Hristo Stoichkov

Saturday, 29 December 2012

100 Golden goals of Hristo Stoichkov for Barcelona part 1 *HD*

100 Golden goals of Hristo Stoichkov for Barcelona part 2 *HD*

Mexico Vs Bulgaria Usa '94 Hristo Stoichkov's Goal

My Favorite Player is...Hristo Stoichkov

An Interview With Hristo Stoichkov By Caught Offside, Part 1

Hristo Stoichkov, Chicago Fire Comertial

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American University
American University (AU or American) is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C., United States. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893. Roughly 6,000 undergraduate students and 3,912 graduate students are currently enrolled. AU is a member of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. A member of the Division I Patriot League, its sports teams compete as the American University Eagles.
American's main campus is located at the intersection of Nebraska and Massachusetts Avenues at Ward Circle in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest Washington. The area is served by the Tenleytown-AU station on the Washington Metro subway line in the nearby neighborhood of Tenleytown.
An inspiration for the founding of American University was a letter written by George Washington, in which he expressed a desire for a "national university" to be located in the nation's capital. The university was established in the District of Columbia by an Act of Congress on February 24, 1893, primarily due to the efforts of Methodist Bishop John Fletcher Hurst. Bishop Hurst and his colleagues were concerned with building an institution that would meld the strengths of the best German universities with the strengths of the existing university system in America. As their plans developed during the early years, they began to conceive of American University as an institution that would be:

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Argentina
Argentina ⁱ/ˌɑrdʒənˈtiːnə/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina [reˈpuβlika aɾxenˈtina]), is a country in South America, the continent's second largest by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations.
Argentina's continental area is between the Andes mountain range in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It borders Paraguay and Bolivia to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and Chile to the west and south. Argentine claims over Antarctica, as well as overlapping claims made by Chile and the United Kingdom, are suspended by the Antarctic Treaty of 1961. Argentina also claims the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are administered by the United Kingdom as British Overseas Territories.
A recognised middle power, Argentina is Latin America's third-largest economy, with a "very high" rating on the Human development index. Within Latin America, Argentina has the fifth highest nominal GDP per capita and the highest in purchasing power terms. Analysts have argued that the country has a "foundation for future growth due to its market size, levels of foreign direct investment, and percentage of high-tech exports as share of total manufactured goods", and it is classed by investors as middle emerging economy. Argentina is a founding member of the United Nations, Mercosur, the Union of South American Nations, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization, and is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies.

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Bulgaria
Coordinates: 42°45′N 25°30′E / 42.75°N 25.5°E / 42.75; 25.5
Bulgaria ⁱ/bʌlˈɡɛəriə/ (Bulgarian: България, IPA: [bɤ̞ɫˈɡarijɐ]), is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and the Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 14th-largest country. Its location has made it a historical crossroad for various civilisations and as such it is the home of some of the earliest metalworking, religious and other cultural artifacts in the world.
Prehistoric cultures began developing on Bulgarian lands during the Neolithic period. Its ancient history was marked by the presence of the Thracians, and later by the Greeks and Romans. The emergence of a unified Bulgarian ethnicity and state dates back to the First Bulgarian Empire, which dominated most of the Balkans and functioned as a cultural hub for Slavic peoples during the Middle Ages. With the downfall of the Second Bulgarian Empire in 1396, its territories came under Ottoman rule for nearly five hundred years. The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 resulted in the Third Bulgarian State, recognised in 1908. The following years saw several conflicts with its neighbours, which prompted Bulgaria to align with Germany in both World Wars. In 1946 it became a Communist republic with a single-party system until 1989, when the Communist Party allowed multi-party elections. After 1990 Bulgaria transitioned to democracy and a market-based economy.

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Croatia
Croatia (ⁱ/kroʊˈeɪʃə/ kroh-AY-shə; Croatian: Hrvatska pronounced [xř̩ʋaːtskaː]), officially the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Republika Hrvatska listen (help·info)), is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles) and has diverse, mostly continental and Mediterranean climates. Croatia's Adriatic Sea coast contains more than a thousand islands. The country's population is 4.29 million, most of whom are Croats, with the most common religious denomination being Roman Catholicism.
In the early 7th century the Croats arrived in area of present-day Croatia. They organised the state into two dukedoms by the 9th century. Tomislav became the first king by 925 AD, elevating Croatia to the status of a kingdom. The Kingdom of Croatia retained its sovereignty for nearly two centuries, reaching its peak during the rule of Kings Peter Krešimir IV and Dmitar Zvonimir. Croatia entered a personal union with Hungary in 1102. In 1527, faced with Ottoman conquest the Croatian Parliament elected Ferdinand I of the House of Habsburg to the Croatian throne. In 1918, after World War I, Croatia was included in the short-lived State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs that declared independence from Austria–Hungary and co-founded the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. A Croatian state briefly existed during World War II as a fascist puppet state. After the war, Croatia became a founding member and a federal constituent of the Second Yugoslavia, a socialist state. In June 1991, Croatia declared independence, which came into effect on 8 October of the same year. The Croatian War of Independence was fought successfully during the four years following the declaration.

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France
France (English ⁱ/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km² (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.

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Iran
Coordinates: 32°N 53°E / 32°N 53°E / 32; 53
Iran (ⁱ/ɪˈrɑːn/ or /aɪˈræn/;Persian: ایران‎ [ʔiˈɾɒn] ( listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (Persian: جمهوری اسلامی ایران‎ Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi-ye Irān), is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran", which in Persian means "Land of the Aryans", has been in use natively since the Sassanian era. It came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia ( /ˈpɜrʒə/ or /ˈpɜrʃə/). Both "Persia" and "Iran" are used interchangeably in cultural contexts; however, "Iran" is the name used officially in political contexts.
The 18th-largest country in the world in terms of area at 1,648,195 km² (636,372 sq mi), Iran has a population of around 79 million. It is a country of particular geopolitical significance owing to its location in the Middle East and central Eurasia. Iran is bordered on the north by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. As Iran is a littoral state of the Caspian Sea, which is an inland sea, Kazakhstan and Russia are also Iran's direct neighbors to the north. Iran is bordered on the east by Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the south by the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by Iraq and on the northwest by Turkey. Tehran is the capital, the country's largest city and the political, cultural, commercial and industrial center of the nation. Iran is a regional power, and holds an important position in international energy security and world economy as a result of its large reserves of petroleum and natural gas. Iran has the second largest proven natural gas reserves in the world and the fourth largest proven petroleum reserves.

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Italy
Italy ⁱ/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km² (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.

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Liberia
Liberia ⁱ/laɪˈbɪəriə/, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Ivory Coast on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open to a plateau of drier grasslands. The country possesses 40% of the remaining Upper Guinean rainforest. Liberia has a hot equatorial climate, with significant rainfall during the May to October rainy season and harsh harmattan winds the remainder of the year. Liberia covers an area of 111,369 km² (43,000 sq mi) and is home to about 3.7 million people. English is the official language, while over 30 indigenous languages are spoken within the country.
Along with Ethiopia, Liberia is one of the two modern countries in Sub-Saharan Africa without roots in the European colonization of Africa. Beginning in 1820, the region was colonized by freed American slaves with the help of the American Colonization Society, a private organization that believed ex-slaves would have greater freedom and equality in Africa. Slaves freed from slave ships were also sent there instead of being repatriated to their countries of origin. In 1847, these colonists founded the Republic of Liberia, establishing a government modeled on that of the United States and naming the capital city Monrovia after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States and a prominent supporter of the colonization. The colonists, known as Americo-Liberians, led the political and economic sectors of the country.

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Mexico
Mexico (ⁱ/ˈmɛksɨkoʊ/; Spanish: México, IPA: [ˈmexiko] ( listen)), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos (help·info)), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States of America; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometres (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the fifth largest country in the Americas by total area and the thirteenth largest independent nation in the world. With an estimated population of over 113 million, it is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country. Mexico is a federation comprising thirty-one states and a Federal District, the capital city.
In Pre-Columbian Mexico many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Zapotec, the Maya and the Aztec before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory from its base in México-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain. This territory would eventually become Mexico as the colony's independence was recognized in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, the Mexican-American War and territorial cession to the United States, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

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Plovdiv
Plovdiv (Bulgarian: Пловдив) is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after the capital Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants as of February, 2011. It is administrative center of Plovdiv Province and the municipalities of City of Plovdiv, Maritsa municipality and Rodopi municipality, which municipal body has a population of 403,153 inhabitants as of February, 2011. It is an important economic, transport, cultural and educational center, as well as the second-largest city in the historical international region of Thrace after Istanbul. It is the tenth-largest city in the Balkans after Istanbul, Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Zagreb, Skopje and Tirana.
Plovdiv's history spans 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC and some rank it as Europe's oldest city. Plovdiv is known in the West for most of its history by the Greek name Philippopolis, which was created in 340 BC. Plovdiv was originally a Thracian city before later becoming a Greek and a major Roman one. In the Middle Ages, it retained its strategic regional importance, changing hands between the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires. It came under Ottoman rule in the 14th century. In 4 January, 1878, Plovdiv was liberated from Ottoman rule by the Russian army and was within the borders of Bulgaria until July, the same year, when it became the capital of an autonomous Ottoman region of Eastern Rumelia. In 1885, it and Eastern Rumelia itself became part of Bulgaria.

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Romania
Romania (ⁱ/roʊˈmeɪniə/ roh-MAY-nee-ə; dated: Roumania; or Rumania;Romanian: România [romɨˈni.a] ( listen)) is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Romania shares a border with Hungary and Serbia to the west, Ukraine and Moldova to the northeast and east, and Bulgaria to the south.
At 238,400 square kilometers (92,000 sq mi), Romania is the ninth largest country of the European Union by area, and has the seventh largest population of the European Union with over 19 million people. Its capital and largest city is Bucharest, the tenth largest city in the EU with about two million people.
The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Alexander Ioan Cuza in 1859. Independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on 9 May 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of World War I, Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania. Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until World War II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union, and Romania forcibly became a socialist republic and a member of the Warsaw Pact.

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Russia
Russia ⁱ/ˈrʌʃə/ or /ˈrʊʃə/ (Russian: Россия, tr. Rossiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijə] ( listen)), also officially known as the Russian Federation (Russian: Российская Федерация, tr. Rossiyskaya Federatsiya; IPA: [rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə] ( listen)), is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects. From northwest to southeast, Russia shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland (both via Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the US state of Alaska by the Bering Strait. At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is the largest country in the world, covering more than one eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area. Russia is also the eighth most populous nation with 143 million people. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning nine time zones and incorporating a wide range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest reserves of mineral and energy resources and is the largest producer of oil and natural gas globally. Russia has the world's largest forest reserves and its lakes contain approximately one-quarter of the world's fresh water.

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Abedi Pele
Abedi Ayew ( /æˈbeɪdɪ/ /æˈjjuː/ a-BAYDI a-YEW), known professionally as Abedi Pele (born 5 November 1964) is a former Ghana International football player and captain. Having been given the nickname "Pelé" in recognition of his superior ability that evoked comparisons to Brazilian great Pelé, he found fame in France's Ligue 1 with Lille OSC and Olympique Marseille.
Three of his sons, Ibrahim, André and Jordan also became Internationals for Ghana, in which Ibrahim and André were selected for the FIFA World Cup 2010.
Abedi Ayew was born into a family in a small village called Kyebi near Dome at the northern outskirts of Accra.
Abedi Pele was one of the pioneers of African football in Europe. One of the first great African players to make an impact on European club football, he played for teams in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and most famously France where he was very instrumental in Marseille's prominence in the European Champions League during the early 1990s. Amongst his international accolades, he was often included in FIFA "All-star" selections and captained the African all-stars in their victory over their European counterparts in the Meridian Cup of 1997.

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Abraham Løkin
Abraham Løkin (born Abraham Hansen 16 June 1959, Fuglafjørður, Faroe Islands) is a former Faroe Islands football (soccer) player, currently the manager of Faroese football club ÍF Fuglafjørður.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's jubilee, he was selected by the Faroe Islands Football Association as the country's Golden Player - the greatest player of the last 50 years. [1]
His son, Bogi Løkin, is also an international Faroese football (soccer) player and is currently playing in NSÍ Runavík, whilst the younger brother Karl Løkin is playing under his fathers managing with ÍF Fuglafjørður.
Løkin is Fuglafjørður's most famous player, serving his local team for many years. He also had spells in Sweden, Denmark and France as well as at Faroe club teams NSÍ Runavík and B68.
He is currently signed as the manager for ÍF Fuglafjørður for the 2009/2010 season, with the possibility for prolonging.
Løkin made his debut in an August 1988 friendly match against Iceland, the country's first FIFA-recognized match. He was a regular for the Faroe Islands in their first competitive years, earning a total of 22 caps (38 including unofficial matches). He played his last international match in September 1994 against Greece.

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Adalbert Zafirov
Adalbert Zafirov (Bulgarian: Адалберт Зафиров) (born 29 September 1969 in Sofia) is a former Bulgarian football defender and currently manager.
He has been capped for the Bulgarian national team, and was an unused substitute at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
On 30 March 2010, CSKA Sofia coach Ioan Andone resigned, it was announced that the team will be trained by Adalbert Zafirov until the end of the season.

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Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL (born 13 August 1970) is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team. He is considered by some as one of England's best strikers, being both Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer. After retiring as a player in 2006, Shearer worked as a television pundit for the BBC. In 2009 he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation.
A native of Newcastle upon Tyne, Shearer made his professional debut with English top-flight club Southampton in 1988, scoring a hat-trick in the process. During several years on the south coast, he became known for his classic style of play, strength and goalscoring ability; he soon received an international call-up along with a transfer to Blackburn Rovers in 1992. Shearer established himself as a player in northern England; he became a regular in the England squad, and his 34-goal tally helped Blackburn secure the Premier League title in 1994–95. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. The 1995–96 season saw Shearer make his first Champions League appearances and finish as the top scorer in the Premier League with 31 goals. He was also top scorer at Euro 1996 with England, scoring five goals, and in the 1996–97 Premier League, with 25 goals. He scored 283 league goals in his career, including a record 260 in the Premier League, and a total of 422 in all competitions including international at all levels. Shearer has amassed a goals to game ratio of 0.667 throughout his career at every level.

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Albena Denkova
Albena Denkova (Bulgarian: Албена Денкова) (born 3 December 1974 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner and fiance Maxim Staviski, she is the 2006 & 2007 World Champion, the 2003 & 2004 European silver medalist, and the 2006 Grand Prix Final champion. Denkova & Staviski are the first Bulgarian figure skaters to medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Denkova began her athletic career as a gymnast at the age of four, and switched to figure skating at about 8 or 9. She took up ice dancing when she was 12. Her first ice dance partner was Hristo Nikolov but they split up due to different ambitions. In 1996, Denkova had a successful tryout with Maxim Staviski in Moscow and he moved to Sofia to compete with her for Bulgaria. They soon became a couple off-ice, as well. In 2000, Denkova/Staviski began dividing their time between Sofia and Odintsovo, near Moscow, Russia where they worked with coach Alexei Gorshkov and choreographer Sergei Petukhov.
They withdrew from the 2000 European Championships after Staviski fell ill with pneumonia. At the 2000 World Championships, Denkova was seriously injured in the practice before the free dance; Peter Tchernyshev's blade slashed her leg above her boot, severing two tendons and a muscle. She eventually returned to training but suffered swelling in her leg. After she asked the U.S. Figure Skating Association if Tchernyshev had insurance to help cover her medical expenses, the organizers withdrew Denkova/Staviski's invitation to 2000 Skate America. Both Denkova and Staviski fell ill with the flu before the 2001 European Championships and she suffered more swelling but they competed at the event and finished 8th, their best result to that date.

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Alejandro Scopelli
Alejandro Scopelli Casanova (12 May 1908 – 23 October 1987) was an Italian Argentine football player and coach. He played for Argentina between 1929 and 1941, and competed at the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup. He also represented the Italian national team on one occasion .
Born in La Plata, Scopelli started his career in Argentina with Estudiantes de La Plata where he became part of the legendary side nicknamed "Los Profesores". In 1931 he scored 31 goals for the team but was beaten to the golden boot by team mate Alberto Zozaya's 33.
In 1933 Scopelli moved to Italy where he played for Roma. During this time he took the Italian cityzenship (as oriundo) and played for their national team. In 1936 Scopelli returned to Argentina to play for Racing Club de Avellaneda. In his later career he played for Red Star Paris in France, around the start of the Second World War he moved to neutral territory to play for Belenenses and then Benfica in Portugal. In 1942 Scopelli returned to South America to play for Universidad de Chile.

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Aleksandar Tomov
Aleksandar Tomov Lazarov (Bulgarian: Александър Томов Лазаров, born April 3, 1949 in Sklave, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian Greco-Roman wrestler, in the heaviest weight class.
He is in the FILA Hall of Fame as a five-time champion of the World and five-time champion of Europe. He won silver medals at the Olympics in the +100 kg class in 1972, 1976, and 1980.

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Aleksandar Tsvetkov
Aleksandar Aleksandrov Tsvetkov (Bulgarian: Александър Цветков) (born on 31 August 1990 in Pleven) is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for Litex Lovech as a midfielder. He comes directly from Litex's youth academy.
Tsvetkov made his first team debut in a 5–1 Bulgarian Cup win over Maritsa Plovdiv on 7 December 2008, coming on as a substitute for Sandrinho. He made his league debut on 31 May 2009, again as a substitute replacing Wilfried Niflore, as Litex beat CSKA Sofia 1–0.
On 7 October 2011, Tsvetkov earned his first cap for Bulgaria in the 0:3 away loss against Ukraine in an exhibition match.

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Aleksandar Vasilev
Aleksandar Vasilev - Choko (Bulgarian: Александър Василев) (born 1936 in Sofia) is a retired Bulgarian football player. Vasilev was a central forward. He was a captain of Slavia Sofia in the period 1957-1967. Vasilev scored 100 goals for the club. For the Bulgaria national football team Choko featured in 7 games and scored 2 goals. He won the Bulgarian Cup three times (all with Slavia). He died on 31-years old in 1967.

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Aleksandrs Starkovs
Aleksandrs Starkovs (born 26 July 1955 in Madona, Latvia) is a Latvian football coach and a former footballer. Starkovs is currently in his second spell as manager of the Latvian national team and is also the manager of FK Baku, having previously managed clubs such as Spartak Moscow in Russia and Skonto FC in Latvia.
Starkovs started playing football in Madona where he played for the local Olimpija Madona playing for which he was selected the best forward of the 1969 Latvia Leather ball tournament. In 1975 Starkovs joined FK Daugava Rīga. In 1978 Starkovs went to FC Dynamo Moscow but it wasn't the right team for him, so soon Starkovs was back in Riga. However his best years were still to come - in 1980s Starkovs was one of the best snipers of the Soviet first league, scoring over a hundred goals for Daugava.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Latvia by the Latvian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. [1]

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Alessandro Altobelli
Alessandro Altobelli (born 28 November 1955 in Sonnino, Latina) is a former professional Italian footballer.
Nicknamed Spillo ("Needle") for his slender build. Altobelli was one of the most effective Italian forwards of the late 1970s and 1980s. Following spells at Latina (Serie C) and Brescia (Serie B), he was signed by Internazionale, for whom he played 466 times, scoring 209 goals (128 in Serie A) and contributing to his team's scudetto of 1980. For Italy he was capped 61 times, scoring 25 goals: the most notable of which is the third goal in the 1982 FIFA World Cup final, won by Italy against West Germany. He became the second ever substitute to score in a FIFA World Cup final (after Dick Nanninga in 1978 and with Rudi Völler being the only one to repeat this feat ever since in 1986). Altobelli also played at Euro 80, the 1986 FIFA World Cup, and Euro 88, where he played as team's captain. He made 4 sub appearances scoring just after coming on in a 2–0 win over Denmark in the group stages.

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Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro del ˈpjɛːro]) Ufficiale OMRI (born 9 November 1974 in Conegliano, Veneto) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Juventus. He will be a free agent from 30 June 2012. Del Piero was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. Del Piero was also voted in the list of best European players for the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. In the year 2000, Del Piero was the world's best-paid football player from salary, bonuses, and advertising revenue.
Along with three awards in Italy for gentlemanly conduct he has also won the Golden Foot award, which pertains to personality and playing ability.http://www.channel4. May com/sport/football_italia/sep3q.html Del Piero usually plays as a supporting-striker and occasionally between the midfield and the strikers, known in Italy as the "trequartista" position. Del Piero's playing style is regarded by critics as creative in attacking, assisting many goals as well as scoring himself, as opposed to just "goal poaching." His free-kick and penalty taking is also highly regarded. Del Piero has become famous over the years for scoring from a special "Del Piero Zone"("Gol alla Del Piero"), approaching from the left flank and curling a precise lob into the far top corner of the goal.

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Alessandro Nesta
Alessandro Nesta, Ufficiale OMRI (born 19 March 1976 in Rome), is an Italian World Cup-winning professional footballer who currently plays for AC Milan. Considered by many as one of the best centre backs to have ever played the game, he is a four-time member of the annual UEFA Team of the Year.
Nesta was raised in the Cinecittà area of Rome. He attended the Margherita Bosco primary school where he first started playing football. His older brother, Fernando, was advised to play a sport because of a back problem and enrolled at the local football club. Alessandro threw a tantrum until his father gave in and enrolled him as well, thus marking the beginning of his career.
Nesta's talent was first discovered by Francesco Rocca, then a scout for Roma, but Nesta's father, a Lazio fan, turned down the offer. In 1985, he joined Lazio's youth academy, where he rose through the ranks playing in various positions, including striker and midfielder, before settling in defence. His international career first showed signs of growth when he played for Italy's under-15 and under-16 sides. He was promoted to Lazio's senior squad in 1993, and first came to the attention of fans for being involved in a training ground accident that broke teammate Paul Gascoigne's leg.

