sounds as if he is
taking the Lord's name in vain. The
truth is Stoichkov merely is being vain.
"There are only two Christs," the star
forward for FC Barcelona often says.
"One plays for Barcelona, and the other
is in heaven."
That sentence sums up the personality
of one of the world's best goal-scorers,
captain of the Bulgarian national team
that meets Greece in the first round of
the World Cup June 26 at Soldier Field.
Stoichkov is egocentric, often
malcontent and always impulsive. His
behavior has been very costly
throughout his career.
This is a man who, at 28, has played
on nine straight league championship
teams-five with CSKA Sofia in Bulgaria,
four with Barcelona in Spain. And this
is a man, who, at 19, was banned for
life briefly by Bulgarian soccer officials
for his role in a brawl during the
Bulgarian Cup final.
Stoichkov also was banned two months by Spanish league
authorities two years ago, when his rage over a referee's call led him
to stomp the official's foot. It was among his many run-ins with game
officials.
"I have nothing against referees," Stoichkov insisted. "The best man
in my wedding was a referee. But I can't stand being wronged, and I
say that to them. That has given me a bad reputation, and the
referees have it in for me from the beginning."
His strong personality, without a doubt, has been part of what has
made Stoichkov such a great player. But so has his speed,
aggressiveness, passing ability and powerful left foot.
Despite his oral confrontations with Barcelona coach Johann Cruyff,
the club's president and its directors-one such occasion, when he
challenged their parentage, was recorded by TV-Stoichkov remains
one of the Barcelona fans' favorites.
He certainly won affection by paying for members of his Barcelona
fan club to attend the 1992 Cup Winners Cup final in London, where
Stoichkov became the first Bulgarian to be part of a European
Cup-winning team. His countrymen were able to share in that
achievement because Stoichkov bought the TV rights that allowed
the match to be seen in Bulgaria.
Yet his largesse goes only so far. Bulgaria planned 1994 exhibition
matches with Spain, Belgium, Italy and England that were to be
promoted by a company of which Stoichkov is majority stockholder.
The deal fell through when the company and the Bulgarian Soccer
Federation could not agree on Stoichkov's percentage of what would
have been important training matches for his country.
Stoichkov, called "Itso" by his friends, was born in Plovdiv "with a ball
between his feet," according to his mother, Penka.
He was a ballboy for the hometown team, Maritza Plovdiv, until he
began playing for it in 1977. One of Stoichkov's coaches said he had
no future in soccer but another, Atanas Uzunov, recognized his
potential and moved him to a factory-sponsored team in the regional
championship.
From there, Stoichkov's rise was steady. By 1984, playing for CSKA
Sofia, he became a national hero.
In 1990, after he scored 38 goals, Stoichkov attracted the attention of
Barcelona coach Cruyff, the Dutch star of the 1974 World Cup.
Barcelona bought him for $4 million, and his play since then has
driven up the asking price to $15 million.
Stoichkov plays far forward for Barcelona, for whom he has averaged
one goal every two games. His role with the Bulgarian team is more
of a roaming, withdrawn forward, moving into midfield to create plays
or going back toward the defensive end to get the ball and bring it up.
Stoichkov, whose $1.85-million-per-year contract runs through 1996,
has rejected offers from Italian and French teams to stay in
Barcelona with his wife, Mariana, and daughters Mijaela, 6, and
Christina, 3. He was voted professional player of the year in 1993 by
a French soccer magazine but was a bitterly disappointed runner-up
to Marco Van Basten of AC Milan in voting for the 1992 Golden Ball
as European Player of the Year.
"Van Basten is an incredible player," Stoichkov said, "but I deserved
the Golden Ball. Van Basten recognized that. Silvio Berlusconi
(president of AC Milan and now prime minister of Italy) used his
influence to have Van Basten win that election."
Bulgaria did the impossible to make the World Cup, when it needed a
victory over France in Paris in the final qualifying match. The chances
of that were considered so slim Stoichkov promised to walk back to
Bulgaria barefooted if the team won.
After Bulgaria rallied for a 2-1 victory in the final seconds, Stoichkov
begged off.
"I walked around Paris all night (to celebrate)," he said. "Now let me
take a plane."
Stoichkov dreams of being the leading goal-scorer in the World Cup,
mainly because that will mean his team has played well.
"I know I am Bulgaria's most feared player, because I play for
Barcelona and all Europe knows me, and I hope I keep being seen
that way because that will mean I have scored many goals for my
country," he said.