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Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé(born 4 July 1926 in Barracas, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He is most associated with Real Madrid and was instrumental in their domination of the European Champions' Cup during the 1950s, a period in which the club won the trophy in five consecutive seasons from 1956. Along with Francisco Gento, he was one of only two players to play a part in all five victories. Di Stéfano played international football mostly for Spain, but he also played for Argentina and Colombia.
Di Stéfano, nicknamed "Saeta rubia" ("blond arrow"), was a powerful forward with great stamina, tactical versatility, and vision, who could also play almost anywhere on the pitch. He is currently the 4th highest scorer in the history of Spain's top division, and Real Madrid's 2nd highest league goalscorer of all time, with 216 goals in 282 league matches between 1953 and 1964.

wn.com/Alfredo_Di_Stéfano
Allan Simonsen
Allan Rodenkam Simonsen (born 15 December 1952) is a former Danish footballer and manager. He most prominently played for German team Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning the 1975 and 1979 UEFA Cups, as well as for Barcelona from Spain, winning the 1982 Cup Winners' Cup. Allan Simonsen is the only footballer to have scored in the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and Cup Winners' Cup finals, and he was named 1977 European Footballer of the Year.
For the Denmark national football team, Simonsen was capped 55 times, scoring 20 goals. He represented Denmark at the 1972 Summer Olympics, 1984 European Championship and 1986 World Cup tournaments. He was voted into the Danish Football Hall of Fame in November 2008.
Born in Vejle, Simonsen started playing football with Vejle FC, before he joined the youth team of local top-flight club Vejle BK (VB) in 1963. He made his senior debut for VB on 24 March 1971 in a 3–1 home win against Karlskoga FF. He won the 1971 and 1972 Danish championship with the club, as well as the 1972 Danish Cup to complete The Double. Following an impressive three goals in six matches at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Simonsen moved to Germany to play professionally for defending German Bundesliga champions Borussia Mönchengladbach.

wn.com/Allan_Simonsen
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE (/məˈkɔɪst/); 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the manager of Rangers in Scotland.
McCoist began his career with St Johnstone before moving to Sunderland in 1981. He returned to Scotland two years later and signed with Rangers. At Rangers, McCoist became the club's record goalscorer, netting 355 goals. In addition to this McCoist holds the Rangers records for number of league goals scored, number of Scottish League Cup goals scored and the most goals scored by a player in European competitions with 251, 54 and 21 respectively. McCoist is also third in the all-time appearance table for Rangers, having made 581 appearances for the club.
He is second in the Scottish top tier league's all time leading goalscorer having netted 282 times for St. Johnstone, Rangers and Kilmarnock between 1979 and 2001.
Largely thanks to his career at Rangers, McCoist was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also a member of the Scotland Football Hall of Fame, having gained 61 international caps.

wn.com/Ally_McCoist
Alon Mizrahi
Alon Mizrahi (born November 22, 1971) is an Israeli former football player in a striker position. He is the most prolific scorer in Israeli football history.
His nickname is The Airplane, referring to the movement he used to do after scoring a goal. His son, Adam, is now a student at the London School of Economics, and is equally known for his excellent form in front of goal.
Mizrahi's quoted statements in the press and his overexertion of clichés have made him a subject for mockery, as it led him to become somewhat of a symbol for stupidity in the eyes of many.
Some selected quotes:
As a result, Mizrahi was the main "star" in a series of books titled "HuTsa Me'HeKshero" (Hebrew: הוצא מהקשרו‎, Taken Out of Context), which are collections of such quotes from Israeli sports. The books have become icons of Israeli sports pop culture, further cementing Mizrahi's status of mockery.
Mizrahi is aware that he is joked about because of the things he says, remarking:
The mockery concerning Mizrahi's quotes is similar to the mockery and book concerning Francesco Totti in Italy.

wn.com/Alon_Mizrahi
Anatoli Nankov
Anatoli Aleksandrov Nankov (Bulgarian: Анатоли Александров Нанков) (born 15 July 1969 in Oresh, Veliko Tarnovo Province) is a Bulgarian former football midfielder.
Nankov spent most of his career playing in the Bulgarian A PFG, but also had a spell with GKS Katowice. On 23 July 1997, Nankov was involved in arguably one of the most dramatic matches in CSKA Sofia's recent history, scoring twice to give his team a 3:1 away lead against Romanian side FC Steaua Bucureşti in the first leg of a Champions League preliminary phase match, but was ultimately sent off and the Romanians succeeded in bringing the score to 3:3. CSKA Sofia were eliminated from the competition after suffering a 0:2 home defeat in the return leg, for which Nankov was ineligible to play.
He has been capped 17 times for the Bulgarian national team, scoring 1 goal, and played two games at the 1998 World Cup, receiving a red card in the first game against Paraguay, which ended in a scoreless draw.
Currently he is employed as the assistant manager at CSKA Sofia.

wn.com/Anatoli_Nankov
Andriy Shevchenko
Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko (Ukrainian: Андрі́й Микола́йович Шевче́нко; born 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian footballer who currently plays as a striker for Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukraine national team. He is the third-highest scorer in the history of European club competition with 67 goals as of 10 March 2011, behind Ruud van Nistelrooy and Raúl. With 175 goals scored with Milan, Shevchenko is the second most prolific player in the history of the club, and is also the all-time top scorer of the Derby della Madonnina (derby between Milan and their local rivals Internazionale) with 14 goals, as well as for the Ukrainian national team with 46 goals.
Shevchenko's career has been highlighted by many awards, the most prestigious of which was the Ballon d'Or in 2004 (becoming the third Ukrainian, after Oleg Blokhin and Igor Belanov, to receive it). He won the UEFA Champions League in 2003 with Milan, and he has also won various league and cup titles in Ukraine, Italy, and England.
In his illustrious international career, the striker led Ukraine as captain to the quarter-finals in their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 2006. He is capable of playing centre-forward or attacking from the left wing and is effective with set-pieces and penalties.

wn.com/Andriy_Shevchenko
Angel Chervenkov
Angel Chervenkov (Bulgarian: Ангел Червенков) (born 10 June 1964 in Bolyarovo) is a Bulgarian former footballer.
As a footballer, Chervenkov played as a defender for Tundzha Yambol (1980–1981), Armeets Sofia (1981–1984), CSKA Sofia (1984–1987), Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa (1987–1989), Etar Veliko Tarnovo (1989–1994) and Montana (1994–1996). In Bulgaria's top division, the A PFG, Chervenkov had 298 matches and 40 goals. He won the championship twice, in 1987 with CSKA and in 1991 with Etar, once finished second (with CSKA in 1985) and once third (with Etar in 1990). With CSKA, Chervenkov has two Bulgarian Cup trophies (1985 and 1987) and two Cup of the Soviet Army trophies (1985 and 1986). In the European tournaments, he has featured in 6 matches, scoring once (in one of his two matches for Etar, the rest being for CSKA). Internationally, Chervenkov has 5 caps for the Bulgaria national team.
During his coaching career, Chervenkov has worked in CSKA's youth academy (1991–2001) and has been in charge of PFC Cherno More Varna (2001–2002), PFC Minyor Bobov dol (2002–2003), PFC CSKA Sofia assistant (2003–2007), FBK Kaunas (Apr-2007-Jul-2007),Heart of Midlothian F.C. (August 2007-2009), and was managing Litex Lovech until July 2010 .

wn.com/Angel_Chervenkov
Angel Zdravchev
Angel Zdravchev (Bulgarian: Ангел Здравчев) (born 10 July 1994 is a Bulgarian football player, currently playing for Litex Lovech as a midfielder.

wn.com/Angel_Zdravchev
Anton Spasov
Anton Spasov (Bulgarian: Антон Спасов; born March 26, 1975 in Kazanlak) is a Bulgarian football player, currently plays for Neftochimic Burgas 1986.
Born in Kazanlak, Spasov began playing football with the local Rozova Dolina.
In 1997 he transferred to PFC Naftex Burgas and became a top scorer in A PFG for 1998 with 17 goals.^{[citation needed]} He ended his career at 29-years old at the end of 2003-2004 season. In 2009, at 35-years old, he returned and signed again with Neftochimic Burgas 1986.

wn.com/Anton_Spasov
Antonio López Habas
Antonio López Habas (born 28 May 1957 in Pozoblanco, Córdoba) is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central defender, and a current coach.
López had an unassuming career as a professional footballer, appearing in 48 La Liga matches over the course of four seasons, eight of those for Sevilla FC, to where he arrived in 1977 from local amateurs CD Pozoblanco, first being assigned to Sevilla Atlético.
He also represented Real Murcia, Burgos CF and Atlético de Madrid (no matches for the latter), retiring from the game at only 29 years of age. In 1981–82, he scored an astonishing 13 goals in 32 games for Burgos, which nonetheless suffered Segunda División relegation, due to financial irregularities.
López started coaching in the early 90's, with his last club's reserves. After one season apiece in amateur football, also in the Madrid area, he took charge of the Bolivian national team, first as an assistant, and eventually appeared with it, as head coach, at two Copa América tournaments. He then returned to club action with Club Bolívar, followed by a spell in his homeland with UE Lleida, in the second division - whilst at the Catalan club, he briefly accumulated with his work as the national coach of the South American country, which he left for good in 1997.

wn.com/Antonio_López_Habas
Antonín Panenka
Antonín Panenka (born 2 December 1948 in Prague) is a Czech former footballer.
An attacking midfielder known for the quality of his passing and his free kicks, Panenka played for Bohemians Prague for most of his career, joining the club as a youth in 1959. In 1981 Panenka left Bohemians for Austrian club Rapid Vienna, where he won two Bundesliga titles and an Austrian Cup. In 1985 Rapid reached the Cup Winners' Cup final; Panenka played as a substitute, but his side lost 3–1 to Everton. Later that year Panenka moved to VSE St. Pölten, and played two more seasons before moving into the lower leagues in Austria, playing from 1987–89 for Slovan Vienna, from 1989–91 for ASV Hohenau and from 1991–93 for Kleinwiesendorf.
He came to international prominence playing for Czechoslovakia in the 1976 European Championship; Czechoslovakia reached the final, where they faced West Germany. After extra time, the result was 2–2, and so the first penalty shootout in a European Championships final ensued. The first seven kicks were converted, until West Germany's fourth penalty taker, Uli Hoeneß, ballooned his shot over the bar. With the score 4–3, Panenka stepped up to take the fifth Czechoslovakian penalty, to win the match under immense pressure. German goalkeeper Sepp Maier dived to his left, while Panenka chipped the ball straight in the middle of the net. The sheer cheek of the goal led a watching French journalist to dub Panenka "a poet", and to this day his winning kick is one of the most famous ever, making Panenka's name synonymous with that particular style of penalty kick.

wn.com/Antonín_Panenka
Armando Vajushi
Armando Vajushi (born 3 December 1991) is an Albanian international footballer who plays for Bulgarian club Litex Lovech as a midfielder.
Vajushi made his professional debut for Vllaznia Shkodër in the Europa League against Rapid Vienna on 16 July 2009, coming on as a 77th minute substitute for Festim Kasapi in the 5-0 loss. He then played in the return fixture a week later in Shkodër where he again came on as a substitute, this time in the 62nd minute for Ansi Nika. He made his league debut in the opening game on 23 August 2009 against Besa Kavajë, replacing Ansi Nika in the 72nd minute in the 2-0 loss.
In UEFA.com's season review of 2010-11, Vajushi was the 'One To Watch' and described as "one of the hottest prospects in Albania" after a successful campaign in which he made 32 league appearances for Vllaznia Shkodër and earned his first full international cap with Albania.
He went on trial at German Bundesliga side FC Köln before the start of the 2011-12 season but Köln did not follow up their interest in the player as they deemed his €300,000 price tag too expensive. He even scored twice in a 7-0 friendly against Vorgebirgsauswahl and was described by manager Stale Solbakken as being "very fast, even mentally" and that he was convinced in his ability.

wn.com/Armando_Vajushi
Arminas Narbekovas
Arminas Andreyevich Narbekovas (born 28 January 1965 in Gargždai) is a former Lithuanian football player, he is currently the Head Coach of Banga Gargždai.
Narbekovas made his debut in 1983 with Žalgiris Vilnius, Lithuania's sole representative in the Soviet Elite League, at the age of 18. In 1987, he finished second in league scoring with 16 goals while leading his club to a third-place finish, their best in history. Zalgiris would then participate in the UEFA Cup for the first time, losing to Austria Vienna.Austria would become Narbekovas' destination after Lithuanian players were allowed to move abroad. Arminas moved there in 1990 after a short stint with Lokomotiv Moscow, since Lithuania was not a part of UEFA yet and players from its clubs were not permitted to transfer. Narbekovas would spend the rest of his club career in Austria, with Austria Vienna until 1995 and then with Admira Wacker and a number of other lower division clubs.
Although he never received a FIFA-sanctioned cap for the USSR national team, he did play for them, and win the Gold Medal, at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Narbekovas scored two goals in the tournament, including an extra time one in the semifinals against Italy, helping the Soviets to a 3-2 victory. Arminas first played for Lithuania in its first ever game as a newly independent country, on 27 May 1990 against Georgia, and scored the first goal in the 2-2 tie. Unfortunately, injuries limited his career to just 13 caps and four goals for his country.

wn.com/Arminas_Narbekovas
Arsen Avetisyan
Arsen Avetisyan (Armenian: Արսեն Ավետիսյան, born 8 October 1973 in Yerevan) is an Armenian footballer. He currently plays for Gandzasar. He is a former member of the Armenian national team.
Avetisyan has played for numerous clubs during his career. In 2006, he returned to Armenia to play for his former club Pyunik and became the main forward for the team. In 2008, he transferred to Kapan to play for Gandzasar after his contract with Pyunik had expired.
Avetisyan made his debut for Armenian national team in 1992, gaining 25 caps and scoring one goal. He announced his retirement from international football in 1998.

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Asen Zlatev
Asen Zlatev (Bulgarian: Асен Златев; born May 23, 1960) is a former Bulgarian weightlifter.
He became Olympic champion in 1980 in the middleweight class.

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Atanas Dzhambazki
Atanas Dzhambazki (Bulgarian: Атанас Джамбазки) (born 4 April 1969) is a Bulgarian former football player and the current football manager of Litex Lovech.
In 2009 Dzhambazki becomes manager of Montana, when their former manager Stevica Kuzmanovski was released. He was in charge of the team for 2 years and manage to stabilize the team and ensure their place in A PFG which was a huge success for Montana. In 2 June 2011 he decides to leave the club, because he said "I have other plans for my future...". After all, he says that he enjoyed the stay at the club and wishes luck to the next manager.

wn.com/Atanas_Dzhambazki
Atanas Pashev
Atanas Pashev (Bulgarian: Атанас Пашев) (born November 21, 1963) is a retired Bulgarian football player. Pashev was an attacking midfielder and playmaker.
He once played with Trakia Plovdiv in Bulgaria and earned 136 caps for the Bulgarian championship. He also once played with Kuala Lumpur FA in M-League in 1993. Pashev also played for Bulgaria national football team (36 caps/6 goals) and was a participant at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Pashev played in Beitar Jerusalem in the season of 1989-1990. He took part in 19 league games and scored 4 goals.

wn.com/Atanas_Pashev
Baltasar Albéniz
Baltasar Albéniz (born 6 January 1905 in Eibar, died 29 November 1978 in Pamplona) was a Spanish football manager. He coached Real Madrid twice (1946–1947 and 1950–1951), winning the 1950-51 Copa del Rey. He also coached RCD Espanyol, CA Osasuna, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad.

wn.com/Baltasar_Albéniz
Bernard Onanga Itoua
Bernard Onanga Itoua (born September 7, 1988, Blois) is a French footballer of Congolese descent, who is currently under contract with Bulgarian side Litex Lovech for 3 years.

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Bernd Schuster
Bernhard Schuster (born 22 December 1959 in Augsburg) is a German football manager and former player. His nickname is "der Blonde Engel" (the Blond Angel).
Schuster started his professional career with 1. FC Köln at age 18 in 1978 after a number of promising performances with the West German Under-18 National team. Schuster left Köln after the 1980 European campaign to sign with Spain's FC Barcelona, where he flourished. During his career, he played for clubs Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. At his final team, the Mexican side Pumas de la UNAüM he appeared in ten matches in spring 1997.
Schuster was an important part of the FC Barcelona team during the 1980s, leading the game from midfield and scoring many goals. His club president Josep Lluís Núñez and some trainers like Helenio Herrera, Udo Lattek, Terry Venables and Luis Aragonés had difficult relations with him. He won, however, the European Silver Ball in 1980 and Bronze Ball in 1981 and 1985. At age 21, in 1981, he received a bad injury on his right knee by Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Goikoetxea.

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Blagoy Blagoev
Blagoy Blagoev (Bulgarian: Благой Благоев, born December 4, 1956) was an Olympic weightlifter for Bulgaria.

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Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is an English former professional football player, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. A member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966. He played almost all of his club football at Manchester United, where he became renowned for his attacking instincts and passing abilities from midfield and his ferocious long-range shot. He was also well known for his fitness and stamina, allowing him to dominate the pitch. His elder brother Jack, who was also in the World Cup-winning team, is an ex-defender for Leeds United and manager.
He began to play for Manchester United's first team in 1956, and over the next two seasons gained a regular place in the team, during which time he survived the Munich air disaster of 1958 after being rescued by Harry Gregg. After helping United to win the Football League in 1965, he won a World Cup medal with England in 1966 and another Football League title with United the following year. In 1968, he captained the Manchester United team that won the European Cup, scoring two goals in the final to help his team be the first English side to win the competition. He has scored more goals for England and United than any other player. Charlton held the record for most appearances for Manchester United (758), but this was surpassed by Ryan Giggs on 21 May 2008 (the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final). Charlton also held the club record for most league appearances (606) until this too was overtaken by Ryan Giggs on 6 March 2011.

wn.com/Bobby_Charlton
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and was cited by Pelé as the greatest defender that he had ever played against.
He won a total of 108 caps for the England team, which at the time of his international retirement in 1973 was a national record. This record was later broken by 125-cap goalkeeper Peter Shilton. Moore's total of 108 caps continued as a record for outfield players until 28 March 2009, when David Beckham gained his 109th cap. However, unlike Beckham, Moore played every minute of every one of his caps.
Moore attended Westbury Primary School and Tom Hood School, Leyton.
He played for both schools.
Moore joined West Ham United as a player in 1956 and, after advancing through their youth set-up, he played his first game on 8 September 1958 against Manchester United. In putting on the number six shirt, he replaced his mentor Malcolm Allison, who was suffering from tuberculosis.

wn.com/Bobby_Moore
Boncho Genchev
Boncho Lyubomirov Genchev, also referred to as Bontcho Guentchev (Bulgarian: Бончо Генчев; born 7 July 1964) is a former Bulgarian professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder from 1981 until 2007. He is an International ambassador for Football League Championship side Ipswich Town
As a player he built up his reputation in his home country by appearing for Dobrudzha Dobrich, Osam Lovech, Lokomotiv GO and Etar before moving to Portuguese side Sporting CP. He moved to England in 1992 and played in the Premier League with Ipswich Town and in the Football League for Luton Town. He returned to Bulgaria in 1997 with CSKA Sofia before ending his professional career at the end of the 1997-98 season, however a year later he moved back to England and continued to play Non-league football with Hendon and Carshalton Athletic for the next eight years. He was capped 12 times by Bulgaria and was present at World Cup 94 and Euro 96.
Born in General Toshevo, Dobrich Province, Genchev started playing with PFC Dobrudzha Dobrich, switching to PFC Litex Lovech in 1982, for another sole season. In the following year, he established himself in the Bulgarian top flight, with FC Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa and Etar Veliko Tarnovo, where he played three 1/2 and four 1/2 years respectively.

wn.com/Boncho_Genchev
Borislav Mikhailov
Borislav Biserov Mihaylov (Bulgarian: Борислав Михайлов) (born 12 February 1963) is a former Bulgarian football goalkeeper and currently President of Bulgarian Football Union, member of the executive committee of UEFA.
He was captain of the Bulgaria national team during their surprising fourth-place run at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, as well their participation in Euro 96. He also played at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and is currently the second most capped player for the Bulgaria national team with 102 caps (60 as captain), behind Stiliyian Petrov. He played for teams like Belenenses, in Portugal, and Mulhouse, in France.
In 1995 he joined the then-English First Division team Reading for a then club record £800,000, replacing the departed club favourite Shaka Hislop. Apparently, he joined Reading after seeing the team play at Wembley in the 1995 First Division Playoff Final between Reading and Bolton Wanderers, believing the 80,000 capacity stadium to be Reading's home ground. However his time at the club was marked by a series of injuries, and his club career in England never took off.

wn.com/Borislav_Mikhailov
Boyan Radev
Boyan Radev (Bulgarian: Боян Радев; born February 25, 1942 in Moshino, Pernik) is a former Greco Roman wrestler from Bulgaria.
He is two-time Olympic Games champion (1964 Tokyo and 1968 Mexico) and one-time champion of the world.

wn.com/Boyan_Radev
Branko Oblak
Branko Oblak (born on 27 May 1947 in Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Slovenian football coach and former international player. He usually played as an offensive midfielder or deep-lying playmaker, notable for his excellent dribbling, stamina, great vision and precision passing. He was also capable of helping out defensively.
Brane, as he is often known, started playing football at the youth team of Svoboda Ljubljana. In 1965 he went to Ljubljana's more famous club, Olimpija. He made his debut on 20 May 1966 against Partizan in Belgrade, where he scored both Olimpija's goals for a 1–2 win. He stayed with Olimpija until 1973. During that time he played 181 matches and scored 33 goals.
In 1973 he moved to Hajduk Split and stayed there for two seasons. In both seasons Hajduk won the national champion and cup winner titles. In 1975 he signed a two-year contract with Schalke 04 of the German Bundesliga. In the 1976–77 season, Oblak's second year at the club, Schalke 04 finished the league in second place, behind Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the summer of 1977, Oblak went to Bayern Munich. He stayed there for three seasons and in his final season with the club (1979–80), Bayern became the German champion. After that, Oblak played in various Austrian amateur clubs until 1987, when he retired as a football player.

wn.com/Branko_Oblak
Brian Laudrup
Brian Laudrup (born 22 February 1969) is a Danish former football player and current football commentator, pundit and analyst on TV3+. Along with former international goalkeeper Lars Høgh, Laudrup manages a football academy for marginalized youth. He is widely regarded alongside his brother, Michael, as one of the greatest Danish football players in history.
During his playing career, Laudrup represented a number of European clubs. He started with Danish club Brøndby, winning two Danish championships in the late 1980s. He then played for German and Italian clubs, winning the 1994 Serie A as well as the 1994 UEFA Champions League title with AC Milan. He was a vital part of the Rangers team which dominated the Scottish Premier League in the 1990s, winning three championships among others. He won the 1998 UEFA Super Cup with English club Chelsea, had a brief stint with FC Copenhagen in Denmark, before ending his career with Dutch club Ajax in 2000. He played 82 games and scored 21 goals for the Danish national team, and was a vital part of the Danish teams who won the Euro 1992 and 1995 Intercontinental Cup tournaments.

wn.com/Brian_Laudrup
Béla Volentik
Béla Volentik (5 December 1907-27 October 1990) was a Hungarian footballer and football manager. He played for Nemzeti FC, Újpest, FC Lugano and for the Hungarian national team, capping once.
He started his coaching career in Switzerland with FC Aarau and went on to coach FC St. Gallen, BSC Young Boys, FC Lugano and Lausanne Sport. He then has a stint with the Luxembourg national football team before coming back to Hungary where he coached Bp. Haladás, MTK twice, leading them to the 1964 European Cup Winners' Cup Final and Pécsi Dózsa. He also coached Bulgaria and Berliner FC Dynamo.

wn.com/Béla_Volentik
Cafu
Marcos Evangelista de Moraes (born 7 June 1970), better known as Cafu, is a former Brazilian footballer. He is the most internationally capped male Brazilian player and also made history playing for São Paulo, Roma and Milan. He is the only player ever to have appeared in three World Cup finals, having won two, 1994 and 2002.
Cafu was named by Pelé as one of the 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He is best known for his tireless overlapping runs.
One of six children, Cafu was raised in the Jardim Irene favela of São Paulo. He was an average student as he soon discovered his love for football and preferred playing over studying. At the age of seven, he was able to attend a football academy and soon moved up to the junior sides of Nacional-SP, Portuguesa and Itaquaquecetuba. He also played futsal for two years.
In the early 1980s, he could not get his foot in the door as he was rejected from the youth squads of Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético Mineiro, and Portuguesa. It was not until 1988 that he made the youth squad of hometown club São Paulo, and subsequently won the Copa São Paulo youth tournament that year, but he warmed the bench the next season as São Paulo won the 1989 Campeonato Paulista.

wn.com/Cafu
Carmel Busuttil
Carmel Busuttil (born 29 February 1964 in Rabat, Malta) is one of Malta's most experienced football players. Now retired from playing, he is assistant coach of the Malta national football team.
Busuttil started his career with Rabat Ajax and won 2 titles there. He then went on to have a short one year spell at Verbania Calcio in Italy, where he was capped 20 times and scored 8 goals. He then moved on to spend 6 years playing for Belgian Club FC KRC Genk (322), four of them as captain, and finishing as the club's top scorer for three seasons. In 1994 he returned to play for the Maltese club Sliema Wanderers, where he scored 78 goals, helping his team to win the Maltese Premier League and also the Maltese Cup. He was capped 113 times for the Malta national football team and was their top scorer with 23 goals, until recently Michael Mifsud broke Busuttil's record.
He is known as 'Il-Bużu', an abbreviation of his surname. After he hung up his boots he was football coach at a couple of respected Maltese private schools, most notably St. Michael's Foundation for Education. He then formed his own youth training academy, The Buzu football school. In November 2003, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of UEFA, he was selected as the Golden Player by the Malta Football Association as the most outstanding player of Malta in the last 50 years. Busuttil has also won wider acclaim. In 2000 he received the prestigious Order of Merit of the Republic from the then president of Malta, Professor Guido de Marco, for his contribution to Maltese sport.

wn.com/Carmel_Busuttil
Carmelo Cedrún
Carmelo Cedrún Ochandátegui (born 6 December 1930 at Amorebieta-Etxano, Basque Country) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Cedrún started playing professionally with local giants Athletic Bilbao, making his first team debut on 15 April 1951 in a 3–0 home win against Sevilla FC, and quickly becoming the club's automatic first-choice. In 1955–56, as Athletic won La Liga, he only conceded 31 goals while playing in all 30 matches, and appeared in more than 400 official games during his 14-year spell.
In 1964, having lost his place to another future club legend, José Ángel Iribar, Cedrún joined RCD Español also in the top division, again returning to starting duties. He retired at 38 in the United States, with the Baltimore Bays.
Mere months after retiring, Cedrún took a hand at coaching, starting in his region with lowly SCD Durango and Barakaldo CF. Most of his career was spent in the lower leagues, his only top flight experience coming in 1976–77 at Celta de Vigo, with the club ranking second from the bottom.

wn.com/Carmelo_Cedrún
Christian Vieri
Christian Vieri (born 12 July 1973 in Bologna) is a retired Italian footballer who played as a centre forward.
Vieri was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. For a number of years he was regarded as one of the finest strikers in Europe, leading to him becoming the world's most expensive footballer in 1999 when Internazionale paid Lazio £32 million for his services. This record has since been broken only a handful of times.
Somewhat of a footballing nomad, Vieri played for no fewer than 12 clubs throughout his career. Most notable were his spells at Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Lazio and Inter; with the latter he hit the net on more than 100 occasions. Vieri has often been described as an old fashioned centre forward, due to his physical presence and outstanding aerial ability, he is the all time top scorer of headed goals in Italian league history.
As well as picking up several winners medals during his career, Vieri also claimed many individual honours including the Pichichi and Capocannoniere (top scorer) titles in Spain and Italy and Italian Footballer of the Year twice. He is one of Italy's highest ever World Cup scorers with 9 goals from 9 matches at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups respectively.

wn.com/Christian_Vieri
Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Clyde Seedorf OON (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈklɛ.rəns ˈseɪ̯.dɔrf], born 1 April 1976 in Paramaribo, Suriname) is a Dutch professional footballer who is currently a free agent. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League four times and with three different clubs – Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007.
Seedorf started his career as a right midfielder for Ajax during the early 1990s. He made his professional debut on 29 November 1992 against Groningen at the age of 16 years and 242 days, making him the youngest debutant for Ajax ever. In his early career, he played a role in Ajax's Eredivisie winning years of 1994 and 1995. He was also a key member during Ajax's 1995 UEFA Champions League winning campaign. After making his name in the Ajax side, Seedorf had one season with Sampdoria, scoring three goals.
Seedorf moved to Real Madrid in 1996, where he was "virtually ever present in the Blancos team for the first three seasons". In his first season he helped that team regain the La Liga title; in his second season (1997–1998), he played a major role in the team's Champions League success, as Real Madrid secured a 1–0 victory over Juventus in the final. It was the second Champions League title of his career.

wn.com/Clarence_Seedorf
Colin Addison
Colin Addison (born 18 May 1940 in Taunton, Somerset) is an English former professional footballer and manager.
Addison has managed a wide variety of clubs in the UK, as well as in countries such as Spain, South Africa, Kuwait and Qatar. Notably he was the player-manager of Hereford United during their famous 1971-72 FA Cup run, which saw them defeat Newcastle United. Colin currently resides in the city of Hereford, and was a pundit on BBC Radio Wales until 2008.
Addison was born in Taunton, Somerset but was brought up in York and signed as a professional for York City in 1957. He played in the inside-forward position although, being a versatile player, he played in midfield as well during his career.
In his second season he scored 10 league goals helped York win promotion to the recently created Third Division but the Minstermen lasted only one season before being relegated and midway through the 1960-61 season he was transferred to First Division side Nottingham Forest for £12,000, a then record fee for City.

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Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro,OIH, (born 5 February 1985), commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo became the most expensive footballer in history after moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a transfer worth £80 million (€93.9 million/$131.6 million). In addition, his contract with Real Madrid, in which he is paid €12 million per year, makes him one of the highest-paid footballers in the world, and his buyout clause is valued at €1 billion as per his contract.
Ronaldo began his career as a youth player for Andorinha, where he played for two years, before moving to C.D. Nacional. In 1997, he made a move to Portuguese giants Sporting Clube de Portugal. Ronaldo's precocious talent caught the attention of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who signed him for £12.24 million (€15 million) in 2003. The following season, Ronaldo won his first club honour, the FA Cup. He also played at Euro 2004 with Portugal and scored his first international goal in the opening game of the tournament against Greece, in addition to helping Portugal reach the final. He was featured in the UEFA Euro All-Star Team of this competition.

wn.com/Cristiano_Ronaldo
Daniel Borimirov
Daniel Boytchev Borimirov (Bulgarian: Даниел Боримиров; born 15 January 1970) is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder.
His career was almost exclusively associated with two clubs, Levski Sofia and 1860 Munich, later working in directorial capacities with the former. He was also capped nearly 70 times for the Bulgarian national team, for which he appeared in four major international competitions.
Born in Vidin, Borimirov started his professional career with PFC Levski Sofia, having arrived at the club in 1990 from lowly FC Bdin. In the beginning, he appeared mainly as a supporting striker, but eventually reconverted to attacking midfielder.
At Levski, Borimirov was very important – if not crucial – part in all of the club's six major titles during his first spell, three leagues and three cups. After 32 goals combined in his last two years, with back-to-back national championships, he signed with Germany's TSV 1860 München.
Borimirov made his Bundesliga debut on 12 August 1995, scoring twice at FC St. Pauli, albeit in a 2–4 loss, adding another two in the next two games, as the Lions eventually finished in eighth position; in the following season, he experienced his best year abroad, netting nine times in 31 matches, helping TSV qualify for the UEFA Cup.

wn.com/Daniel_Borimirov
Daniel Passarella
Daniel Alberto Passarella (born 25 May 1953 in Chacabuco, Buenos Aires province) is a former Argentine football centre back and former manager of the Argentine and Uruguayan national football teams. He was captain of the Argentina team that won the 1978 World Cup. He is the current President of River Plate after winning the elections by a very close margin in December 2009.
Passarella started his career at Sarmiento of Junin, Buenos Aires province. From there he joined River Plate, then Fiorentina of Italy and briefly, Internazionale. After his successful spell in the Serie A, he returned to River Plate, where he played until his retirement.
He was called "El Gran Capitán" (the Great Captain, nickname of Argentine Independence heroe José de San Martín) or "El Kaiser" (an allusion to Franz Beckenbauer) because of his leadership ability, his passion, and his organisational prowess on the field. He was a defender who often joined the attack, and helped generate and finish offensive plays. At some point, he became football's top scoring defender, with 134 goals in 451 matches (that record was since broken by Dutch defender Ronald Koeman).

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Darko Pančev
Darko Pančev (Macedonian: Дарко Панчев [ˈdarkɔ ˈpantʃɛf] ( listen); born 7 September 1965 in Skopje) is a retired Yugoslav and Macedonian footballer, and winner of the Golden Boot award in 1991.
Pančev was the highest scorer in top-division European football in the 1990–91 season with 34 goals, and should have won the European Golden Boot award. However, UEFA decided to make the competition unofficial for the season because of suspect scoring sprees in Cyprus. Pančev did not get the prize at the time, but received it fifteen years later on 3 August 2006 in Skopje. The Golden Boot was presented at a special gala by Michel Platini, Dragan Stojković and Dragan Džajić.
His playing career started in 1982 at Vardar Skopje where he quickly developed into one of the most feared strikers in the Yugoslav First League, becoming league top scorer in the 1983-84 season. The skill and seeming ease of his goal scoring exploits in Skopje made him a target for bigger Yugoslav clubs.
During summer 1988, Pančev was snapped up by Red Star Belgrade, which beat cross-town rivals FK Partizan to the twenty-two-year-old's signature. Another talented youngester Dejan Savićević also arrived to the club during the same transfer window, but both promptly got sent to serve the mandatory Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) stint that kept them off the pitch for the entire league season.

wn.com/Darko_Pančev
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE (born 2 May 1975) is an English association footballer who plays for Los Angeles Galaxy. He has played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, and the England national team for which he holds the appearance record for an outfield player.
Beckham's career began when he signed a professional contract with Manchester United, making his first-team debut in 1992 aged 17. During his time there, United won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He left Manchester United to sign for Real Madrid in 2003, where he remained for four seasons, clinching the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In January 2007, it was announced that Beckham would leave Real Madrid for the Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, signing a five-year contract with them on 1 July 2007. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. On 20 November 2011, he joined an elite group of players to have won three league titles in three different countries, when Los Angeles won their third MLS Cup.

wn.com/David_Beckham
David Trezeguet
David Sergio Trezeguet (French pronunciation: [david sɛʀʒjo tʀezeˈɡɛ]) (born 15 October 1977) is a World Cup winning French-Argentinian international footballer who plays for hometown club River Plate.
He previously played for Juventus in the Italian Serie A for ten years and for the French national team. He is the highest scoring non-Italian ever to play for Juventus. He is perhaps most famous for scoring the golden goal in the Euro 2000 final against Italy, which gave France a 2–1 win in extra time.
Trezeguet was born in Rouen, Upper Normandy, France, and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is the son of former French-Argentine footballer Jorge Trezeguet, who now works as his agent. David and his wife Béatrice have two children together: Aaron and Noraan. His wife is from Alicante, Spain.
At club level, Trezeguet played for Club Atlético Platense and Club Atlético River Plate in the Argentine Primera División, AS Monaco in Ligue 1, Juventus in Serie A and Hércules CF in La Liga.
In 1998, Trezeguet scored the fastest ever goal in terms of velocity in UEFA Champions League history in a quarter-final match against Manchester United. The shot that resulted in a goal was clocked at 97.6 mph (157.3 km/h).^{[citation needed]} With AS Monaco, he won Ligue 1 twice and was named Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year in 1998. He scored a total of 60 goals in 113 appearances for the French club and it was here that he made his name as a potent goalscoring poacher.

wn.com/David_Trezeguet
Davor Šuker
Davor Šuker listen (help·info) IPA: [dâʋɔr ʃǔːkɛr], (born 1 January 1968 in Osijek) is a retired Croatian footballer. He played as a striker for a number of European clubs as well as the Croatian national team, where he is the all-time top goal scorer with 45 goals.
Šuker was born in Osijek. His parents came there from village of Lištani in Livno municipality. Šuker began his footballing career in his hometown, playing for the local first division team Osijek as a 16-year-old. During his final season there, he became the league's top goal scorer. He signed for a bigger club, Dinamo Zagreb in 1989. The war in Croatia halted a promising season for the 21-year-old, eventually resulting in Šuker's move to Sevilla in 1991.
In La Liga Šuker was highly regarded, showing consistent form with Seville and being amongst the top goal scorers for consecutive seasons. He signed with Real Madrid 5 years later, and was again amongst the league's top scorers, which helped Madrid claim the La Liga title, the Supercup trophy and win the Champions League during his tenure there.

wn.com/Davor_Šuker
Denis Law
Denis Law CBE (born 24 February 1940) is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Law's career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, Manchester City signed him for a transfer fee of £55,000, setting a new British record. Law spent one year there before Torino bought him for £110,000, this time setting a new record fee for a transfer between an English and an Italian club. Although he played well in Italy, he found it difficult to settle there and signed for Manchester United in 1962, setting another British record transfer fee of £115,000.
He is best known for the eleven years that he spent at United, where he scored 237 goals in 404 appearances and was nicknamed The King and The Lawman by supporters. He is the only Scottish player in history to have won the prestigious European Footballer of the Year award, doing so in 1964, and helped his club win the First Division in 1965 and 1967. Law left Manchester United in 1973 and returned to Manchester City for a season, then represented Scotland in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Law played for Scotland a total of 55 times and jointly holds the Scottish international record goal tally with 30 goals. Law is also United's second highest goalscorer behind Bobby Charlton. Law holds a United record for scoring 46 goals in a single season.

wn.com/Denis_Law
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɛnɪs ˈbɛrχkɑmp] ( listen); born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who is the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. Originally a wide midfielder and subsequently a main striker, he was deployed as a second striker, where he remained throughout his playing career. Bergkamp has been described by Jan Mulder as having "the finest technique" of any Dutch international and a "dream for a striker" by teammate Thierry Henry.
The son of an electrician, Bergkamp was born in Amsterdam and played as an amateur in the lower leagues. He was spotted by Ajax at the age of 11 and made his professional debut in 1986. Good form led to an international call-up a year later, attracting the attention of several European clubs. Bergkamp signed for Italian club Internazionale in 1993 where he had two disappointing seasons, before joining Arsenal in 1995. It was at Arsenal where Bergkamp rejuvenated his career, helping the club to win three Premier League titles, four FA Cup trophies and reach the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final, which marked his last appearance as a player. With the Netherlands national team, Bergkamp surpassed Faas Wilkes's record to become the Netherlands' top goalscorer of all time in 1998, later surpassed by Patrick Kluivert.

wn.com/Dennis_Bergkamp
Detelin Dalakliev
Detelin Dalakliev (Bulgarian: Детелин Далаклиев) (born 19 February 1983) is a boxer from Bulgaria. He is competing in the Bantamweight (– 54 kg) division, and won the gold medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Milano 2009.
Dalakliev won bronze medals at the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships and 2001 and 2004 European Amateur Boxing Championships and a silver medal at the 2006 and 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships.
He competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, but was knocked out in the round of 16 by Aghasi Mammadov of Azerbaijan.
He represented Bulgaria at the 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England. At the championships Dalakliev defeated Welshman Andrew Selby in the semifinals before facing inexperienced Englishman Luke Campbell in the final.
After four rounds Bulgarian levelled the scores in the fight to 5 each after he scored a point in the last two seconds of the fight. The decision then went to countback and Campbell was awarded the title making Campbell the first Englishman to win a European amateur title since 1961.

wn.com/Detelin_Dalakliev
Didier Deschamps
Didier Claude Deschamps (French pronunciation: [didje deˈʃɑ̃]; born 15 October 1968 in Bayonne) is a retired French footballer and current manager of Marseille. He played as a defensive midfielder. As an international, he assisted France with victories in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Deschamps captained France to victory in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil. After a short passage at rugby in the Biarritz Olympique Deschamps started his football career at an amateur club, Aviron Bayonnais whilst still at school. His potential was spotted by scouts from Nantes, for whom he signed in April 1983. Deschamps made his league debut on 27 September 1985. Transferred to Marseille in 1989, Deschamps spent a season with Bordeaux in 1990 before returning to Marseille. In this second spell with Marseille Deschamps gained his first honours.
Receiving his first international call-up from Michel Platini on 29 April 1989 against Yugoslavia, Deschamps started his international career in what was a dark time for the French team as they failed to qualify for the World Cup in both 1990 and 1994. When new team coach Aimé Jacquet began to rebuild the team for Euro 1996, he initially selected Eric Cantona as captain. After Cantona earned a year-long suspension in January 1995, the make-up of the team changed dramatically, with veterans Cantona, Jean-Pierre Papin, and David Ginola being dropped in favour of younger players such as Zinedine Zidane. Deschamps, as one of the few remaining veterans, was chosen to lead what would later be called the "Golden Generation". He first captained France in 1996 in a friendly match against Germany as a warmup for Euro 96. During that tournament, held in England, he led them all the way to the semi-finals, their best finish in an international tournament since the 1986 World Cup. In 1998, Deschamps captained France as they won 1998 World Cup on home soil in Paris, holding an integral role in the team.

wn.com/Didier_Deschamps
Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán Corazo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo foɾˈlan]; born 19 May 1979) is an Uruguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Internazionale and the Uruguayan national team. He is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.
Forlán was born into a family of footballers; his father Pablo having played for São Paulo (1970–1975) and Uruguay in the 1966 and 1974 World Cups and his maternal grandfather, Juan Carlos Corazo, for Independiente in Argentina.
Forlán joined Independiente himself after rising through their youth team, and after a successful four-year spell, he signed for Manchester United of England's Premier League. His form for United was not as successful as at Independiente, although he won the Premier League in 2003 and the FA Cup in 2004. In the Summer of 2004 he moved on to La Liga side Villarreal.
In his first season in Spanish football with Villarreal, Forlán scored 25 league goals and won the Pichichi Trophy. After two more successful seasons with Villarreal, Forlán joined Atlético Madrid, where he once again became the league's top scorer, and became the first player to win the Pichichi Trophy twice since Ronaldo achieved this feat in 2003–04. Forlán scored in Atlético's 2010 Europa League final victory against Fulham. In 2011 he joined Internazionale of Italy's Serie A.

wn.com/Diego_Forlán
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdjeɣo maɾaˈðona]; born 30 October 1960) is a retired Argentine football player, and current manager of Al Wasl FC in Dubai. Many experts, football critics, former and current players consider Maradona the greatest football player of all time. He won FIFA Player of the Century award which was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine and a grand jury.
He is the only player in football history who set world-record contract fees twice. The first, when he was transferred to Barcelona for a then world record £5m and the second, when he was transferred to Napoli for another record fee £6.9m. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys. In his international career, playing for Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals.
He played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, including the 1986 tournament, where he captained Argentina and led them to their victory over West Germany in the final, winning the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. In that same tournament's quarterfinal round, he scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over England that entered football history, though for two different reasons. The first goal was via an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted "The Goal of the Century" by FIFA.com voters in 2002.

wn.com/Diego_Maradona
Dimitar Dobrev
Dimitar Dobrev (Bulgarian: Димитър Добрев, born April 14, 1931) is a former Greco-Roman wrestler from Bulgaria, where he spent most of his professional career.
He became Olympic champion in the 1960 Summer Olympics.
He was born in Ezerche.

wn.com/Dimitar_Dobrev
Dimitar Isakov
Dimitar Isakov (Bulgarian: Димитър Исаков) (born June 25, 1924 in Dupnitsa) is a retired Bulgarian football player. Isakov was a central forward.
During his career, he played for PFC Marek Dupnitsa and PFC Slavia Sofia. He was the Bulgarian League's top goalscorer during the 1951–52 season, scoring 10 goals for Slavia. Isakov have 6 matches and 1 goal for Bulgaria national football team.
- for 1952 with 10 goals (with Slavia Sofia)

wn.com/Dimitar_Isakov
Dimitar Khlebarov
Dimitar Petrov Khlebarov (Bulgarian: Димитър Петров Хлебаров; born 3 September 1934 in Yambol) is a retired pole vaulter from Bulgaria. He set his personal best (4.96 metres) in 26 September 1965 at a meet in Sofia.

wn.com/Dimitar_Khlebarov
Dimitar Milanov
Dimitar Milanov Stoyanov (18 October 1928 – 1995) was a Bulgarian international footballer who played as a striker for CSKA Sofia. Milanov earned 39 caps for Bulgaria, scoring 20 goals, between 1948 and 1959, and he competed at the 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics.

wn.com/Dimitar_Milanov
Dimitar Penev
Dimitar Penev (Bulgarian: Димитър Пенев) (born July 12, 1945) is a Bulgarian football coach and former player and central defender of CSKA Sofia. He played 90 games for Bulgaria national football team and scored 2 goals. He is regarded as one of his country's best ever defenders, winning Bulgarian footballer of the year in 1967 and 1971, he also participated in 3 world cups for his country in 1966, 1970 and 1974. He is currently the Honorary President of CSKA Sofia and semi-pro side Nottingham United FC.
Penev was manager of the Bulgaria national football team during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where his team reached the semi-finals and then lost the bronze medal game with Sweden. Throughout his career as manager he demonstrated excellence in both tactics and team psychology. Penev's most notable quality was his ability to work well with young players. During his career at CSKA Sofia he discovered a lot of previously unknown or little-known talented youths and used them as a basis for a domestically and internationally successful squad. Amongst them Hristo Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov, Luboslav Penev, Martin Petrov, Stilian Petrov and Dimitar Berbatov. On 30 July 2007 he was appointed manager of the Bulgaria national football team for the second time. Last he was the manager of CSKA Sofia, on 6 March 2009 CSKA fired the coach, The Bulgarian team decided to sub him with his nephew Luboslav Penev, former player of CSKA Sofia, Celta Vigo, Valencia and Atletico Madrid.

wn.com/Dimitar_Penev
Dimitar Popov
Dimitar Popov (born February 27, 1970) is a former Bulgarian football (soccer) player in goalkeeper role.
In his career Popov played for Levski Sofia, Botev Plovdiv, Spartak Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, Maritsa Plovdiv, Lokomotiv Sofia, Spartak Varna and El Paso Patriots. For the Bulgaria national football team, he participated at Euro 1996. Popov had 14 caps for the Bulgaria national football team in the period 1993-1997. In April 2000, he signed with the El Paso Patriots of the USISL.

wn.com/Dimitar_Popov
Dimitar Yakimov

Dimitar Nikolov Yakimov (Bulgarian: Димитър Якимов) (born August 12, 1941), is one of the players of the Bulgarian football team CSKA Sofia, sometimes called "the poet of football" for his dribbling skills. Yakimov played a decisive role in probably the most important victories of the Bulgarian national team in the 1960s. He scored the winning goal for Bulgaria in the World Cup qualifier play-off against France, played on a neutral field in Italy in 1961, leading his country to its first participation in World Cup finals.
In Italy, four years later, his precise long pass cut the whole Belgian defense, reaching Georgi Asparuhov in a clear scoring position to seal another famous victory which sent Bulgaria to the World Cup in England. On a club level, Yakimov reached the semifinal of the Cup of European Champions with CSKA Sofia in 1967. His career was ended prematurely in the early 1970s, although he was neither injured, nor with declining skills. He still can be seen occasionally playing for the CSKA veterans. The most successful Bulgarian player of all time, Hristo Stoichkov (CSKA, Barcelona), has pointed out Yakimov as a big inspiration of his youth.^{[citation needed]}

wn.com/Dimitar_Yakimov
Dimtcho Beliakov
Dimtcho Beliakov (Bulgarian: Димчо Беляков; born 6 October 1971 in Gotse Delchev) is a retired Bulgarian football player.

wn.com/Dimtcho_Beliakov
Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff (born February 28, 1942 in Mariano del Friuli) is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.
Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the history of the sport among the very best in this role, being named the 3rd greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. He holds the record for the longest playing time without allowing goals in international tournaments (1142 minutes) set between 1972 and 1974. With 112 caps, he is the fourth most capped player for the Azzurri. In 2004 Pelé named him as one of the 125 greatest living footballers.
After retiring as a footballer, Zoff went on to become coach for the Italian national team and several other Italian clubs.
Dino Zoff was born in Mariano del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), and was elected in a poll by the IFFHS as the third best goalkeeper of the 20th Century - after Lev Yashin (1st) and Gordon Banks (2nd).

wn.com/Dino_Zoff
Djalma Santos
Djalma Pereira Dias dos Santos known simply as Djalma Santos (also spelled Dejalma Santos, born 27 February 1929 in São Paulo, Brazil) is a former Brazilian footballer who started for the Brazil national team in four World Cups, winning two, in 1958 and 1962. Santos is considered to be one of the greatest right-backs of all time. While primarily known for his defensive skills, he often ventured upfield and displayed some impressive attacking skills.
Along with Franz Beckenbauer, he is one of only two players to be included into three FIFA World Cup All Star teams (in 1954, 1958 and 1962). He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Santos started his career in his hometown with Portuguesa. He initially played in the centre of defence, but was later moved to the right side of defence. In 1959, he moved to Palmeiras. He played almost 500 games for the club, winning several league and cup titles. He left the club in 1968, joining Atlético Paranaense for a short spell before retiring in 1970.

wn.com/Djalma_Santos
Dobromir Tashkov
Dobromir Tashkov (Bulgarian: Добромир Ташков) (born April 10, 1925 in Varna) is a former Bulgarian football player. He spent his whole career at Spartak Varna and Slavia Sofia. For the Bulgaria national football team Tashkov featured in 7 games and scored 2 goals. He is the number one shooter in Spartak Varna's history with 157 goals.

wn.com/Dobromir_Tashkov
Dragan Džajić
Dragan Džajić (Serbian Cyrillic: Драган Џајић) (born 30 May 1946 in Ub, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia) is widely considered to have been one of the best Serbian football players to emerge from former Yugoslavia. Regarded as a preeminent and very proficient left winger, he is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation. Džajić has been known for his "great crosses and passes, unstoppable dribbling with great pace, natural technique and some of the best left footed free kicks ever seen". Through soccer fanatics, Džajić is viewed as perhaps one of the most underrated players in European football, partly because he played in Yugoslavia. In December 2011 Džajić was named in being part of "the greatest European Championship XI of all time" by Goal.com!
Džajić's professional career (1961–1978) was spent primarily with Red Star Belgrade. Džajić was a brilliant left winger who guided a Red Star Belgrade career spanning 590 games and 287 goals by winning five league titles and four Yugoslavian Cups. In 1969 Džajić received the Sport newspaper's Golden Badge, award for Yugoslavia's best athlete. He is considered one of the most important players in the history of the club and is one of only five players to have been awarded the Zvezdine zvezde status.

wn.com/Dragan_Džajić
Dragoljub Bekvalac
Dragoljub Bekvalac (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгољуб Беквалац) (born July 14, 1952 in Priština) is a Serbian football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of FK Novi Pazar .
He also coached Vojvodina, Litex Lovech, Beroe, OFK Beograd,Bežanija, Rabotnički and Győr.
His daughter is well-known singer Nataša Bekvalac.

wn.com/Dragoljub_Bekvalac
Dragoljub Simonović
Dragoljub Simonović (Serbian Cyrillic: Дpaгoљуб Симоновић ;born October 30, 1972 in Belgrade) is a former Bulgarian - Serbian footballer and a current manager. Simonović is currently employed at CSKA Sofia, as both a general manager and assistant to the coach Dimitar Penev.
Simonović began his club career at the local FK Obilić, before transferring to Bulgarian Litex Lovech in 1998, where he won the 1998/1999 Bulgarian Championship. In 2001, he transferred to CSKA Sofia.
He also played one match for the Bulgaria national team.
He had been appointed on 16 January 2006 as a manager of OFC Sliven 2000. Simonović managed to win the Bulgarian second division thus qualified the club in top division for 2008/2009 season. In January 2009 he became manager of Spartak Varna.

wn.com/Dragoljub_Simonović
Dražan Jerković
Dražan Jerković (6 August 1936 – 9 December 2008) was a Croatian and Yugoslav football forward, and manager. His first name is sometimes (incorrectly) spelled "Dražen". He was born in Šibenik, Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
He played for Dinamo Zagreb (1954–65). Severe injuries forced him to retire early, at the height of his career. With Dinamo he won the league title in 1958, and league cup in 1960 and 1965. In 315 games for Dinamo, he scored 322 goals.
He played internationally for Yugoslavia between 1960 and 1964, scoring 11 goals in 21 games. He participated in Euro 1960 and World Cup 1962. He was also part of the Yugoslav squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but did not play.
In Euro 1960 he scored two goals against France in the semifinal, which Yugoslavia won (5-4). In the final, Yugoslavia lost against USSR (1-2; AET), finishing second.
In World Cup 1962 Jerković scored four goals and was, with five other players, the top goalscorer, winning the World Cup Golden Boot. Yugoslavia finished in fourth place. In the quarter-final, Yugoslavia beat Germany (1-0). In the semifinal Yugoslavia lost to Czechoslovakia (1-3), and lost to Chile for third place (0-1).

wn.com/Dražan_Jerković
Dudu Georgescu
Dudu Georgescu (born 1 September 1950) is a retired Romanian footballer.
He began his career at Progresul Bucureşti. He currently holds the record for the most goals in Romania's Divizia A with 252 goals, as well as Dinamo Bucureşti's club goalscoring record, with 207.
He won the European Golden Shoe (for top scorer in Europe) twice, in 1975 and 1977.

wn.com/Dudu_Georgescu
Eddy Voordeckers
Eddy Voordeckers (born 4 February 1960 in Geel, Belgium) is a former international Belgian footballer.

wn.com/Eddy_Voordeckers
Edgar Davids
Edgar Steven Davids (born 13 March 1973) is a retired Dutch footballer. After beginning his career with Ajax, he subsequently played in Italy for Milan and Juventus before a loan spell with Barcelona. He went on to play for Internazionale and Tottenham Hotspur before returning to Ajax. Having struggled with injuries for two years, Davids returned to competitive football during a brief spell with Crystal Palace before retiring at the age of 37.
He was capped 74 times by the Netherlands at international level, scoring six goals, and represented his country at the FIFA World Cup (once) and the UEFA European Football Championship (three times). His dreadlocked hair and protective goggles – which he wore due to glaucoma – made Davids one of the most recognisable players of his generation. A combative and creative midfielder, Davids was nicknamed "the Pitbull" by Louis van Gaal because of his marking ability. He was one of the players chosen by Pelé to feature in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living footballers. He was born in Suriname to an African father and Jewish mother. His cousin Lorenzo is also a footballer.

wn.com/Edgar_Davids
Eduard Eranosyan
Eduard Eranosyan (Bulgarian: Едуард Ераносян) (born 8 February 1961) is a Bulgarian former footballer and current football manager of Armenian origin. Beginning in 1978, he played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv (1977–1988, 1989, 1993–1994) as one of the club's most acclaimed attackers, featuring in 161 matches and scoring 63 goals in the A PFG, winning the Cup of the Soviet Army in 1983 and being the championship's top goalscorer in 1984. Later, he also played in Greece and Portugal, for Apollon Kalamarias (1988–1989), Vitória (1989–1990), Leixões S.C. (1990–1991, 1992–1993 and 1996–1997) and Boavista F.C. (1991–1992). Eranosyan has 10 caps for the Bulgaria national football team. He was known for his flair and view of the game.
Eranosyan began his managing career at Leixões, which he coached between 1997 and 1999. He then took up Lokomotiv Plovdiv, remaining there in 2000–2001 and between 2003 and 2005 (leading the team to its first and only championship title in 2004), also managing PFC Dobrudzha Dobrich in 2001–2002. Since 23 March 2007, he has been at the helm of PFC Beroe Stara Zagora [1]. After he moved in Cyprus for APOP Kinyras Peyias. Then, on December 2008 he changed to Enosis Neon Paralimni continuing his adventure in Cyprus. After a few months it was revealed that he had given drugs to the players of his previous team, which led to his sacking from the Enosis club.

wn.com/Eduard_Eranosyan
Ekaterina Dafovska
Ekaterina Dafovska (Bulgarian: Екатерина Дафовска) (born 28 November 1975 in Chepelare) is a Bulgarian biathlete. At the age of 15 years she signed up in the sports club of her hometown, where she went in for biathlon. She won a gold Olympic medal at the 15 km Individual event during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Her gold medal was the first ever won by a Bulgarian at a Winter Olympic games.
Top Achievements:
1995 – Bronze in the World Championship in Media:Antholz-Anterselva, Italy
1997 – Bronze in the World Championship in Brezno-Osrblie, Slovakia
1998 – Gold in the Olympic games in Nagano, Japan
2002 – Fifth place in the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, USA
2004 – Gold in the European Championship in Minsk, Belarus
2006 – Eight in the Olympic games in Torino, Italy

wn.com/Ekaterina_Dafovska
El Hadji Diouf
El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (born 15 January 1981 in Dakar, Senegal) is a Senegalese footballer who currently plays for Doncaster Rovers. He can play on both wings as well as in attack. He has also garnered a large amount of notoriety for a series of controversial incidents.
Diouf came from a Serer background of the noble Diouf family. His father, who was also a footballer, left when he was 8 years old. Raised by his grandparents, Diouf was reunited with his father after 22 years absence. Although they did not see each other for many years, Diouf is reported to have said his father is someone he loves very much and was happy to see him again in spite of not growing up with him.
Diouf started his career in France with Sochaux-Montbéliard. He made his debut appearance in a 2–1 win against Bastia on 12 November 1998, before moving to Rennes for the 1999-00 season. He moved to Lens the following season, spending two years at the Pas-de-Calais club before moving to English club Liverpool in 2002 for a fee of £10millon.

wn.com/El_Hadji_Diouf
Elías Figueroa
Elías Ricardo Figueroa Brander (born October 25, 1946 in Valparaíso) is a former football player from Chile. He is considered the best Chilean footballer of all time, as well as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game.
He played for several clubs during his long career, notably his hometown club Santiago Wanderers, Brazilian club Internacional and Uruguayan club Peñarol. He also represented Chile 47 times, appearing in three world cups, in 1966, 1974, and 1982.
Figueroa was noted for his elegant style of play, his calmness in the centre of defence and his ability to cut out opposition attacks and immediately launch counterattacks from the back. He was also praised throughout his career for being a gentleman on and off the pitch. He was twice awarded the Bola de Ouro, the Brazilian Player of the year award whilst playing for Internacional in 1972 and 1976. He was also awarded the South American Footballer of the Year three times in a row by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo in 1974, 1975 and 1976. He was designated Best Player in Uruguay in 1967 and 1968 and Best Player in Chile in 1977 and 1978. He has subsequently been voted into the world's 125 best living soccer players and was also voted 8th best South American and 37th best player in the world of the 20th Century by the IFFHS in 1999.

wn.com/Elías_Figueroa
Emil Kostadinov
Emil Lubtchov Kostadinov (Bulgarian: Емил Костадинов) (born August 12, 1967 in Sofia) is a former Bulgarian football striker, former member of the Bulgaria national team for which he played in two World Cups. He shares his birthdate with another legendary Bulgarian footballer Dimitar Nikolov Yakimov (Bulgarian: Димитър Якимов) (born August 12, 1941).
Kostadinov started his career in CSKA Sofia. There he formed a redoubtable trio with Hristo Stoichkov and Luboslav Penev in the late 1980s, helping the team to win three times the Bulgarian Championship title, three times the Bulgarian Cup and reach the semi-final of the Cup Winners' Cup.
He played for FC Porto from 1990 to 1994, winning the Portuguese league twice, and becoming popular among Portuguese fans. He also played for Deportivo de La Coruña, Bayern Munich (winning the UEFA Cup with them in 1996 and scoring in the final itself), Fenerbahçe, FSV Mainz, and UANL Tigres.
Kostadinov played in the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship scoring two goals. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team from 1988 to 1998. He earned 70 caps in which he scored 26 goals.

wn.com/Emil_Kostadinov
Emil Kremenliev
Emil Georgiev Kremenliev (Bulgarian: Емил Георгиев Кременлиев) (born 13 August 1969) was a Bulgarian football player, right-back.
He played club football for Slavia Sofia, Levski Sofia, Olympiacos, again in Levski, CSKA Sofia, Union Berlin, Spartak Varna, Marek, Conegliano German and Kazichene. He left Union Berlin in January 2002.
Kremenliev was part of the Bulgarian national team that reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup and also played at Euro 96. He was sent off against Mexico in the knockout round of the 1994 World Cup for yellow card accumulation.

wn.com/Emil_Kremenliev
Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño Santos (born 22 July 1963 in Madrid) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker.
He was best known for his spell with Real Madrid. Nicknamed El Buitre (The Vulture), he was a member of the legendary Quinta del Buitre, along with Manolo Sanchís, Rafael Martín Vázquez, Míchel and Miguel Pardeza.
Butragueño amassed La Liga totals of 341 games and 123 goals for his main club, in 12 seasons, and represented the Spanish national team in two World Cups (being the second top scorer in the 1986 edition) and as many European Championships, scoring 26 international goals for his country, a record that stood for several years.
In 1981, skilled Butragueño joined Real Madrid's youth system, and played first for its reserve side, before being given his senior debut by Alfredo Di Stéfano on 5 February 1984 against Cádiz CF. He made an instant impact, scoring twice and assisting for the third goal in a 3–2 away turnaround, after Real trailed by 0–2. On 12 December that year, he made his European competition debut, contributing to a 6–1 home triumph against R.S.C. Anderlecht for the UEFA Cup third round (after a 0–3 loss in Brussels), as the Merengues went on to win the competition.

wn.com/Emilio_Butragueño
Emre Belözoğlu
Emre Belözoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [emˈɾɛ beˈløzoːɫʊ]; born 7 September 1980 in Istanbul) is a Turkish football midfielder who plays for Atlético Madrid. Having also played for clubs Galatasaray, Internazionale, Newcastle United and Fenerbahçe, Emre has been a part of the Turkey national team at the 2002 World Cup and at Euro 2008 among other tournaments. Pelé named Emre in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations.
Emre's inspiration came from his father, who introduced him to football at the Zeytinburnuspor training ground. Emre's mother had seen the problems that her husband had faced through his football career, and thus did not want his son to become a professional football player. His father, however, urged and inspired Emre to embark on a career. The fans of Zeytinburnuspor quickly took an interest in Emre, stating his wonderful control with his left foot. Trainer Salih Bulgurlu noticed his talent and started giving him special training. Salih looked after Emre for four years, teaching him all the basic techniques, improving and harnessing his fitness and stamina dramatically. Emre was quickly discovered by former Galatasaray legend Bülent Ünder, a close friend of legendary Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim. Bülent Ünder pleaded to Salih Bulgurlu that Emre join Galatasaray: Wait and see. In two years, this teenager will be playing proudly within the battlegrounds of Europe.

wn.com/Emre_Belözoğlu
Enzo Francescoli
Enzo Francescoli Uriarte (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛntso franˈtʃeskoli]; born November 12, 1961 in Montevideo) is a former Uruguayan football player of Italian and Spanish origin, who retired in 1997. An elegant and highly skillful dribbler, passer, and goal-scorer, Francescoli was nicknamed El Príncipe ("The Prince" in Spanish) or Le Prince (in French). He played 72 times for the Uruguay national team between 1982 and 1997, making him the most capped outfield player in Uruguayan international football.
His official debut was with the Uruguayan team Montevideo Wanderers. He played several years for River Plate of Argentina where he won five league titles and the Copa Libertadores in 1996 in his two spells with the club.
He also played for the French Racing Club de Paris (Matra Racing Paris at the time), Olympique de Marseille, and the Italian teams Cagliari and Torino.
Francescoli played 73 times for the Uruguay national team scoring 17 goals, between 1982 and 1997. He made appearances at the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups. He won the Copa América three times with Uruguay in 1983, 1987 and 1995, he also played in the 1989 and 1993 editions of the tournament.

wn.com/Enzo_Francescoli
Eoin Jess
Eoin Jess (born 13 December 1970 in Portsoy) is a former Scottish football player. He was capped 18 times by Scotland, scoring two goals.
His career started at Aberdeen, helping the Dons to finish second in the Scottish Premier League in the 1993–94 season. Whilst at the top of his game for Aberdeen, he was connected with moves to the likes of Parma, at the time flying high in the Italian Serie A. In 1996, he earned a move to Coventry City but this lasted just over a year, during which he scored just once against QPR in 39 Premier League games and scored an own goal in a game against Manchester United. He did however score twice in Coventry's run in the 1996/97 FA Cup in games against Woking and Blackburn Rovers. He then returned to Aberdeen for a second spell.
He returned to the Premier League with Bradford City in 2000 but despite finishing the season as top scorer, financial problems meant he was released in 2002 following the collapse of ITV Digital. He joined Nottingham Forest in August 2002 and in his first season steered Forest into the play-offs. However they were relegated in 2005 and Jess moved on as a free agent. In July 2005 he signed for Northampton Town, and was released from his contract there on 11 April 2007. He later rejoined Nottingham Forest as a coach for the youth team a job he left in May 2012.

wn.com/Eoin_Jess
Eric Cantona
Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (French pronunciation: [kantɔna]) (born 24 May 1966) is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in five years and two League and FA Cup Doubles.
Cantona is often regarded as having played a key role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing force and he enjoys iconic status at the club. He wore the number 7 shirt at United, which was previously worn by George Best and Bryan Robson, and subsequently worn by David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. Cantona is affectionately nicknamed by Manchester United fans as "King Eric", and was voted as Manchester United's greatest ever player by Inside United magazine. Set against his footballing achievements was a poor disciplinary record throughout his career, including a conviction for assault on a fan in 1995.

wn.com/Eric_Cantona
Erwin Vandenbergh
Erwin Vandenbergh (born 26 January 1959) was a Belgian footballer. Between 1981 and 1991, he finished six times topscorer of the Belgian First Division, with three different clubs (the first three with Lierse, the following two with Anderlecht, and the last one with Gent). In 1981 he was European topscorer with 39 goals out of 34 games. As a Belgian national team regular Vandenbergh scored a memorable victory goal against Argentina in the opening game of the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Vandenbergh also played for the French club Lille with his Belgian national team partner Filip Desmet under the management of another fellow Belgian Georges Heylens. His son, Kevin Vandenbergh, has also become a football striker and he currently plays for KV Mechelen in Belgium.

wn.com/Erwin_Vandenbergh
Eusebio Sacristán
Eusebio Sacristán Mena (born 13 April 1964 in La Seca, Valladolid), simply Eusebio in his playing days, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a central midfielder, and a current coach.
Eusebio started playing professionally with hometown's Real Valladolid, being an automatic first-choice from an early age, and moving to Atlético de Madrid in 1987–88.
After one sole season in Madrid, he joined FC Barcelona, and proceeded to be one of coach Johan Cruyff's most used squad members in the subsequent years. He played the entire matches at both the victorious 1989 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1992 European Cup finals.
Eusebio could only manage 36 appearances in his last two seasons combined, this prompting a moved to Celta de Vigo in 1995, where he posted two more solid campaigns. He retired in 2002 at the age of 38 with first side Valladolid, having played 543 La Liga matches (the only division he competed in after being promoted to his first club's first team), second-best in the competition, only behind goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta.

wn.com/Eusebio_Sacristán
Eusébio
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM (Portuguese pronunciation: [ewˈzɛbiu dɐ ˈsiɫvɐ fɨˈʁɐjɾɐ]; born 25 January 1942), commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans. He helped the Portuguese national team reach third place at the 1966 World Cup, being the top goalscorer of the tournament with nine goals (six of which were scored at Goodison Park) and receiving the Bronze Ball award. He won the Ballon d'Or award in 1965 and was runner-up in 1962 and 1966. He played for Benfica for 15 years out of his 22 as a footballer, thus being mainly associated with the Portuguese club, and is the team's all-time top scorer with 638 goals scored in 614 official games. There, he won 11 Primeira Liga titles (1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 and 1974–75), 5 Portuguese Cup titles (1961–62, 1963–64, 1968–69, 1969–70 and 1971–72), 1 European Cup title (1961–62) and managed to help them reach three additional European Cup finals (1962–63, 1964–65 and 1967–68). He was the European Cup top scorer in 1965, 1966 and 1968. He also won the Bola de Prata (Primeira Liga top scorer award) seven times (a national record) in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970 and 1973. He was the first ever player to win the European Golden Boot award, in 1968, a feat he later replicated in 1973.

wn.com/Eusébio
Evgeni Aleksandrov
Evgeni Aleksandrov (Bulgarian: Евгени Александров) (born 14 June 1988) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for PFC Litex Lovech as a goalkeeper.

wn.com/Evgeni_Aleksandrov
Fabio Cannavaro
Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI (born 13 September 1973 in Naples) is a retired Italian footballer. He is considered one of the greatest defenders of his generation and was given the name "Muro di Berlino," which means "The Berlin Wall," by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy. He started his career at Napoli, before spending seven years at Parma, with whom he won two Coppa Italias and the 1999 UEFA Cup. After spells at Internazionale and Juventus, Cannavaro transferred along with manager Fabio Capello from Juventus to Real Madrid, with whom he won consecutive La Liga titles in 2007 and 2008. After returning to Juventus for one season in 2009–10, he joined Al-Ahli in Dubai. He retired from professional football in 2011 due to an injury troubled season in Al-Ahli.
Cannavaro has also achieved success with the Italian national team. He was part of the Italy team that won consecutive Under-21 European Championships in 1994 and 1996. After earning his first senior cap in 1997, he eventually became captain. Cannavaro led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, and in 2009 overtook Paolo Maldini as the most capped player in the country's history. He announced his retirement from international football on 25 June 2010 following Italy's failure to qualify for the knock-out stages of the 2010 World Cup, having amassed 136 caps and scored two goals for the senior national team.

wn.com/Fabio_Cannavaro
Ferario Spasov
Ferario "Fero" Spasov (born 20 February 1962 in Dupnitsa) is Bulgarian football coach and manager.
He has been manager of Litex Lovech and CSKA Sofia.

wn.com/Ferario_Spasov
Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈpuʃkaːʃ]; born Ferenc Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian footballer and manager. He scored 84 goals in 85 international matches for Hungary, and 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues. He became Olympic champion in 1952 and was a World Cup finalist in 1954. He won three European Cups (1959, 1960, 1966), 10 national championships (5 Hungarian & 5 Spanish Primera División) and 8 top individual scoring honors. He is regarded as the best Hungarian football player ever and one of the best football players of all time.
Puskás started his career in Hungary playing for Kispest and Budapest Honvéd. He was top scorer in the Hungarian League on four occasions, and in 1948, he was the top goal scorer in Europe. During the 1950s, he was both a prominent member and captain of the Hungarian national team, known as the Mighty Magyars. In 1958, two years after the Hungarian Revolution, he emigrated to Spain where he played for Real Madrid.

wn.com/Ferenc_Puskás
Fernando Vázquez
Fernando Vázquez Pena (born 24 October 1954 in Castrofeito, O Pino, Galicia) is a Spanish football manager.
Vázquez was an English teacher in the Galician town of Lalín. It was there where he began to get involved with the school's athletics, especially football. He began his professional coaching career with modest CD Lalín in 1986, but left there for higher-profile Racing de Ferrol in 1991.
Vázquez took over for many teams from 1994–2004, most of them in La Liga. With Celta de Vigo, he achieved promotion straight into the UEFA Cup (sixth place in 2005–06).
Vázquez was relieved of his duties as manager of Celta on 9 April 2007, on the eve of the Galician derby with Deportivo de La Coruña, and with his team embroiled deep in a relegation dogfight, eventually lost on the last matchday.
Aside from coaching, Vázquez also worked as a pundit for Canal+ in their UEFA Champions League coverage. While still at Celta, he took charge of the Galician regional football team, together with Arsenio Iglesias, longtime Depor manager.

wn.com/Fernando_Vázquez
Flórián Albert
Flórián Albert (15 September 1941 – 31 October 2011) was a Hungarian international football player, later manager and sports official, who was named European Footballer of the Year in 1967. Nicknamed "The Emperor", he has been described as one of the most elegant footballers of all time.
A club legend of Ferencvárosi TC, Albert joined the team yet as a schoolboy and spent his whole playing career at Fradi. He also starred for Hungary, winning 75 international caps and scoring 31 goals. He was joint top-scorer at the 1962 World Cup with four goals and played a key role in Hungary's third-place finish at the European Championship in 1964.
He stayed loyal to Ferencváros after his retirement as well, actively participated in the club's life and also held administrative positions. Since 2007 the stadium of Ferencváros wears his name.
Albert died in October 2011, aged 70, in a hospital in Budapest after complications following heart surgery carried out a few days earlier.
The son of a blacksmith, Albert was born and brought up in the little town of Hercegszántó near the border with the former Yugoslavia, where he got his first taste of the game playing with his two brothers. His mother was Hungarian Croat, from the group of Šokci. She died when he was 2. When the family later moved to Budapest, Albert participated on a talent day by Ferencvárosi TC. He impressed the coaches and was selected by club. Albert was 11 years old at the time.

wn.com/Flórián_Albert
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, (born 27 September 1976 in Rome) is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most capped player in the club's history. He is considered as one of the finest players in his generation, and also Roma's greatest player ever.
A 2006 World Cup winner and Euro 2000 finalist, Totti was selected in the All-Star team for both tournaments. He has won many individual awards, including a record five Italian Footballer of the Year awards and two Serie A Footballer of the Year awards. He was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers selected by Pelé as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. In 2011, Totti has been recognized by IFFHS as the most popular footballer in Europe.
Often referred to as Il Bimbo d'Oro (The Golden Boy), Er Pupone (The Big Baby), and Il Gladiatore (The Gladiator) by the Italian sports media, Totti is currently the top active Serie A goalscorer and fifth all-time in league history with 215 goals.

wn.com/Francesco_Totti
Francis Cuggy
Francis Cuggy (16 June 1889 – 27 March 1965) was an English footballer who played at right half. He won the Football League championship with Sunderland in 1912–13 and made two appearances for England.
Cuggy was born in Walker, Northumberland and played youth football with Willington Athletic, where he was spotted by scouts from Sunderland. He joined the Roker Park club in March 1909 making his debut in a 3–2 defeat at Aston Villa on 12 February 1913. Sunderland narrowly missed out on the Double, losing the FA Cup final 1–0 to Aston Villa, who themselves were runners-up in the League.
Both his appearances for England came against Ireland. The first was on 15 February 1913 at Windsor Park, Belfast and Cuggie was teamed up with his Sunderland colleagues Charlie Buchan and Jackie Mordue. Although Buchan scored early in the game, England went down 2–1. The second international appearance was also against Ireland a year later on 14 February 1914, when he was joined by his Sunderland colleague Henry Martin who was making his solitary England appearance. The match was played at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough and England were defeated 3–0. This was the first time that England had been beaten by Ireland on home soil. Thus Cuggy's England career ended with two defeats from two appearances.

wn.com/Francis_Cuggy
Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi (born 8 May 1960 in Travagliato, Italy) is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one". In 1999, Baresi was voted AC Milan Player of the Century and is widely regarded as one of the finest defenders of all time.
He is also the younger brother of Internazionale legend and current vice coach Giuseppe Baresi.
Baresi was brought by his older brother Giuseppe for a trial in Inter's youth team, but was rejected. Despite this setback, Baresi refused to give up his dream and tried out for the Milan youth team, where he was accepted.
Baresi led the Milan team and its defence for the best part of a decade. During that time, the back four consisting of him, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti gained a reputation for being of the meanest defenses in Europe. He is also one of the few players who spent his entire career at one club, AC Milan, for whom he played 719 games, scoring 33 goals. Unconventional for an Italian defender trained in the catenaccio tradition, Baresi was an attacking defender who often assisted the team in counterattacks but without neglecting his defensive duties.

wn.com/Franco_Baresi
Frank Klopas
Fotios "Frank" Klopas (Greek: Φώτιος «Φρανκ» Κλόπας) (born September 1, 1966 in Prosimna, Greece) is a retired Greek-American soccer forward and midfielder. Klopas is currently the Head Coach for the Chicago Fire. Known as "Kid Klopas", he was also formerly a color commentator for Comcast SportsNet Chicago for Fire television broadcasts.
Klopas emigrated to the United States when he was 8 years old and received U.S. citizenship on his 18th birthday. He and his family settled in Chicago, where he attended and played boys soccer, at Mather High School, which he led to the Chicago Public League championship his senior year.

wn.com/Frank_Klopas
Frank Lippmann
Frank Lippmann (born April 23, 1961) is a German former footballer.

wn.com/Frank_Lippmann
Frank Rijkaard
Franklin Edmundo "Frank" Rijkaard (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfrɑŋk ˈrɛi̯.kaːrt], born 30 September 1962, in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager and former player. Rijkaard has played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and Milan, and represented his national side 73 times, scoring 10 goals. In his coaching career, he has been at the helm of the Dutch national side, Sparta Rotterdam, Barcelona and Galatasaray. He currently manages the Saudi Arabian national football team.
In 2010 Rijkaard was described by The Daily Telegraph as having been "a stylish player of faultless pedigree".

wn.com/Frank_Rijkaard
Franky Van der Elst
Franky Van der Elst (born 30 April 1961) is a retired Belgian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, and a current manager.
During a 21-year professional career, he played mainly with Club Brugge, being regarded as a legend there, and briefly coaching the team in the 2000s (decade). Also, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers, in March 2004.
Van der Elst won 86 caps for the Belgian national team, representing the country in four FIFA World Cups, and retiring from football at nearly 40 years of age.
Born in Ninove, Van der Elst started his professional career at R.W.D. Molenbeek, earning his first call-up for Belgium in 1982. Two years later, he moved to Club Brugge K.V. and stayed there until he finished his career in 1999, going on to total over 500 overall appearances with the side (462 in the league alone). During four seasons, he often partnered in midfield his namesake Leo - no relation.
Van der Elst won the Golden Shoe twice in his career, an accomplishment for an eminently defensive-minded player. He also appeared in four FIFA World Cups, from 1986 to 1998. Only having scored once for his country in nearly 90 matches, against Norway, he reacted with astonishment upon its realization.

wn.com/Franky_Van_der_Elst
Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer [fʁants ˈbɛkənˌbaʊ̯ɐ] (born 11 September 1945 in Munich) is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser ("The Emperor") because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" (reminiscent of the Austrian emperors), and his dominance on the football pitch. He is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and one of the greatest and most decorated footballers in the history of the game. Beckenbauer was a versatile player who started out as a midfielder but made his name as a defender. He is often credited as having invented the role of the modern sweeper or libero.
Twice selected the European Footballer of the Year, he appeared 103 times for West Germany and played in three World Cups. He lifted the World Cup trophy as captain in 1974, and repeated the feat as a manager in 1990. With the club Bayern Munich, he won three consecutive European Cups from 1974 to 1976, and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967. He is one of only two footballers, along with Brazil's Mário Zagallo, to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a coach. Beckenbauer is one of two players (along with Carles Puyol) to captain three European Cup winning sides. He went on to become coach and president of the institution. He is also a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

wn.com/Franz_Beckenbauer
Fritz Walter
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter (31 October 1920 – 17 June 2002) was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.
Walter was exposed to football early with his parents working at the 1. FC Kaiserslautern club restaurant. By 1928 he had joined the Kaiserslautern youth academy, and he made his first team debut at 17, continuing an association with the club that would be his only professional club.
International pro teams had repeatedly offered him hefty sums, but with support from his wife always declined in order to stay at home, to play for his home town, the national team and "Chef" (German for "boss") Herberger.
Walter debuted with the German national team in 1940 under Sepp Herberger, and scored a hat-trick against Romania.
Walter was drafted into the armed forces in 1942, however, the end of the war found 24 year old Fritz in a Prisoner of War camp in Máramarossziget in which he played with Hungarian and Slovakian guards. When the Soviets arrived they in general took all German prisoners back to a Gulag in Soviet Union where life expectancy was about five years. Fortunately, one of the Hungarian prison guards had seen Fritz playing for Germany, and told them that Fritz was not German but Austrian.

wn.com/Fritz_Walter
Gabriel Batistuta
Gabriel Omar Batistuta (born 1 February 1969), nicknamed Batigol, is a former professional footballer. The prolific Argentine striker played most of his club football at Fiorentina in Italy, and is the tenth top scorer of all-time in the Italian Serie A league, with 184 goals in 318 matches. On the international level, he is Argentina's all-time leading goal scorer, with 56 goals in 78 national team matches, and represented his country at three World Cups. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the "125 Greatest Living Footballers". With an all-round game with clinical finishing, heading and free-kick taking abilities, he is known as one of the most complete strikers of his generation.
When his club Fiorentina was relegated to Serie B in 1993, Batistuta stayed with the club and helped it return to the top-flight league a year later. A popular sporting figure in Florence, the Fiorentina fans erected a life-size bronze statue of him in 1996, in recognition of his performances for Fiorentina. He never won the Italian league with Fiorentina, but when he moved to Roma in 2000, he finally won the Serie A championship to crown his career in Italy. He played his last professional season in Qatar with Al-Arabi before he retired in 2005.

wn.com/Gabriel_Batistuta
Galabin Boevski
Galabin Boevski (Bulgarian: Гълъбин Боевски, born 19 December 1974) is a Bulgarian weightlifter. He was born in Knezha, and was both World Champion and Olympic Champion. He was later suspended for eight years after failing drug tests.
Boevski is now in a Brazilian prison awaiting trial for alleged cocaine trafficking. He was arrested on 27 October 2011 while trying to board a plane in São Paulo, Brazil, to Europe with 9 kilos of cocaine.
Boevski became World Champion in the lightweight class in 1999, and was also European champion this year. At the 2000 Summer Olympics he won the gold medal in the lightweight class.
He became world champion for the second time in 2001, and European champion in 2002 and in 2003.
In 2004 Galabin Boevski was suspended for eight years for failing a second drug test.
Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year - 1999

wn.com/Galabin_Boevski
Galin Ivanov
Galin Stefanov Ivanov (Bulgarian: Галин Иванов; born 15 April 1988 in Kazanlak) is a Bulgarian football player. He plays as an attacking midfielder for Litex Lovech.

wn.com/Galin_Ivanov
Garra Dembélé
Garra Dembélé (born 21 February 1986 in Gennevilliers) is a French-born Malian footballer. He currently plays as a forward for SC Freiburg. He signed a four-year contract, beginning with the 2011–12 season.
Dembélé began his career in INF Clairefontaine, before being transferred to Auxerre. On 1 June 2006, he was released from the club for disciplinary reasons. In January 2007, he joined Istres. After six months there, Dembélé moved to AGF Århus. In July 2008, he signed with Pierikos in Greece.
After an year and a half, in which he played 32 games and scored six goals, Dembélé left Pierikos to sign with Bulgarian club Lokomotiv Plovdiv in January 2010. He appeared in 14 games for the Smurfs and scored five goals.
On 5 June 2010, it was announced that Dembélé had signed for Levski Sofia. On 9 June 2010, Dembélé was officially presented as a Levski Sofia player. The transfer fee was around €200,000 on a three year contract. He made his unofficial debut against Metalist Kharkiv on 1 July 2010 and scored in a 3–2 win.

wn.com/Garra_Dembélé
Garrincha
Manuel Francisco dos Santos (October 28, 1933 – January 20, 1983), known by the nickname "Garrincha" (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɡaˈʁĩʃɐ], "little bird"), was an association football right winger and forward who helped the Brazil national team win the World Cups of 1958 and 1962. He played the majority of his professional career for the Brazilian club Botafogo.
The word garrincha itself means wren. Garrincha was also known as Mané (short for Manuel) by his friends. The combined "Mané Garrincha" is common among fans in Brazil. Due to his immense popularity in Brazil, he was also called Alegria do Povo (Joy of the People) and Anjo de Pernas Tortas (Angel with Bent Legs).
Garrincha is regarded as the best dribbler in football history. In the Estádio do Maracanã the home team room is known as "Garrincha," while the visiting team room is known as "Pelé."
Garrincha was born in Pau Grande, a district of Magé, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 1933. His father was an alcoholic, drinking cachaça heavily, a problem which Garrincha would inherit. He had several birth defects: his spine was deformed, his right leg bent inwards and his left leg six centimeters shorter and curved outwards, none of which impeded his ability to play football at the highest level.

wn.com/Garrincha
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960), is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live. He remains England's top scorer in the FIFA World Cup finals, with ten goals.
Lineker began his football career at Leicester City and became known as a prolific goalscorer; despite failing to score in his first ten games, he finished as the First Division's joint top goalscorer in 1984–85 and earned his first England cap. He then moved to League Champions Everton where he remained a clinical finisher, scoring 40 goals in 57 games. His first team honours came at Barcelona, where he won the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989. He returned to England in 1989, joining Tottenham Hotspur, and over three seasons he scored 67 goals in 105 games and won the FA Cup. Lineker's final club was Nagoya Grampus Eight and he retired in 1994 after two seasons at the Japanese side.

wn.com/Gary_Lineker
George Best
George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional footballer who played as a winger for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. In 1968 he won the European Cup with United, and was named the European Footballer of the Year and Football Writers' Association Player of the Year. He is described by the national team's governing body, the Irish Football Association, as the "greatest player to ever pull on the green shirt of Northern Ireland".
Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Best began his club career in England with Manchester United, who had spotted his talent at the age of 15. He went on to see success with United scoring 179 goals from 470 appearances over 11 years. His playing style combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders. Best unexpectedly quit United relatively early in 1974 at age 27, but returned to football for a number of clubs around the world in short spells, until finally retiring in 1983, age 37. In international football, he was an automatic choice when fit, being capped 37 times and scoring nine goals from 1964 to 1977, although the team's performance never allowed his talent to be displayed in the finals of a European Championship or World Cup.

wn.com/George_Best
George Weah
George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (born October 1, 1966) is a Liberian humanitarian and politician, and an ex-footballer. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting. In the 2011 election he ran for vice president on Winston Tubman's ticket.
He also spent 14 years of his professional football career playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England, and won trophies in each of these three countries. In 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year, European Footballer of the Year, and African Footballer of the Year.
George Tawlon Oppong Ousman Weah was born on October 1, 1966 in the Clara Town slum of Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. Little did his parents know at the time that their baby boy would one day rise to become their country’s most famous son.
Raised largely by his grandmother, Weah studied hard at school although it was apparent from a young age that he was destined for football stardom. Little George Weah was prodigiously talented with a football at his feet but this aptitude wouldn’t truly become evident until he made the move overseas.

wn.com/George_Weah
Georgi Asparuhov
Georgi Rangelov Asparuhov (Bulgarian: Георги Аспарухов) (sometimes spelled Asparoukhov), nicknamed Gundi (May 4, 1943 – June 30, 1971) was a Bulgarian football player. He is considered to be among the top Bulgarian footballers of all time.
Asparuhov was a striker for Levski Sofia from 1960 to 1961 and 1964 to 1971, and for Botev Plovdiv from 1961 to 1963. He played 245 matches and scored 150 goals in the top Bulgarian division. Some of the top European clubs at the time sought his services. In the 1965-66 European Cup, Levski played Benfica (with Eusébio in the squad). When Benfica eliminated Levski after hard fought 3:2 and 2:2 scorelines and Gundi having netted 3 of all Levski goals (one of them Simo Nikolov), Europe began to view Gundi with interest. In fact, he was the first player to score two goals in Benfica's stadium. In the aftermath of this match, Levski grew in popularity in Europe. The rich Portuguese club wanted to buy Asparuhov, but the communist government of Bulgaria did not allow them to do so.

wn.com/Georgi_Asparuhov
Georgi Bachev
Georgi Bachev (Bulgarian: Георги Бачев) (born 18 April 1977 in Blagoevgrad) is a Bulgarian former football player and currently manager.
He played for a few clubs, including Slavia Sofia, Levski Sofia and Vihren Sandanski.
He played for the Bulgaria national football team and was a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

wn.com/Georgi_Bachev
Georgi Chilikov
Georgi Chilikov (Bulgarian: Георги Чиликов) (known as Chilika) (born August 23, 1978) in Burgas is a retired Bulgarian footballer.
He was part of the Bulgarian 2004 European Football Championship team, which exited in the first round, finishing bottom of Group C, having finished top of Qualifying Group 8 in the pre-tournament phase. Chilikov scored his only goal for the national side in the 2:1 home win against Andorra on 16 October 2002 in a Euro 2004 qualifier.

wn.com/Georgi_Chilikov
Georgi Denev
Georgi Denev (Bulgarian: Георги Денев) (born 18 April 1950) is a former Bulgarian football player and manager. Denev made 49 appearances and scored 10 goals for the Bulgaria national football team from 1970 to 1979. He also played at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

wn.com/Georgi_Denev
Georgi Donkov
Georgi Donkov (born 2 June 1970) is a Bulgarian former football player who works as assistant coach of Wacker Burghausen.
In his career Donkov played for Levski Sofia, Botev Plovdiv and CSKA Sofia. He played also in Germany fot VfL Bochum, 1. FC Köln, SC Paderborn 07, SV Waldhof Mannheim and FSV Oggersheim, in Switzerland with Neuchâtel Xamax, and in Cyprus for Enosis Paralimni.
The striker was a member of the Bulgaria national football team with which he participated at Euro 1996.
On 9 June 2010, Donkov was named as the new assistant coach of 3rd Liga club SV Wacker Burghausen.

wn.com/Georgi_Donkov
Georgi Milanov
Georgi Ventsislavov Milanov (Bulgarian: Георги Венциславов Миланов) (born 19 February 1992) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Litex Lovech as a midfielder/second striker. His twin brother Iliya Milanov also plays for the first squad of Litex.
Georgi Milanov began his career at Litex Lovech, together with his twin brother Iliya. In 2009 manager Stanimir Stoilov moved them to the main squad. Georgi Milanov took part in the pre-season friendlies and after good displays he earned his debut for Litex against Levski Sofia in the Bulgarian Supercup final. A week later he was in the starting eleven for the match against Lokomotiv Mezdra. In this match, Milanov scored his first official goal for the club, with the game ending 5:0 for Litex.
Shortly afterwards, Milanov was called up to the Bulgaria under-21 team for the first time, making his competitive debut on March 3, 2010, in a 0–2 loss against Montenegro U21. He made his debut for Bulgaria against Ukraine on October 7, 2011 in Kyiv.

wn.com/Georgi_Milanov
Georgi Pachedzhiev
Georgi Pachedzhiev (1 March 1916 – 12 April 2005) was a Bulgarian football manager who coached Bulgaria at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. As a player he played for AS 23 Sofia, and was the top scorer in the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group in 1939 with fourteen goals. He died in April 2005.

wn.com/Georgi_Pachedzhiev
Georgi Slavkov
Georgi Slavkov (Bulgarian: Георги Славков) (born 11 April 1958 in Musomishte near Gotse Delchev) is a former Bulgarian football player.
He scored 61 goals in 112 games for Botev Plovdiv between 1976 and 1982. In 1981 he won the France Football's Golden Boot award. With CSKA Sofia he played between 1982 and 1986, scoring 48 goals. Then he was transferred to the French club AS Saint-Étienne. He finished his career in Portugal in 1992.
Between 1978 and 1983, he won 37 caps for Bulgaria and scored 11 goals.

wn.com/Georgi_Slavkov
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈɡɛɐt ˈmʏlɐ]; born 3 November 1945 in Nördlingen) is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.
With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the most successful goalscorers of his era. Müller is now 8th on the list of all time international goalscorers despite playing fewer matches than every player in the top 15. His nicknames are “Bomber der Nation” (the nation's Bomber) and “kleines dickes Müller” (short fat Müller; this name was given to him by Čik Čajkovski, his first coach at Bayern Munich. Čajkovski was Yugoslavian and got the German declension wrong).
In 1970 Müller was elected European Footballer of the Year after a successful season at Bayern Munich and scoring 10 goals at the 1970 World Cup. Müller held the all-time goal-scoring record in the tournament with a 14-goal total, a record that stood for 32 years until it was broken by Brazil's Ronaldo against Ghana in the Round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup. In 1999, he was voted ninth place in the European player of the Century election held by the IFFHS and he was voted thirteenth in the IFFHS' "World Player of the Century" election.

wn.com/Gerd_Müller
Gheorghe Hagi
Gheorghe Hagi (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈɡe̯orɡe ˈhad͡ʒi] ( listen); born 5 February 1965 in Săcele) is a former Romanian footballer. He was one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and 1990s and is considered the greatest Romanian footballer of all time.Galatasaray fans called him 'Commandante' (The Commander) and the Romanians called him 'Regele' (The King).
Nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians", he is considered a hero in his homeland. He has won his country's "Player of the Year" award six times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of the 20th century.
He played for the Romanian national team in three World Cups in 1990, 1994 and 1998, as well as in three European Football Championships in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He won a total of 125 caps for Romania, being ranked second after Dorinel Munteanu, and scored 35 goals, being ranked first.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Romania by the Romanian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. Hagi is one of the few footballers to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

wn.com/Gheorghe_Hagi
Giacinto Facchetti
Giacinto Facchetti (Italian pronunciation: [dʒaˈtʃinto fakˈketti]; 18 July 1942 – 4 September 2006) was an Italian football player. From January 2004 until his death, he was President of Internazionale, the club for which he played for his whole career during the 1960s and 1970s, playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered as “Grande Inter”. Facchetti is remembered as one of the first truly great attacking-full backs, and one of the best ever in his position.
Born at Treviglio, in the Province of Bergamo (Lombardy), Facchetti began his career with his hometown club, Trevigliese, as a forward. He was soon noticed by Helenio Herrera, then manager of Internazionale, who launched him in Serie A in the late 1960–61 season as a full back. The change of role was a good choice, and eventually Facchetti developed into one of the most effective defenders of Italian football.
With his club, Facchetti won four scudetti in 1963, 1965, 1966 and 1971; one Italian Cup in 1978; two European Cups in 1964 and 1965; and two Intercontinental Cups in 1964 and 1965.

wn.com/Giacinto_Facchetti
Giampiero Boniperti
Giampiero Boniperti (born 4 July 1928 in Barengo, Piedmont) is an Italian former football player who played his entire career at Juventus between 1946 and 1961. He also played for the Italian national football team. After retirement from professional football, Boniperti has been a president of Juventus and a deputy to the European Parliament.
With 182 goals in all-competitions, Boniperti was the highest goalscorer in Juventus' history for more than 40 years, until his record was bested by Alessandro Del Piero (who was himself signed by Boniperti in 1993) on 10 January 2006. Del Piero also broke his appearance record on 14 February 2010 when he played his 445th Serie A game. Notably, Boniperti is the eleventh-highest goalscorer of all-time in Serie A and was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Boniperti signed for Juventus at age 16, he had already built himself a reputation prior to this at youth level, as he scored 11 goals in one match.
The youngster played his first match for the Old Lady in Serie A on 2 March 1947 against A.C. Milan, unfortunately for Boniperti it ended in a 2–1 defeat. His first goal for them in the league was three months later, against Sampdoria. Juventus ended the Serie A 1946-47 season as runners-up to local rivals Torino, Giampiero ended the season with 5 goals in 6 games to his name.

wn.com/Giampiero_Boniperti
Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli (born 9 July 1964 in Cremona) is an Italian football manager and former player. Since retiring, he has gone into management and punditry and is a commentator for Sky Sport Italia.
Vialli started his career at Cremonese in 1980 in his native Italy where he made 105 league appearances scoring 23 goals. His performances impressed Sampdoria who signed him in 1984. During which time he scored 85 league goals, won 3 Italian cups, the Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup. Vialli transferred to Juventus for a World record £12.5 million in 1992. During this time he won the Italian Cup, the Serie A, Italian Supercup, UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup. In 1996 Vialli joined Chelsea and became Chelsea player manager the following season. In England he won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and UEFA Super Cup. He is one of nine footballers to have won the three main European club competitions and is the only player in European footballing history to have winner's and runner's up medals in all three main European club competitions. During his twenty years long career as a professional footballer he has scored 259 goals at club level, 16 goals with the national team, 11 goals with the under 21 national team for a total of 286 goals in more than 500 appearances.

wn.com/Gianluca_Vialli
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI (born 28 January 1978 in Carrara, Italy), is a FIFA World Cup-winning Italian goalkeeper who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus. He is widely considered by experts to be one of the most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history. Buffon was declared by Pelé to be one of the 125 greatest living footballers in the world. He has been named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year a record eight times. Also, he has been named the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics) goalkeeper of the year four times and was named goalkeeper of the 21st Century by the same organisation.
Buffon began his career with the youth system of Parma in 1991 at the age of 13. He graduated from the youth squad in 1995 and at the young age of just 17, Gianluigi made his Serie A debut for Parma in a 0–0 home draw against Milan on 19 November 1995. He went on to make 8 more first team appearances that season. In 1996, his second full season with the club, Buffon was named as the starting goalkeeper and would go on to make well over 200 appearances for his club in all competitions. In his fourth season with the club, he won the UEFA Cup. He was by this time, already considered a major prospect and in the summer of 2001, he was snatched up by Italian giants Juventus for a world-record goalkeeper's transfer fee of a reported £32.6 million, with part of the transfer fees paid via the transfer of Jonathan Bachini to Parma.

wn.com/Gianluigi_Buffon
Gianni Rivera
Giovanni ("Gianni") Rivera (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒanni riˈvɛra]; born 18 August 1943 in Alessandria) is an Italian former football midfielder, mostly as an offensive playmaker, who was awarded the Ballon d'Or, one of the most prestigious individual awards in football, in 1969. He played the majority of his career with Serie A side A.C. Milan. Internationally, he represented Italy, 60 times scoring 14 goals, at four World Cups (1962, 1966, 1970, and 1974) as well as being part of the first Italian side to win the European Football Championship in 1968.
Rivera is considered as one of the greatest Italian footballers ever and as one of the greatest passers of all time. He was a creative midfielder with offensive ideas, often at odds with the proponents of the classic Italian defensive schemes. Rivera was known for his classy, elegant and aesthetic style of play, known for his impeccable dribbling and distribution.
After retiring from football, Rivera has gone into politics and currently is a Member of the European Parliament for the Uniti nell'Ulivo party. He has been appointed as the President of the educational youth sector by the FIGC for the Italy national football team, along with Roberto Baggio and Arrigo Sacchi under head coach Cesare Prandelli.

wn.com/Gianni_Rivera
Giuseppe Bergomi
Giuseppe "Beppe" Bergomi (born 22 December 1963) is a retired Italian footballer who spent his entire career at Internazionale, being equally at ease as a central or right defender.
He held the record of most appearances for the club for several years, while also being the side's longtime captain. He was affectionately referred to as "Lo zio" ("the uncle") because of the impressive moustache he wore even as a youngster.
Bergomi won more than 80 caps for the Italian national team, appearing in four World Cups - including the 1982 edition which ended in triumph - and Euro 1988.
Born in Milan, Bergomi begun training with F.C. Internazionale Milano's first team at the age of only 16, and made his professional debut in the 1980–81 season, the following year. The 20 Serie A seasons he went on to spend with his sole club were often in the shadow of A.C. Milan, as he only won the Scudetto once, in 1989 (he did conquer the UEFA Cup on three occasions). For a moment in his career, he held the records for both the most appearances in European competition by an Italian player and the most Milan derbies played, both broken by Paolo Maldini.

wn.com/Giuseppe_Bergomi
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE (born 30 December 1937) is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin (1st) and ahead of Dino Zoff (3rd).
Banks was a member of the England national team that won the 1966 World Cup. In March 2004 Pelé listed Banks as one of the 125 greatest living footballers. His most famous moment occurred in the 1970 World Cup against Brazil, where he pulled off a stunning save from a goalbound header from Pelé, which is often regarded as arguably the greatest save ever. Banks' consistent performances in goal led to the re-wording of a common English idiom to "Safe as the Banks of England".
Banks, born in Sheffield, was a careful student of goalkeepers during childhood. Banks played in local colliery football as a boy and was offered an apprenticeship by Chesterfield after initially going to work as a coal bagger and then as a bricklayer on leaving school. After performances in the youth and A teams gained him promotion to the reserves, Banks was posted to Germany with the Royal Signals on National service, winning the Rhine Cup with his regimental team. On his return he was offered a full-time contract by the Chesterfield manager, Teddy Davison.

wn.com/Gordon_Banks
Gosho Ginchev
Gosho Ginchev (Bulgarian: Гошо Гинчев) (born December 2, 1969 in Madrets) is a Bulgarian former football defender. He laso has Turkish citizenship with the name Mert Ginchev
He was capped for the Bulgarian national team, playing two games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He was also in the Bulgarian Euro 1996 squad.

wn.com/Gosho_Ginchev
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato (born 8 April 1950 in Malbork) is a former Polish football striker, and the leading scorer at the 1974 World Cup. Lato's playing career coincided with the golden era of Polish football, which began with Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 and ended a decade later with third place at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, a repeat of the Poles' impressive finish in 1974 in Germany. He is the only Polish player ever to win the Golden boot at a World Cup.
He is best known for his pace.
From 2001 to 2005 Lato, as a member of Democratic Left Alliance, was a senator in Poland. On October 30, 2008 he was elected President of Polish FA.
For Poland, Lato has been capped a record 104 times between 1971 and 1984; he scored 45 goals, which is second-best in national history behind Włodzimierz Lubański. Other than the 1974 World Cup, where he scored seven goals, he also participated in the 1978 and 1982 tournaments. In the 1974 World Cup, he won the Golden Shoe after scoring 7 goals throughout the tournament. In a difficult Group 4, the Poles made an early impression, defeating Argentina by a score of 3–2, with two goals from Lato, the first being scored after just seven minutes of play. Buoyed by that success, Poland then posted the tournament's second largest win with a 7–0 defeat of Haiti (the largest being Yugoslavia's 9–0 demolition of Zaire), with Lato weighing in with another two strikes. In the second round, the Stal Mielec-based striker was even more instrumental, scoring winning goals against Group B rivals Sweden (1–0) and Yugoslavia (2–1). And while even Lato was powerless to prevent an agonising 1–0 defeat by Germany in Frankfurt the in-form marksman was able to propel his team to third place courtesy of the only goal in the play-off victory over Brazil. He was then known as Poland's favorite player. While playing for Poland, he helped them win several titles.

wn.com/Grzegorz_Lato
Guillermo Stábile
Guillermo Stábile (17 January 1905 — 26 December 1966) was an Argentine footballer and manager. At club level, Stábile won two national championships with Huracán and played in Italy and France. He was the top-scorer of the first 1930 World Cup. As manager, he led Argentina to victory at six South American Championships and the suburban Buenos Aires side Racing Club to three league titles.
Stábile was born in Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires. He began his career with local club Sportivo Metán and from 1920, with Huracán. 1924 he progressed to the first team which played in Argentinas top league, which then still had amateur status. He started out on the right wing but soon evolved as the centre forward of the standard formation. Stábile won many competitions with Huracán, most notably the championships of 1925 and 1928 and the regional trophy Copa Dr. Carlos Ibarguren in 1925.
After capturing the world's attention with his impressive feats in the First World Cup, he was signed by Genoa. He instantly became a fan favourite at Genoa, chalking up a hat-trick on his debut against rivals Bologna. He stayed with the Genoan club for five years, playing 41 games and scoring 16 goals.

wn.com/Guillermo_Stábile
Gustáv Mráz
Gustáv Mráz (born 11 September 1934) is a former Slovak football player. He played for the Czechoslovakia national team in 11 matches.

wn.com/Gustáv_Mráz
Hakan Şükür
Hakan Şükür (born 1 September 1971) is a retired Turkish footballer who played as a striker. He spent the majority of his professional career with Galatasaray, being a three-time Gol Kralı (Goal King, title and award given to the annual top goalscorer of the Süper Lig), representing the club in three different spells and winning a total of 14 major titles.
Şükür represented Turkey a total of 112 times, scoring 51 goals, making him the nation's top goalscorer and 19th in the world. One of the most prolific strikers of the modern era, he netted 383 goals throughout his club career, as well as the fastest ever in a World Cup, in 2002. He retired from football in 2008, only scoring once in single digits for his main team in 13 seasons; nicknamed the "Bull of the Bosphorus", he was renowned for his heading ability.
Born in Adapazarı, Sakarya Province, Şükür began his football career with local club Sakaryaspor, making his professional debut shortly after his 17th birthday. His first goal came in a match against Eskişehirspor on 26 February 1989: with the match tied 2–2, he entered the pitch as a substitute and scored the winning goal. He went on to score a further 18 Süper Lig goals in his three-year spell with the club.

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Hans Krankl
Johann "Hans" Krankl (born 14 February 1953 in Vienna) is a retired Austrian footballer. He was manager of LASK Linz.
A prolific striker, Krankl is regarded by many as the greatest ever Austrian player. He started his professional career at Rapid Wien and stayed there for 8 years, apart from a year at Wiener AC. He won the European Golden Boot at Rapid Wien in 1978, attracting the interest of Barcelona. His spell at Barcelona was successful, winning the Copa del Rey in his first season as well as the Cup Winners' Cup (scoring in the final itself), and picking up the top goalscorer's award in La Liga that season with 29 goals. He returned to Rapid Wien in 1981, captaining the side and again hammering in the goals for them over the next 5 years. He played a major part in the most successful of Rapid teams in the 1980s, claiming the League crown twice and most prominently losing the Cup Winners' Cup Final in 1985 against Everton. In 1986, he moved to become player-manager at Wiener Sport-Club.

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Henri Michel
Henri Michel (born 29 October 1947 in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône) is a former French footballer and current coach. He played as a midfielder and later went on to coach various clubs and national teams all over the world.
Michel played for AS Aix between 1964 and 1966. He then moved to FC Nantes where he played from 1966 until his retirement in 1982.
Michel played 58 times for the France national football team.
Michel managed the French national, guiding the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and the third place at the 1986 World Cup.
In 1994 he managed Cameroon.
Michel had two stints with Morocco, the first being between 1995 and 2000.
His second stint, beginning in 2007, was short-lived with a poor showing at the Africa Cup of Nations 2008 where Morocco left in the first round. This resulted in his sacking from the post in February 2008.
From 2001 to 2002, he coached Tunisia. He achieved qualification for the 2002 World Cup, but was fired when Tunisia exited the 2002 African Cup of Nations in the first round after failing to score a single goal.

wn.com/Henri_Michel
Henrik Larsson
Henrik Edward Larsson MBE (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈhɛnrɪk ˈlɑːʂɔn]; born 20 September 1971) is a retired Swedish footballer and current manager of Landskrona BoIS. He was a striker whose main attributes were good pace and the ability to turn and shoot in tight areas.
Larsson began his career with Högaborgs BK. He moved to Helsingborg, where he was one of the key players when they won promotion to the Allsvenskan in 1993. Larsson then moved to Feyenoord for four years before leaving for Celtic in 1997. He won four league titles in seven years with Celtic, scoring 242 goals in 315 competitive matches, before moving to FC Barcelona in 2004, where he won two league titles and the 2006 Champions League. Following the expiration of his contract at Barcelona, Larsson returned to his hometown club of Helsingborg, and joined Manchester United on a brief loan spell between January and March 2007. He announced his retirement from football on 20 October 2009.
Larsson played for Sweden in three World Cups and three European Championships and is a former captain of the national team. Larsson ended his international career with 37 goals in 106 matches.

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Herbert Prohaska
Herbert Prohaska (born 8 August 1955 in Vienna, Austria) is a retired Austrian football player. He ranks among Austria's greatest football players of all time. Prohaska is currently working as a football pundit for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). His nickname "Schneckerl", Viennese dialect for curly hair, derives from his curly haircut in his younger years. A talented, combative midfielder, Prohaska played as a deep-lying playmaker, known for his precision passing.
Prohaska started his professional career in 1972 at the football club Austria Vienna. By 1980 he had helped his club to win four Austrian league titles and three Austrian cup wins. In 1980 he joined Inter Milan, and won the Italian Cup in his second season with the nerazzurri. In 1982 he moved to AS Roma, where he won the Italian championship in his first year. He returned to Austria Vienna in 1983 to finish his playing career.
Prohaska made his debut for Austria in a November 1974 friendly match against Turkey and was a participant at the 1978 and 1982 FIFA World Cups. He earned 83 caps, scoring 10 goals. His final international was a June 1989 World Cup qualification match against Iceland, but he retired before the 1990 World Cup.

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Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo (born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine footballer who is currently out of contract. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in the 2000–01 Serie A with 26 goals, while playing for Lazio. Crespo once held the world record in transfer fee, when he was bought by Lazio from Parma in July 2000.
Crespo made his debut with River Plate during the 1993–94 season, scoring 13 goals in 25 league appearances as River Plate won the Apertura league title. In 1996, Crespo helped River win the Copa Libertadores, scoring twice in the home leg of the final in Buenos Aires.
Crespo left River Plate for Parma on 14 August 1996 after he won the silver medal with Argentina at the 1996 Summer Olympics and finished as the top scorer with six goals. He failed to score in his first six months at the club and was routinely booed with head coach Carlo Ancelotti coming in for much criticism for keeping faith with the selection of Crespo. His faith was, however, vindicated: the young Argentine went on to score 12 times in 27 matches in his first Serie A season and Parma finished runners-up to Juventus. The turning point was the standing applause he received for his brace against Calcio in March 1997. Parma won the 1998–99 Italian Cup and he scored the opening goal in Parma's 3–0 UEFA Cup final victory over Olympique de Marseille. He had scored 80 goals in four seasons.

wn.com/Hernán_Crespo
Hidetoshi Nakata
Hidetoshi Nakata, Cavaliere OSSI (中田英寿, Nakata Hidetoshi^?, born January 22, 1977 in Yamanashi Prefecture), is a retired Japanese football player. He was one of the most famous Asian footballers of his generation.
Nakata began his professional career in 1995 and won the Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year award in 1997 and 1998, the Scudetto with A.S. Roma in 2001, played for Japan in three FIFA World Cup tournaments (1998, 2002 and 2006) and played in the Olympics twice (1996 and 2000). In 2005, he was made the Knight of the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity, one of Italy's highest honors, for improving the country's image overseas. Nakata has also been involved in fashion, regularly attending runway shows and wearing designer clothing.
Nakata announced his retirement at age 29 on July 3, 2006 after a ten-year career that included seven seasons in the Italian Serie A and a season in the English Premier League. In March 2004, Pelé named Nakata in his FIFA 100, a list of the top living footballers at the time.

wn.com/Hidetoshi_Nakata
Hristo Bonev
Hristo Atanasov Bonev-Zuma (Bulgarian: Христо Бонев; born 3 February 1947) is a retired Bulgarian footballer, the second all-time leading scorer for the Bulgarian national team behind Dimitar Berbatov, who surpassed his record on November 18, 2009. Currently he manages PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the Bulgarian A PFG.
Between 1967 and 1979, Bonev played for the Bulgarian national team 96 times, scoring a record 48 goals. He played for his country at the 1970 and 1974 World Cups. Most of Bonev's club career was spent with Lokomotiv Plovdiv, but he also played for CSKA Sofia and AEK Athens FC and later briefly came out of retirement to play for Oxford United in 1982, before an injury to his thigh muscle ended his playing career.
After his retirement he became a manager and he went to Greece and became coach of Panathinaikos FC, AEL 1964, Ionikos FC. After Greece, he became manager of the Cypriot team APOEL FC in 1995 and until 1996 when he quit from his team, he won the Cup in his first year in Cyprus in 1995 and the Double the following season.

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Hristo Mladenov
Hristo Stefanov Mladenov (7 January 1928 – 24 April 1996) was a Bulgarian football player and manager. He was the manager of the Bulgaria national football team during the 1974 FIFA World Cup .
He coached Bulgaria three times and was also manager of Spartak Pleven, Spartak Sofia, Levski Sofia,Beroe Stara Zagora, Slavia Sofia,Farense
http://www.algarvepress.net/conteudo.php?menu=-1&cat=Desporto&scat=&id=1418 and Belenenses.

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Hristo Stoichkov
Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (Bulgarian: Христо Стоичков Стоичков), sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time. Nicknamed The Dagger (Камата), The Dog (Кучето), The Modern Left (Модерния ляв). At Barcelona he earned the Spanish nickname 'El Pistolero' which translates to 'the gunslinger'. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. He was honoured as European Footballer of the Year in 1994. He was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004.
Dr.H.C.Hr.Stoichkov began his career in his hometown, moving to Hebros in 1984. The next year he went to CSKA Sofia. There, he was involved in a fight during the final of the 1985 Bulgarian Cup which resulted in an original lifelong ban, which was eventually reduced to a month suspension. After he was brought back to football, he managed to win the European Golden Boot with CSKA by scoring 38 goals in 30 games. He then moved on to FC Barcelona, where he was part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team', Stoichkov helped Barcelona to one of the most successful eras of the club, winning the Primera Division four years in a row between 1991 and 1994 and the European Cup after defeating Sampdoria in 1992. During his stay in Barcelona, he had become an idol for the club's fans, and was Barça's most popular player at the time, having earned a place in the supporters' hearts much like Johan Neeskens and Diego Maradona in the past. In Barcelona Stoichkov played in tandem with Romário.

wn.com/Hristo_Stoichkov
Hristo Yanev
Hristo Angelov Yanev (Bulgarian: Христо Янев) (born May 4, 1979 in Kazanluk) is a Bulgarian football player, currently playing for Litex Lovech as a midfielder.
Born in Kazanluk, Yanev was picked as a youth to play for local side Rozova Dolina, making his professional debut for Olimpik Teteven during the 1997–98 season. In 1999 he joined Beroe Stara Zagora, scoring 7 goals in 27 matches.
After playing one season at Beroe, Yanev signed for CSKA Sofia in 2000, when he was only 20 years old and since then he has always played an important role in the team. Yanev plays either as a winger or second striker.
He made his competitive debut for CSKA on 4 August 2000 in a 0–0 home draw against Litex Lovech. Оn 25 August Yanev scored his CSKA's first and first-ever UEFA Cup goal in a 8–0 drubbing of Moldovan Constructorul. Two days later, he scored his first league goal for CSKA in a 3–0 home win over Botev Plovdiv.
As a player of CSKA Yanev has been twice champion of Bulgaria (in 2003 and 2005) and has once won the Bulgarian national cup 2006. He spent 6 seasons of his career at the club, playing in 146 games of the A PFG and scoring 54 goals.

wn.com/Hristo_Yanev
Hugo Sánchez
Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born July 11, 1958), popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid. He was also a member of the Mexico national team, and participated in three World Cups. He is currently manager of Pachuca of the Primera División de México.
As a coach, he won two championships as head coach of the club Pumas de la UNAM and briefly with Club Necaxa, both teams in the Mexican Primera División. He also had a sixteen-month stint with the Mexican national team, but was fired on March 31, 2008. Hugo Sanchez has signed up to start coaching again, now in Europe, for UD Almería [1] from the Spanish First Division starting December 29, in an attempt to save the team from descending to the 2nd Division by the Summer. He has succeeded in keeping UD Almeria free from relegation from La Liga for the 2009–2010 season.
In 1999, the IFFHS voted him the 26th best footballer of the 20th century, and the best footballer from the CONCACAF region.

wn.com/Hugo_Sánchez
Héctor Yazalde
Héctor Casimiro Yazalde (born 29 May 1946 – died 18 June 1997) was an Argentine footballer who played as a striker.
Nicknamed Chirola, Yazalde scored 46 goals in one single season with Sporting Clube de Portugal, being awarded that season's European Golden Shoe.
Born in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires Province, Yazalde's beginnings in football were hazardous; he was visiting a friend who played with Piraña, an amateur club in the Argentine capital. He asked to join in the training session, immediately causing a stirring impression and signing the very day. From there, he signed with Club Atlético Independiente, going on to help the side help two national championships.
In 1971–72, Yazalde signed with Sporting Clube de Portugal, helping the Lisbon outfit to the 1974 league title, during which he scored 46 goals in just 29 games, both a domestic and European record, and the 1973 Portuguese Cup. The following campaign, with the Lions finishing third, he netted 30, league's best and Europe's second.
As a prize for the European Golden Shoe, he received a Toyota car, which he sold, then sharing the money with his teammates. After his Portuguese spell, Yazalde successively represented Olympique de Marseille, Newell's Old Boys and Club Atlético Huracán, retiring in 1981 and becoming a player's agent, in Argentina.

wn.com/Héctor_Yazalde
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, (born 20 October 1961 in Flint) is a Welsh former footballer. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Sydney Olympic. Rush made 73 appearances for the Wales national football team and he remains the record goalscorer for Wales with 28 goals between 1980 and 1996.
Since retiring as a player in 1999, Rush has had a stint as manager of Chester City (2004–05), and has worked as a television football pundit. He was also very well known for his moustache.
Rush's reputation was enhanced by scoring for Chester in a shock 2–0 FA Cup third round win at Second Division giants Newcastle United in January 1980, with Chester equalling their best run by reaching the last 16 where they narrowly lost to Ipswich Town two rounds later. His last game for Chester was a 2–1 win over Southend United at Sealand Road on 26 April 1980 in which he did not score.

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Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a former English professional footballer turned television and radio personality and currently part-time first-team coach of Milton Keynes Dons
Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major domestic trophies, and the European Cup Winners Cup. He played 581 league games, scoring 387 goals for seven clubs in Scotland and England and earned 33 caps for the English national team.
He also played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, the Scottish Premier League for Celtic and the Football League for Burnley.
After retiring from the game he has been active in the media, usually in football related TV and radio shows. His son, Bradley and stepson, Shaun are both professional footballers.
Wright came to professional football relatively late. Despite having had trials at Southend United and Brighton during his teens, he was unable to attract sufficient interest to win a professional contract offer. Reverting to playing for amateur and non-league teams, he was left disillusioned about his chances of a career as a professional footballer.

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Ignacio Eizaguirre
Ignacio Eizaguirre Arregui (born 7 November 1920 in San Sebastián) is a former Spanish football goalkeeper.
During his career he played for Real Sociedad (1936–1941; 1950–1956), Valencia CF (1941–1950) and CA Osasuna (1956–1960), winning three La Liga titles (1941–42, 1943–44, 1946–47) and one Copa del Rey (1949) with Valencia. He played 18 matches for the Spain national football team, and was a member of their 1950 FIFA World Cup team which finished fourth, the country's best result before 2010.

wn.com/Ignacio_Eizaguirre
Ihor Belanov
Ihor Ivanovych (or Ivanovich) Belanov (Ukrainian: Ігор Іванович Беланов, Russian: Игорь Иванович Беланов; born 25 September 1960) is a retired Ukrainian footballer who played as a striker.
He made a name for himself at Dynamo Kyiv, winning five major titles and being named European Footballer of the Year in 1986. He then spent six years in Germany with two teams, with little success.
Belanov represented the Soviet Union at one World Cup and one European Championship.
Belanov was born in Odessa, Ukraine, Soviet Union. He started playing professionally in his hometown, with SKA Odessa and FC Chornomorets Odessa, joining country giants FC Dynamo Kyiv in 1985, and scoring ten goals in his first season, which ended with league and cup conquest.
Alongside with teammates Oleg Blokhin and Oleksandr Zavarov, Belanov led the scoring charts at the 1985–86 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (five apiece) as Dynamo won the competition for the second time. He played the full 90 minutes in the final against Atlético Madrid (3–0).

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Ilian Iliev
Ilian Dimov Iliev (Bulgarian: Илиан Димов Илиев, born July 2, 1968 in Varna, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian former international football midfielder and currently manager of Beroe Stara Zagora. He is most famous for having played for the Portuguese club S.L. Benfica and Bulgarian sides Cherno More and Levski Sofia. In his professional career as a footballer, he received 35 international caps for the Bulgaria national football team.
Iliev was born in Varna and started to play football at his hometown club Cherno More. After his good performances in the youth teams were caught, he was promoted into the first team in 1986. For five seasons, between 1986 and 1991, Iliev made 123 appearances and scored 31 goals for the club. He was transferred to Levski Sofia in the 1991–92 season, winning three times the Bulgarian A PFG and one Bulgarian Cup in five years with the club. In 1995, Iliev moved to Benfica and won the Taça de Portugal in the 1995–96 season. In his career he also played for Slavia Sofia, Turkish Bursaspor, Greek AEK Athens as well as for the Portuguese clubs Marítimo and Salgueiros. He finished his career at his first club Cherno More Varna in 2004.

wn.com/Ilian_Iliev
Ilian Kiriakov
Ilian Ivanov Kiriakov (or Kiryakov) (Bulgarian: Илиян Киряков; born 4 August 1967) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. A player of great energy, he was equally at ease as right and left defender.
During a professional career which spanned nearly 20 years, he played for nine different clubs, including three in Scotland.
Kiriakov won more than 50 caps for Bulgaria, and represented the nation at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 1996.
Kiriakov was born in the small town of Lesicheri. In his country, he represented Etar Veliko Tarnovo and PFC CSKA Sofia. In 1991 he moved abroad, signing with Deportivo de La Coruña. In his first season, he was first-choice (only missed three La Liga matches) but the Galicians barely avoided relegation, as 17th; subsequently, as Super Depor came to fruition, he became a fringe player and left.
Kiriakov continued in Spain for 1993–94, playing in the second division with CP Mérida. He then returned to his country for one more year, with PFC CSKA Sofia, signing in the 1995 summer with Cyprus club Anorthosis Famagusta FC.

wn.com/Ilian_Kiriakov
Iliya Milanov
Iliya Ventsislavov Milanov (Bulgarian: Илия Венциславов Миланов) (born 19 February 1992) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for PFC Litex Lovech as a defender. His twin brother is Georgi Milanov, who also plays for the first squad of Litex.
Iliya Milanov began his career at Litex Lovech, together with his twin brother Georgi. In 2009 the manager Stanimir Stoilov registered the twin brothers to the main team. He took part in the pre-season friendlies.
Shortly afterwards, Milanov was called up to the Bulgaria under-21 team for the first time, making his competitive debut on March 3, 2010, in a 0–2 loss against Montenegro U21.

wn.com/Iliya_Milanov
Ilko Pirgov
Ilko Emilov Pirgov (Bulgarian: Илко Пиргов, born 23 May 1986 in Blagoevgrad, Height: 180 cm, Weight: 70 kg) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Litex as a goalkeeper.
Pirgov is an ex-Pirin Blagoevgrad player, where he played from 2002. He moved to PFC CSKA Sofia in 2005. As a player of PFC CSKA Sofia he is a Bulgarian Cup winner in 2006 and Bulgarian Super Cup winner in the same year. In 2008 for six months played in Romanian CS Otopeni. In 10 January 2009 signed for Cherno More Varna.

wn.com/Ilko_Pirgov
Itzhak Shum
Itzhak Shum (Hebrew: יצחק שום‎, born 1 September 1948 in Chişinău, Moldavian SSR) is a retired Israeli football player and was lastly the manager of Cypriot First Division side Alki.
He played 78 times and scored 10 goals for Israel national football team and was a participant at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and the 1968 and 1976 Olympic Games.
In the 2002–03 season, Shum was appointed to the manager of Maccabi Haifa replacing the next national manager Avram Grant. With shum. Haifa became the first ever Israeli team to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage. However, he lost the Israeli championship to Maccabi Tel Aviv because of better goal difference. In the end of the season he left to Greece.
He is one of Israel's most successful coaches ever working abroad, having led Greek side Panathinaikos to the double in 2004 and was the first time that Panathinaikos had won the Greek championship since 1996 and the Greek cup since 1995. Nevertheless, Shum was given the sack early on in the following season. Shum has also unsuccessfully managed Bulgarian side Litex Lovech and Russian side Alania Vladikavkaz. Not only this but Shum has also been a successful manager in his homeland. In the 2002–03 season Shum made history by leading Maccabi Haifa to become the first Israeli team to qualify for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League. In the group phase, the team defeated Olympiacos and the legendary Manchester United despite them not having their strongest team. Haifa finished the group in third place with 7 points, allowing Maccabi Haifa a place in the UEFA Cup.

wn.com/Itzhak_Shum
Ivan Stoyanov
Ivan Stoyanov (Bulgarian: Иван Стоянов, born 24 July 1983) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Ludogorets Razgrad. Stoyanov is a left/right winger. He is also the nephew of the famous Bulgarian football player Yordan Letchkov.
Stoyanov started his career in his home town Sliven in local team OFC Sliven 2000. In 2005 he signed a contract with German side VfB Stuttgart, but only played one league game for the club before returning to Sliven in May 2006. In 2007-08 season with his goals Stoyanov helped the team gain promotion to the first division in Bulgaria. He scored 16 goals in 15 matches.
After an impressive 2008-09 season with the newly-promoted Sliven, on 24 June 2009 Stoyanov signed a 3-year contract with CSKA Sofia. On 30 July 2009, Stoyanov marked his official debut for the armymen by scoring the goal for the 1:0 home win against Northern Irish side Derry City F.C. in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. On 9 August 2009, he scored a brace in the 5:0 away win against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a league game. On 30 August 2009, he scored another double, this time against Lokomotiv Mezdra, in a league game. On 20 September 2009, Stoyanov scored the opening goal in the 2:0 home win against Levski Sofia in The Eternal Derby.

wn.com/Ivan_Stoyanov
Ivan Vutsov
Ivan Kolev Vutsov (Bulgarian: Иван Вуцов) (born 14 December 1939) is a Bulgarian former footballer born in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, who played in three matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and for Levski Sofia. He was also a vice president of the Bulgarian Football Union and manager of the Bulgarian national team,Hajduk Split and PFC Levski Sofia where became famous for having 18 games in the European club competitions during his reign. One of the most prominent players he discovered was Alen Bokšić, when managing Hajduk Split. He has also held various administrative positions at the Bulgarian Football Union. His son, Velislav Vutsov is also a former footballer.

wn.com/Ivan_Vutsov
Ivanka Khristova
Ivanka Marinova Khristova (Bulgarian: Иванка Маринова Христова; born November 19, 1941 in Osikovitsa, Sofia) is a retired Bulgarian shot putter. She won the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics, and the bronze in 1972. In addition she won the 1976 European Indoor Championships.
Her latest record only stood until 26 July 1976 when Czechoslovak Helena Fibingerová improved it to 21,99 metres.

wn.com/Ivanka_Khristova
Ivaylo Andonov
Ivaylo Viktorov Andonov (Bulgarian: Ивайло Андонов; born 14 August 1967 in Blagoevgrad) is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played as a striker.
After beginning professionally with hometown's PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad, Andonov made a name for himself at PFC CSKA Sofia, constantly being one of the first division topscorers, while also being instrumental in the club's 1992 league conquest.
From 1994–96, he had two unassuming spells abroad, in Spain and Germany (the latter being in the second level). Returning subsequently to CSKA, Andonov netted 18 times in only 25 matches, for another championship conquest. He retired in 2000 at the age of 33, after two seasons with neighbours PFC Lokomotiv Sofia and another spell in Germany, with lowly 1. FC Union Berlin.
Andonov gained five caps for Bulgaria and was picked for the squad at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, but did not leave the bench during the tournament in the United States as the national team finished in fourth position.

wn.com/Ivaylo_Andonov
Ivaylo Petkov
Ivaylo Rumenov Petkov (Bulgarian: Ивайло Петков) (born March 24, 1976 in Dolni Dabnik, Pleven Province) is a Bulgarian football player who plays for PFC Litex Lovech.
Petkov start to play football in Spartak Pleven and in 1995 made his official debut for the first team. He started to make his name in season 1997-98 when played for the present team Litex Lovech. After that he played for İstanbulspor, Fenerbahçe SK and Ankaragücü football clubs in Turkey and Kuban Krasnodar in Russia. In January 2009 Petkov returned in Bulgaria and signed with Litex Lovech.
Petkov was part of the Bulgarian national team which qualified for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2004. The defender played for Bulgaria between 1997 and 2007. For Bulgaria, Petkov was capped 63 times, scoring 3 goals.

wn.com/Ivaylo_Petkov
Ivaylo Yordanov
Ivaylo Stoimenov Yordanov (Bulgarian: Ивайло Йорданов; born 22 April 1968) is a Bulgarian retired footballer. Known for his professional approach to the game, he played mainly as a striker.
During his career, he represented mainly Sporting in Portugal, appearing in more than 250 official games in one full decade and winning two major titles.
A Bulgarian international for nine years, Yordanov represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.
Born in Samokov, Yordanov began his career at local PFC Rilski Sportist, where he first appeared professionally at not yet 15, moving to FC Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa in 1989. In the last of his two seasons, he topped the first division scoring charts, at 21 goals, helping lowly Lokomotiv to a comfortable 9th place.
In 1991–92, Yordanov joined Portuguese League powerhouse Sporting Clube de Portugal, signing alongside compatriot Boncho Genchev – who had been his predecessor at Lokomotiv GO – where he would play in a variety of positions (including central defender, due to injuries to teammates). Persistent injury problems and multiple sclerosis led to a 2001 retirement, still with the Lisbon club (he contributed with 11 matches and one goal in the side's league conquest the previous year).

wn.com/Ivaylo_Yordanov
Ivo Georgiev
Ivo Georgiev (Bulgarian: Иво Георгиев) (born May 12, 1972) is a retired Bulgarian football player in forward role.
In his career Georgiev played for Volov Shumen, Debreceni VSC, Korabostroitel, Spartak Varna, FC Aarau, Levski Sofia, SV Waldhof Mannheim, Dobrudzha, Budapest Honvéd and Botev Vratsa.
In season 1995-96 Georgiev scored 6 goals for Spartak Varna in a Bulgarian league match against Spartak Plovdiv. In the same season he became top scorer of the league, scoring 21 goals.
For the Bulgarian national football team he was in roster for UEFA Euro 96. For Bulgaria, Georgiev was capped three times, scoring two goals.

wn.com/Ivo_Georgiev
Iván Zamorano
Iván Luis Zamorano Zamora (born January 18, 1967 in Santiago) is a retired Chilean football striker. Along with Marcelo Salas and Elias Figueroa he is regarded as one of Chile's most recognized footballers.
He was a member of the Chilean national team and played in the 1998 World Cup. He played for several clubs, notably Spanish clubs Sevilla and Real Madrid C.F. as well as Italian club Internazionale. He won the 1994-95 La Liga title and was the season's top scorer with Real Madrid. He also won the UEFA Cup with Internazionale.
In 2004, Zamorano was selected among the FIFA 100, a list of the best living football players in the world compiled by Pelé.
Zamorano started his career at the club Trasandino then he moved to Cobresal in Chile in 1985. In 1988, he moved to Europe to Swiss team FC St. Gallen, scoring 34 goals in 56 matches in three seasons. In 1991 Zamorano debuted in the Spanish Primera División with Sevilla, where he would play 59 matches and score 21 goals before he was sold to Real Madrid for $5 million.

wn.com/Iván_Zamorano
Jan Ceulemans
Jan Anna Gumaar Ceulemans (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɑn ˈkøːləmɑns]; born 28 February 1957 in Lier, Belgium) is a Belgian former football player who played as a midfielder.
He is his country's most capped player with 96 international appearances. Most of his time with Belgium took place under the guidance of Guy Thys. This period saw the Belgium squad record some of their finest results, which include reaching the final of Euro 80 and fourth place at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Ceulemans' first of three World Cup appearances was at the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where Belgium beat the defending champions Argentina 1-0 in the opening game of the tournament at Nou Camp en route to reaching the second round. Among one of Ceulemans' finest achievements was captaining his national side to fourth place in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, scoring three goals in the tournament including a beautiful diving header against Spain in the quarter-finals. His performance earned the nickname "Captain Courageous".[1]. He retired from international competition after the 1990 FIFA World Cup; Jan scored the 3rd goal in a 3-1 win over Uruguay but Belgium was eliminated by England in the round of sixteen, with the winning goal being scored by David Platt in the 119th minute in extra time. Jan had struck the post during the game.

wn.com/Jan_Ceulemans
Jari Litmanen
Jari Olavi Litmanen ( pronunciation (help·info)) (born 20 February 1971 in Lahti) is a Finnish footballer who last played for HJK. He also played for the Finland national football team, where he served as a first choice captain between 1996–2008. His international career ran from 1989 to 2010, making him the only footballer to play an International in four different decades.^{[citation needed]}
He is widely considered to be Finland's greatest football player of all time. He was chosen as the best Finnish player of the last 50 years by the Football Association of Finland in the UEFA Jubilee Awards in November 2003. Litmanen also finished 42nd in the 100 Greatest Finns voting in 2004. The Association of Football Statisticians' (The AFS) compendium of 'Greatest Ever Footballers' listed Litmanen as the 53rd best footballer ever.
In Finland he is often called "Litti" (after Pierre Littbarski), which dates from his early years in Finland; his childhood playmate Tommi Kautonen was "Auge" after Klaus Augenthaler. He is very often also called "Kuningas" ("The King").

wn.com/Jari_Litmanen
Javier Irureta
Javier Iruretagoyena Amiano (born 1 April 1948), Irureta for short, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a forward, and a current manager.
Irureta had a distinguished playing career with both Atlético de Madrid and Athletic de Bilbao, playing in 344 La Liga games for both teams combined, and scoring 70 goals. Along with Adelardo, Luis Aragonés and José Eulogio Gárate, he was a prominent member of the successful Atlético teams of the early 1970s.
As a manager, he coached several Spanish top flight clubs, most notably Deportivo de La Coruña. He is the only person to have coached both the two major Galician (Deportivo and Celta de Vigo) and Basque (Athletic and Real Sociedad) sides.
Irureta was born in Irun, Gipuzkoa. As a player, he made his senior debut for local team Real Unión, in 1965. Two years later he helped it reach the second division play-offs before joining Atlético Madrid later that year. During his time at Atlético he was part of a team that won two La Liga titles and a domestic cup.

wn.com/Javier_Irureta
Javier Saviola
Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (born 11 December 1981) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica in Portugal, as a striker.
Known for his speed, he represented both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid during his career (amongst others), and was named, as the youngest player, to Pelé's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers. Due to his Spanish ancestors, he also holds Spanish nationality since 2004.
An Argentine international in the 2000s, Saviola represented the country at the 2006 World Cup and the 2004 Copa América.
Nicknamed El Conejo (The Rabbit), Buenos Aires-born Saviola made his debut for Club Atlético River Plate at the age of 16, and went on to be a prolific goalscorer for the club.
He helped River to the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clausura championships, and earned the 1999 South American Footballer of the Year award. Still only 18, he gained a reputation as a phenomenal prospect.
In 2001, aged 19, Saviola moved abroad to play for FC Barcelona in a £15 million transfer. He obtained Spanish citizenship shortly after, thereby not being restricted by the Spanish league maximum on the number of non-European Union citizens allowed in each club. Under coach Louis van Gaal, he scored 17 goals in his first season, finishing third best scorer in La Liga.

wn.com/Javier_Saviola
Javier Zanetti
Javier Adelmar Zanetti (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈχaβ̞je̞ɾ saˈne̞ti]; born 10 August 1973 in Dock Sud, Buenos Aires Province) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Serie A club Internazionale. Javier Zanetti has played for Inter since 1995, taking the captain's armband from 29 August 1999. Known for his versatility, he is adept on both the left and right wing, having played on both flanks as a fullback as well as a winger. He slots into several midfield positions with ease, particularly as a defensive or central midfielder. Internationally, he holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team and has played in the 1996 Olympic tournament and in two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002.
Known as "Pupi" in Argentina, Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires, picking up the nickname "El Tractor" (The Tractor) soon after his move to Italy where his strength, resilience, stamina, and his ability to run past opposing defenders when joining the attack from his right back position earned him notoriety. More recently, he plays in the right midfield. He ended a 4-year goal drought when he scored on 5 November 2006. In the national team, he is deployed as a right back but is able to switch between defense and attack easily.

wn.com/Javier_Zanetti
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter "Jimmy" Greaves (born 20 February 1940 in Manor Park, East Ham, England) is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit - famous for his trademark catchphrase it's a funny old game. He is considered to be one of the finest goalscorers of his generation.^{[citation needed]}
Greaves scored on his debut for Chelsea in 1957. He finished as top League goalscorer twice whilst at Chelsea, in 1959 and 1961, and his 41 league goals in the 1960-61 season remains a club record. However, they did not win any major trophies while he was playing for them.
In 1960 he became the youngest player to score 100 league goals in English football, at the age of 20 years 290 days.
He briefly joined the Italian side A.C. Milan in 1961, after reportedly turning down a huge offer from Newcastle United and scored ten goals in 10 games, but he failed to settle and left after only a few months. Bill Nicholson then signed him for Tottenham Hotspur for £99,999. The unusual fee was intended to relieve Greaves of the pressure of being the first £100,000 player. Greaves however has rejected this, claiming Nicholson did not want to be the first manager to sign a player for £100,000. [3]

wn.com/Jimmy_Greaves
Johan Cruyff
Hendrik Johannes Cruijff OON (Dutch: [ˈjoˑɦɑn ˈkrœy̆f]) born 25 April 1947 in Amsterdam), known as Johan Cruyff, is a former Dutch footballer and is currently the manager of the Catalan national team. He won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974, which is a record jointly held with Michel Platini, Marco van Basten and Lionel Messi. Cruyff was one of the most famous exponents of the football philosophy known as Total Football explored by Rinus Michels, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in association football.
After his retirement from playing in 1984, Cruyff became highly successful as manager of Ajax and later FC Barcelona; he remains an influential advisor to both clubs. His son Jordi has also gone on to play football professionally.
In 1999, Cruyff was voted European Player of the Century in an election held by the IFFHS, and came second behind Pelé in their World Player of the Century poll. He came third in a vote organised by the French weekly magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect their Football Player of the Century. He was named as the greatest football player of all time by the Bleacher Report for the combination of his skill and his revolutionary application of Rinus Michels's total football to the sport.

wn.com/Johan_Cruyff
Johan Neeskens
Johannes Jacobus "Johan" Neeskens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjoʊ̯.ɦɑ.nəs ja.ˈkoʊ̯.bʏs ˈjoʊ̯.ɦɑn ˈneɪ̯s.kəns]; born 15 September 1951 in Heemstede, Netherlands) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. As a player, he was an important member of the Dutch national team that finished as runners-up in the 1974 and 1978 FIFA World Cups. Former England manager Alf Ramsey said Neeskens was "as good as any player" in the tournament. He was the assistant coach to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona but was sacked along with Rijkaard as the end of the 2007–08 season. He was the head coach of the Dutch B national team until June 2009, at which date he has been appointed as the assistant coach to Frank Rijkaard at Galatasaray SK.
Neeskens, a native of Heemstede, Noord-Holland, started his career at RCH Heemstede in 1968, before being spotted by Rinus Michels and signed for Ajax in 1970. The youngster impressed at right-back, playing in that position for Ajax in the 1971 European Cup Final win against Panathinaikos. During the 1971–72 season, Neeskens took up more of a central midfield role, in support of Johan Cruijff. He adapted well to his new central midfield role because he was a tireless runner, had great technical skills and scored his fair share of goals. Ajax completed a hat-trick of European Cup wins between 1971 and 1973, and Neeskens moved on to FC Barcelona in 1974 to join Cruijff and Michels. There he was nicknamed Johan Segon (Johan the Second).

wn.com/Johan_Neeskens
John Bosman
Johannes "John" Jacobus Bosman (born 1 February 1965) is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a striker.
A prolific goalscorer for both club and country, he played professionally for 19 years, most notably with Ajax (five seasons) and Anderlecht (five), surpassing the 100-goal mark with both clubs and winning a total of eight major titles combined.
Nicknamed Bossie, Bosman represented Netherlands at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 1988, helping the national team win the latter tournament.
Born in Bovenkerk, Amstelveen, Bosman began his professional career at AFC Ajax, making his Eredivisie debut on 20 November 1983 at the age of 18, in a 5–2 home win against Roda JC, scoring in the match. He finished his first season with four goals in 14 games.
From 1984–87, Bosman and fellow youth graduate Marco van Basten scored an astonishing 138 league goals combined (48 for Bosman), as the Amsterdam outfit won the 1985 national championship and two cups. After van Basten left for A.C. Milan in the 1987 summer, he netted 25 goals in 32 games, with the club finishing second to PSV Eindhoven; he also helped his team to the season's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final, a 0–1 loss against KV Mechelen - the previous year, as Ajax won the competition, he was crowned top scorer with eight goals.

wn.com/John_Bosman
John Charles
William John Charles, CBE (27 December 1931 – 21 February 2004), commonly known as John Charles, was a Welsh international footballer best remembered for spells with Leeds United and Juventus. Rated by many as the greatest all-round footballer ever to come from Wales, he was equally adept at centre-forward or centre-back. He has since been included in the Football League 100 Legends and was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame.
He was never cautioned or sent off during his entire career, due to his philosophy of never kicking or intentionally hurting opposing players. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches, he was nicknamed Il Gigante Buono – The Gentle Giant.
His brother, Mel Charles and nephew Jeremy Charles, also represented Wales.
Charles was born in the Cwmbwrla district of Swansea during late 1931. Charles would play football as a child, with younger brother Mel Charles who also went on to become a professional, later playing alongside each other for the Welsh national team.
While still at school, Charles joined the boys section of the local team Swansea Town, who later became Swansea City. When he left school at age 14, he was taken onto the groundstaff at Vetch Field, yet because of his young age; Third Division Swansea never gave him a first-team call up. His only senior appearances came for the reserve side in the Welsh Football League.

wn.com/John_Charles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles (born 6 November 1940, in Ormond Square,Dublin, Ireland) is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. Since retirement he has served as "the Senior Analyst" on RTÉ Sport's coverage of association football.
Giles grew up in Ormond Square, a working-class area of inner-city Dublin, where he developed much of the skills that would aid him in becoming a professional footballer. He was encouraged to enter the game through his father Christy who played for Bohemians in the 1920s and managed Drumcondra during the 1940s.
The FAI voted Giles as the greatest Republic of Ireland player of the last 50 years at the UEFA Jubilee Awards in 2004. In 2006, he was chosen by supporters at Elland Road as a member of the best ever Leeds United XI.
England's World Cup winning manager, Sir Alf Ramsey, said of Giles' influence as a player on English football:
"As I look at all the talent and character at my disposal today, my one regret is that John Giles wasn't born an Englishman."

wn.com/Johnny_Giles
Jorge Valdano
Jorge Alberto Francisco Valdano Castellanos (born October 4, 1955 in Las Parejas, Santa Fe Province) is an Argentine former football player and the former General Manager of Real Madrid CF.
He is sometimes nicknamed The Philosopher of Football. He was part of the Argentine team that won the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico (he scored Argentina's second goal in their 3-2 victory over Germany), a starter for Spanish giant Real Madrid, and later became sporting director of the Spanish club.
Valdano started playing when he was 16 years old for Rosario's club Newell's Old Boys, where he also started playing professionally, as well as with the Argentina national football team, in 1972. In 1975 he was transferred to Deportivo Alavés of the Spanish Second Division, where he played until 1979. In that year he moved to Real Zaragoza of the first division, and then to Real Madrid in 1984, playing with the Quinta del Buitre. He helped them win the UEFA Cup in 1985 and 1986, scoring once in the 1985 final and twice in the 1986 final. Stricken by Hepatitis, he decided to retire in 1988, and became a sports commentator and Real Madrid youth team's coach. In the 1991/1992 season he became CD Tenerife's coach, helping it avoid relegation, and qualifying for the UEFA Cup in the following season. He went back to Real Madrid, now as coach, and won them the 1994/1995 league. He finally coached Valencia CF in 1996/1997, before becoming Real Madrid's Sporting Director until his resignation in June 2005. In June 2009 he came back to Real Madrid as Director General and Presidential Aide of Real Madrid. He was sacked from the position on 25 May 2011, after his relationship with the coaching staff, especially head coach José Mourinho, had deteriorated.

wn.com/Jorge_Valdano
Josef Masopust
Josef Masopust (born 9 February 1931 in Střimice near Most) is a Czechoslovak former football player and coach. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1962. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of the Czech Republic by the Football Association of the Czech Republic as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He played as midfielder and was an indispensable player for Czechoslovakia. He capped 63 times, scoring 10 goals for his country.
He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
In 1962, Masopust led the Czechoslovakia team that reached the 1962 FIFA World Cup final, losing to Brazil. He scored in the Final and Czechoslovakia took the lead, Brazil however came back to win 3-1. Because of his performance at the World Cup Finals, he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1962. Overall, he was capped 63 times for his country, scoring ten goals (he also played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup). In Europe, he took Czechoslovakia to third place at the 1960 UEFA European Football Championship.

wn.com/Josef_Masopust
Josip Skoblar
Josip "Joško" Skoblar (born 12 March 1941) is a Croatian former football player and manager. He was primarily a forward, and also capable of playing on both wings.
Skoblar was born in Privlaka near Zadar (at the time in the Banovina of Croatia, Kingdom of Yugoslavia). He started his career with NK Zadar (1957–58). He got spotted there by OFK Beograd goalie Perica Radenković who was serving his mandatory army stint in Zadar. Radenković recommended Skoblar to club management and the 19-year-old was soon on his way to Belgrade. With OFK Beograd Skoblar won the Yugoslav Cup in 1962 and 1966. In Germany he played for Hannover 96 (1967–70). In 57 games in Bundesliga, he scored 30 goals.
He was willing to play in Marseilles, but the chairman of Hannover didn't want to lose such a player. Marcel Leclerc, chairman of Marseilles, went to Hannover on a quick journey and came back with the player, it was the beginning of a great adventure with Marseilles. The player was applauded at the airport by many fans.

wn.com/Josip_Skoblar
José Emilio Furtado
José Emílio Robalo Furtado (born 14 March 1983) is a Portuguese footballer of Cape Verdean descent who plays for Panachaiki in Greece, as a striker.
Born in Praia, Cape Verde, Furtado started his football career in Portugal, with F.C. Porto, but finished his formation at lowly Casa Pia AC, in the Lisbon area, where he also made his senior debuts. In the 2003 summer, he returned to Porto, playing one full season with its reserve side, then moved on loan to another modest club, G.D. Tourizense.
In June 2005, Furtado, still on loan from Porto, signed with Bulgarian team FC Vihren Sandanski, where he scored regularly in the A PFG. In the following January transfer window, he was sold to fellow league side PFC CSKA Sofia, for €300.000.
Furtado's spell with the "armymen" also started in a scoring fashion, but eventually ended on a sour note: he fell out with manager Stoycho Mladenov due to disciplinary breaches, and was also involved in a physical confrontation with team captain Valentin Iliev, which led to his return to Portugal.

wn.com/José_Emilio_Furtado
José Francisco Rojo
José Francisco 'Txetxu' Rojo Arroitia (born 28 January 1947) is a retired Spanish footballer and coach.
During his career, the forward played solely for Athletic Bilbao, in a professional career which spanned nearly 20 years. He was one of the club's most iconic players, alongside goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar, and later also worked as a coach with the team.
Born in Bilbao, Biscay, Rojo joined local giants Athletic Club de Bilbao's youth ranks at an early age. In 1965, he started playing for its reserves but, after only three appearances, was promoted to the first team, and stayed there until his professional retirement, 17 years later.
Rojo made his La Liga debut on 26 September 1965 in a game against Córdoba CF, a 1–0 away loss, and helped Athletic to two Spanish Cups. He played a total of 414 games in the Spanish topflight, becoming the player with the second-most appearances in the Basque side's history, only behind goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar.
In 1982, aged 35, Rojo retired from football, beginning a coaching career. A testimonial match was held in his honour, with Athletic Bilbao hosting the English national team. His first manager experience would be with Bilbao Athletic, and he was promoted to first-team duties for the 1989–90 campaign, being sacked in the final months.

wn.com/José_Francisco_Rojo
José Iraragorri
José Iraragorri Ealo (16 March 1912 — 27 April 1983), nicknamed "Chato", was a Spanish footballer. He was born in Basauri. He played for Athletic Bilbao during the periods 1929-1936, 1946-1949. He also played 7 games for the Spain national football team, scoring one goal (two goals according to the official FIFA report) in the 1934 FIFA World Cup match against Brazil.

wn.com/José_Iraragorri
José María Maguregui
José María Maguregui Ibarguchi (born 16 March 1934 in Miravalles, Biscay) is a Spanish retired football midfielder and coach.
Maguregui made his professional debuts in 1952 at the age of 18, with Basque Country giants Athletic Bilbao. After a poor first season in La Liga (12 games, no goals), he became a very important first-team unit, helping it to the 1956 national championship and three Copa del Rey trophies in four years.
In 1963, after amassing official totals of and 235 matches and 42 goals, 29-year old Maguregui left Athletic, retiring after spells with Sevilla FC (two years), RCD Español and Recreativo de Huelva. He gained seven caps for Spain in slightly less than two years, scoring in his debut on 19 June 1955, a friendly 3–0 win in Switzerland.
After managing his hometown club in amateur football, Maguregui moved to Sestao Sport, also in his native region. In 1972, the 38-year old was appointed at Racing de Santander, achieving two top flight promotions with the Cantabrians, and remaining five years with the team.

wn.com/José_María_Maguregui
José María Peña
Anacleto José María Peña Salegui (19 April 1895 – 13 January 1988) was a Spanish professional association football player. Born Las Arenas, he started playing football at Arenas de Getxo as a midfielder.
He became famous after he moved to Madrid and signed with Real Madrid C.F.. He played for the club for 5 years, from 1926 to 1931.
During his career he won two zonal championships and played 21 times for Spain national football team.

wn.com/José_María_Peña
José Murcia
José 'Pepe' Murcia González (born 3 December 1964 in Córdoba, Andalusia) is a Spanish football coach.
Murcia coached several local youth teams in his early years, including Córdoba CF. After a successful spell with the reserves (two consecutive promotions all the way to Tercera División), he was one of four managers for the club's first team in the 2001–02 season, achieving four wins, two draws and two losses during his eight games in charge, with the Andalusians eventually retaining their Segunda División status.
Murcia then plied his trade in Segunda División B, leading Atlético Madrid's B-team to the league championship in his first season, albeit with no playoff promotion. On 9 January 2006, following a 0–0 La Liga home draw against Valencia CF, he was appointed the Colchoneros' first team's manager, replacing sacked Argentine Carlos Bianchi; the team ranked 12th at that time, going on to finish the season in 10th position.
Murcia spent the following four seasons in the second level with as many teams, not managing to finish one single campaign, but with none of the clubs eventually losing its division status. On 30 November 2009, following a 2–3 home loss against CD Numancia, he was fired at Albacete Balompié due to negative results, with the Castile-La Mancha side in 16th position at that time - eventually finishing 15th.

wn.com/José_Murcia
Juan Arza
Juan Arza Iñigo (12 June 1923 – 17 July 2011) was a Spanish football forward and manager.
He spent the majority of his career with Sevilla, appearing in 414 official games over the course of 16 La Liga seasons (207 goals, best-ever in the club's history), and also managed his main team on several occasions.
Born in Estella-Lizarra, Navarre, Arza's first club was hometown's CD Izarra. He moved to neighbouring Deportivo Alavés (Basque Country) subsequently, then to CD Málaga, staying for a season with the latter team.
In 1943, aged 20, Arza continued in Andalusia and joined Sevilla FC, where he had his most enduring and successful spell, scoring an hat-trick on his official debut, a 5–2 home win against CE Sabadell FC on 26 September, and netting 57 in his first four seasons combined - in 1946, the club won its first ever La Liga championship, with the player contributing with 14.
Dubbed El Niño de Oro ("The Golden Boy"), Arza scored a career-best 29 goals in the 1954–55 season, good enough for his first and only Pichichi Trophy. After only seven games in 1959–60, the 36-year old left Sevilla to join Atlético Almería, and retired a year later. He went on to coach his main team as an interim on several occasions, not being able to prevent top flight relegation in 1967–68, after 12 games in charge; he also worked with the club as match delegate in the 80's and 90's and, as a coach, was also namely in charge of Celta de Vigo (five separate seasons, four in the top division).

wn.com/Juan_Arza
Juan Barbas
Juan Alberto Barbas (born August 23, 1959 in San Martín, Buenos Aires) is a retired Argentine football defensive midfielder, He played for a number of clubs in Argentina, Spain, Italy and Switzerland before turning his hand to management in 2009 with Racing Club de Avellaneda.
Barbas started his career in 1977 at Racing Club de Avellaneda in the Primera Division Argentina. He then went on to play for Real Zaragoza in Spain, U.S. Lecce in Italy, FC Locarno and FC Sion in Switzerland.
Barbas was a part of the Sion team that won the 1991-1992 Swiss Championship.
After another spell at Locarno Barbas returned to Argentina where he had a short spell with Club Atlético Huracán before dropping down to the lower leagues to play for Alvarado de Mar del Plata and then All Boys where he retired in 1997.
Barbas was part of the Argentina Under-20 squad that won the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, he went on to play for Argentina 33 times including appearances at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
On 13 October 2009 Racing Club de Avellaneda officials hired their former player as their caretaker coach, replacing Ricardo Caruso Lombardi.

wn.com/Juan_Barbas
Juan Román Riquelme
Juan Román Riquelme (born 24 June 1978) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Boca Juniors as an attacking midfielder.
A playmaker, he combines passing, vision and skills with goalscoring ability from midfield. He spent most of his career with Boca Juniors, but also had a significant spell in Spain with Villarreal. He was named the Argentine Footballer of the Year four times.
A longtime Argentine international, Riquelme represented the nation at the 2006 World Cup and two Copa América tournaments.
Born in San Fernando, Buenos Aires, Riquelme was born into a family of ten in poverty, and grew up in Don Torcuato. Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate spotted him when he was a youth player for Argentinos Juniors, and he chose to move to the former in 1995 for US$800,000, as he had been a fan of the club since childhood.
On 10 November 1996, aged 18, Riquelme made his Primera División debut, in a 2–0 win against Unión de Santa Fe. Two weeks later, he scored his first senior goal, in a 6–0 triumph over Club Atlético Huracán.

wn.com/Juan_Román_Riquelme
Juan Sebastián Verón
Juan Sebastián Verón (born 9 March 1975) is an Argentinian professional football player who is the current captain and midfielder for Estudiantes de La Plata in the Argentine Primera División. Verón's career started in Estudiantes, continued in Argentina's Boca Juniors, and included stints in several Serie A clubs (where he won the Scudetto with Lazio and with Internazionale, and a UEFA Cup with Parma), and England's Manchester United and Chelsea. In 2006, Verón returned to Estudiantes.
In 2004, he was included in the FIFA 100 centenary list of the 125 greatest living footballers, selected by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary celebrations. Verón has both Argentine and Italian citizenship. His nickname is La Brujita (Little Witch), a nod to his father Juan Ramón who was known as La Bruja (The Witch) and was also a championship winning player with Estudiantes.
Juan Sebastián Verón is the eldest son of former Argentina striker Juan Ramón Verón, who scored against Manchester United in the 1968 Intercontinental Cup at Old Trafford for Estudiantes. He was born the day his father played a derby for Estudiantes against cross-town rivals Gimnasia y Esgrima. As a boy, Verón dreamed of playing for English club Sheffield United, as his uncle, Pedro Verde, played for the club at the time. When his son started to play professionally, his father tried to persuade one of his former clubs Panathinaikos to sign him. However, after a short trial with them, they finally decided that he was not good enough for their team. After his transfer to Manchester United, Verón said, "So there I was hoping to play for Sheffield United and here I am at Manchester United!"

wn.com/Juan_Sebastián_Verón
Julio César Romero
Julio César Romero Insfrán, nicknamed Romerito (born 28 August 1960 in Luque, Paraguay) is a former football midfielder from Paraguay, considered among the best players in Paraguayan football history. He is the only Paraguayan named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.
Romero started his career at local club Sportivo Luqueño in 1977, by 1979 Romerito's consistent performances had earned him a place in the Paraguay national football team that played in the FIFA World Youth Championship and was considered one of the best players of the tournament along with Maradona. In the same year, Romerito played the Copa América which was eventually won by Paraguay.
In 1980 he joined now defunct New York Cosmos where he played alongside such greats as Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer.
Romero moved to Brazil to play for Fluminense where he was selected as the South American Footballer of the Year in 1985. He became a fan favorite after leading the team to a Campeonato Brasileiro.

wn.com/Julio_César_Romero
Jupp Heynckes
Josef "Jupp" Heynckes (born 9 May 1945 in Mönchengladbach) is a former football player and manager currently the manager of Bayern Munich of the Fußball-Bundesliga. As player he belonged to the core of the team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and 1970s where he won many national championships and the Cup as well as the UEFA Cup. He was a member of the West German national squad that won the European Championship and the World Cup in the first half of the 1970s. As manager he won two German championships with Bayern Munich and the 1997–98 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, their first title in the competition in more than thirty years.
Heynckes played 369 matches in the German Bundesliga, scoring 220 goals. His tally is the third highest in this league, after Gerd Müller's 365 goals and Klaus Fischer's 268 goals.
He started his playing career in 1964 with Borussia Mönchengladbach who were in the second division. In 1965 the club, managed by the legendary Hennes Weisweiler, achieved promotion to the Bundesliga. Heynckes stayed on for two more years and then left for Hannover 96, where he spent three years.

wn.com/Jupp_Heynckes
Just Fontaine
Just "Justo" Fontaine (born 18 August 1933 in Marrakech, Morocco) is a former French football player.
He holds the record for most goals scored in a single FIFA World Cup finals tournament, with 13 in 1958. He has also scored the fourth most goals for any player in the World Cup finals overall, beaten only by Ronaldo, who scored fifteen goals (in three World Cup tournaments), Gerd Müller who scored 14 goals (in two World Cup tournaments) and Miroslav Klose (in three World Cup tournaments), who scored fourteen goals as well. Although France did not win the 1958 World Cup, Fontaine became the second player after Alcides Ghiggia to score in every match of a World Cup.
Though born in Marrakech, he moved to Casablanca, where he attended the Lycée Lyautey.
Fontaine began his amateur career at USM Casablanca, where he played from 1950 to 1953. Nice recruited him in 1953, and he went on to score 44 goals in three seasons for the club. In 1956, he moved on to Stade de Reims where he teamed up with Raymond Kopa, Kopa went to Real Madrid in 1958, Fontaine scored 121 goals in six seasons at the Stade de Reims. In total, Fontaine scored 165 goals in 200 matches in the Ligue 1, and twice won the championship; in 1958 and 1960.

wn.com/Just_Fontaine
Ján Popluhár
Ján Popluhár (12 September 1935 – 6 March 2011) was a former Slovak football player who played primarily for club ŠK Slovan Bratislava and was also a member of the Czechoslovakia national team, playing in two World Cups (1958 and 1962).
Popluhár started his football career after high school with RH Brno. However, he is best known for the 15 seasons he spent with ŠK Slovan Bratislava where he made 262 competitive appearances in defence, scoring 21 goals, and following further stints with Brno and Zbrojovka Brno finished on 306 Czechoslovakian league games and a goalscoring tally of 24. After finishing his career with Slovan in 1968 he moved to French league side Olympique Lyonnais. Two seasons there were enough, but subsequently he spent five years with Austrian amateur club SK Slovan Vienna as player/coach. Many of the thousands of fans in Vienna thought that Popluhár would be shown up by players twenty years younger than he was, but this did not happen. However, at the age of 44 Popluhár realised that his playing career was over.

wn.com/Ján_Popluhár
János Göröcs
János Göröcs (Gánt, 8 May 1939) was a Hungarian footballer. He played for the club Újpesti Dózsa as a striker and a midfielder, and later for Tatabányai Bányász. He played 62 games and scored 19 goals for the Hungary national football team. He is most famous for his participation in the bronze medal winning Hungarian team on the 1960 Summer Olympic Games and for playing on the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He later became trainer of Újpest.

wn.com/János_Göröcs
Júnior Moraes
Aluísio Chaves Ribeiro Moraes Júnior, commonly known as Júnior Moraes, Ribeiro Moraes or simply Moraes (born April 4, 1987) is a Brazilian striker who currently plays for CSKA Sofia.
Júnior Moraes was born in a family of sportsmen. His father was a very good player for Flamengo and Santos, his brother Bruno was also a player for Santos and Porto and still in activity, while his sister played also football but ended her career because of an injury. His mother was a Paulista champion on tennis.
He started to play football in São Paulo when he was 4 years old, being in the same group with Robinho.
Júnior Moraes being promoted on the senior team by the coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo at the age of 18. The player made his debut in the Campeonato Brasileiro for the first team of Santos, in the same squad with Robinho, Diego, Marcelo or Zago, playing 15 matches in the season 2006/2007 and scoring 1 goal in the 3-0 win against Botafogo. Then he scored again in the first round of Campeonato Brasileiro in the season 2007/2008 in the 3-1 win against Flamengo, but this match was his last appearance for Santos in the national championship, because he was loaned then by Ponte Preta.

wn.com/Júnior_Moraes
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann (born 30 July 1964 in Göppingen) is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States men's National team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that won the 1996 UEFA European Championship. One of West Germany's/Germany's premier strikers during the 1990s, Klinsmann scored in all six major international tournaments he participated, from Euro 1988 to 1998 World Cup.
He managed the German national team to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup. On 12 July 2006, Klinsmann officially announced that he would step down as Germany's coach after two years in charge and be replaced by assistant coach Joachim Löw. He took over as coach of Bayern Munich in July 2008, when Ottmar Hitzfeld stepped down to take over as the head coach of the Swiss National Team. On 27 April 2009 he was released early, even though he had won five of the previous seven league games and was only three points behind league leader VfL Wolfsburg. In the jointly initiated reforms at Bayern it emerged there was a severe clash of opinions between coach and club management.

wn.com/Jürgen_Klinsmann
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈkaɾdu iˈzɛksõw duˈsɐ̃tus ˈlejtʃi]; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká (Portuguese: [kaˈka] ( listen)), is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club. At the time, he also played tennis, and it was not until he moved on to São Paulo FC and signed his first professional contract with the club at the age of 15 that he chose to focus on football.
In 2003 he joined Milan for a fee of €8.5 million. While at Milan, Kaká won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2007. After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a transfer fee of €65 million, second only to that of Zinedine Zidane, €75 million. Later Real Madrid transferred Cristiano Ronaldo for a fee of €96 million, setting a new transfer fee record, making Kaka's fee the third highest ever. In addition to his contributions on the pitch, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, by the time of his appointment, he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme. Kaka is the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers in twitter.

wn.com/Kaká
Kees Kist
Kees Kist (born August 7, 1952 in Steenwijk, Overijssel) is a retired football striker from the Netherlands, who obtained 21 caps for his national team, in which he scored four goals, in the years 1975–1980. He played for SC Heerenveen (1970–1972), AZ '67 (now AZ) (1972–1982), winning the Dutch title in 1981, Paris Saint-Germain (1982–1983), FC Mulhouse (1983–1984), AZ (1984–1986), and returned for his last season to SC Heerenveen. Kist scored 259 goals in 441 games for AZ. He made 212 of these goals while AZ Alkmaar was in the highest division (eredivisie), which puts him in fourth place on the all-time leaders list, behind Willy van der Kuijlen, Ruud Geels and Johan Cruijff. He was the first Dutch player to win the European Golden Boot in 1979, after having scored 34 goals in the 1978-79 season for AZ.

wn.com/Kees_Kist
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish (Scottish pronunciation: [dɛlɡliːʃ]) MBE (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former footballer and manager. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two clubs, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is Scotland's most capped player, with 102 appearances, and joint leading goal scorer, with 30 international goals. Dalglish was voted PFA Player of the Year for the 1982–83 season, and Football Writers' Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1983. In 2009 FourFourTwo magazine named Dalglish as the greatest striker in post-war British football, and in 2006 he topped a Liverpool fans' poll of "100 Players Who Shook the Kop". He has been inducted into both the Scottish and English football Halls of Fame.
Dalglish began his career with Celtic and between 1971 and 1977 he won four Scottish First Division titles, four Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup with the club. In 1977, Bob Paisley paid a British transfer record of £440,000 to bring Dalglish to Liverpool. His years at Liverpool marked one of the club's most successful periods: he won seven league titles, three European Cups and five domestic trophies. For these achievements and his style of play he was given the name King Kenny by Liverpool supporters. Dalglish became player-manager of Liverpool in 1985 and in a six-year tenure won three league titles and two FA Cups. He resigned as Liverpool manager in 1991.

wn.com/Kenny_Dalglish
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE (born 14 February 1951) is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United.
As a player in the 1970s and 1980s, he has been described as "arguably the first superstar English player to attract the modern media spotlight". He began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968, before moving to Liverpool of Division One in 1971. At Liverpool, Keegan won three First Division titles, two UEFA Cups, one FA Cup and the European Cup. He also gained his first England cap in 1972, and moved to German top-flight club Hamburger SV in the summer of 1977. At Hamburg he was crowned European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979, won the Bundesliga title in 1978–79, and reached the European Cup final the following year. Keegan moved to Southampton that summer, and spent two seasons at the club before a transfer to second-tier Newcastle United in 1982. He helped Newcastle to promotion in his second season, and retired from football in 1984, having been capped 63 times for England, scoring 21 goals.

wn.com/Kevin_Keegan
Khoren Oganesian
Khoren Georgijević Oganesian(Hovhannisyan) (Armenian: Խորեն Հովհաննիսյան, born on 10 January 1955 in Yerevan, Soviet Union) is a former Armenian and Soviet football midfielder, and a member of the USSR national football team. At the club level, he mostly played for Ararat Yerevan. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Armenia by the Football Federation of Armenia as the most outstanding player of the past 50 years.

wn.com/Khoren_Oganesian
Khristo Markov
Khristo Ganchev Markov (Bulgarian: Христо Ганчев Мaрков) (born January 27, 1965 in Dimitrovgrad) is a former triple jumper from Bulgaria, best known for becoming Olympic champion in 1988. He also won the European and world championships. Markov was also the coach of compatriot Tereza Marinova (between 1997 and 2008), who won gold in the same discipline at the 2000 Olympics.

wn.com/Khristo_Markov
Kiril Dinchev
Kiril Tonev Dinchev (Bulgarian: Кирил Динчев) (born 8 May 1989) is a Bulgarian football defender who currently plays for Litex Lovech.

wn.com/Kiril_Dinchev
Kiril Milanov
Kiril Milanov (Bulgarian: Кирил Миланов) (born September 17, 1948 in Sofia; died January 25, 2011) was a Bulgarian football player.
He played in Marek Dupnitsa between 1966 and 1971, Akademik Sofia between 1971 and 1973 and in Levski Sofia between 1973 and 1978. Kiril has 110 caps and 64 goals. He played for Bulgaria national football team, earning 21 caps and scored 4 goals. Holds the record for most goals in European club football for a single game with 6 and a tie 10. He accomplished both against Finnish Cup Winners Reipas Lahti in 1976 scoring 6 in Sofia and 4 in the away game.

wn.com/Kiril_Milanov
Koldo
Jesús Luis Álvarez de Eulate (born 4 September 1970), aka Koldo, is a retired Andorran footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and the current manager of the Andorra national football team.
Born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, Basque Country, Spain, Koldo played his entire career in the country. He signed in the 1991 January transfer window with Atlético Madrid, from local CD Aurrerá de Vitoria, but struggled to appear even for the reserves; due to injury to main squad first-choice Abel Resino, he was on the substitutes bench in the 1990–91 Copa del Rey final, against RCD Mallorca.
Koldo resumed his career in the lower leagues, being second or third-choice. In 1994, he signed with FC Andorra which competed in the Spanish football league system, going on to remain with the club for 14 of the following 15 seasons, retiring at nearly 39 years of age. After being naturalized, he began appearing with the Andorra national team, making his debut on 3 June 1998 in a 0–3 friendly loss with Brazil.
In 10 June 2009, Koldo played his last international, a 0–6 defeat against England for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Arguably of one the best players in the match, he received a standing ovation from the opposing fans for his efforts, after he was substituted in injury time. Previously, in November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as Andorra's Golden Player by the Andorran Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.

wn.com/Koldo
Krasimir Balakov
Krasimir Genchev Balakov (Bulgarian: Красимир Балъков) (born 29 March 1966) is a Bulgarian former footballer and current manager. He was a key member of the Bulgarian national team that finished fourth in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. After Hristo Stoichkov, he is considered the greatest Bulgarian footballer of his generation.
Balakov began his club career at the local Etar Veliko Tarnovo, before transferring to Portugal's Sporting in 1990, where he won the 1994–95 Portuguese Cup. In 1995, he transferred to Germany's VfB Stuttgart where he won two UEFA Intertoto Cups (2000 and 2002) and a DFB-Pokal (1997), before retiring in 2003. As an attacking midfielder Balakov formed a successful attacking partnership with strikers Fredi Bobic and Giovane Elber at Stuttgart. The trio were known as the "magic triangle".
The year after he retired, Krasimir became assistant coach of the club he had just retired from, VfB Stuttgart. He stayed at this position for two years before deciding to become a player-manager at VFC Plauen. He had been appointed on 16 January 2006 as a manager of Grasshopper-Club Zürich to replace Hanspeter Latour who left for 1. FC Köln. Balakov managed to win the Intertoto Cup thus qualified the club to the UEFA Cup for 2006–07 season. He had been appointed on 29 October 2007 as a manager of FC St. Gallen to replace Rolf Fringer. Three days before the season ended, he was fired by the club management. In December 2008, he became manager of PFC Chernomorets Burgas in his homeland. On 6 December 2010, he was released from PFC Chernomorets Burgas after mutual consent, following a change in the long-term vision for the club by the owner Mitko Sabev. On 27 May 2011, it was announced that Balakov will take over the helm of Croatian club Hajduk Split. On 22 March 2012, Balakov was appointed the manager of 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He was sacked on 17 May 2012, after being unable to prevent Kaiserslautern's relegation to 2. Bundesliga.

wn.com/Krasimir_Balakov
Krasimir Borisov
Krasimir Borisov (born 8 April 1950) is a Bulgarian football forward who played for Bulgaria in the 1974 FIFA World Cup. He also played for PFC Levski Sofia.

wn.com/Krasimir_Borisov
Krum Milev
Krum Milev was a Bulgarian football player and manager.
He played for Botev Sofia, Slavia Sofia and Lokomotiv Sofia. He obtained 18 caps with Bulgaria.
He was the topscorer of the Bulgarian National Football Division 1937-38.
He managed CSKA Sofia, winning the Bulgarian league 11 times with them,Bulgaria, Beroe Stara Zagora and Beşiktaş.

wn.com/Krum_Milev
Kurt Hamrin
Kurt Roland Hamrin (born 19 November 1934 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a former Swedish footballer. He is currently the seventh highest goalscorer of all-time in Italy's Serie A with 190 goals. He was best known as goal scoring winger with incredible dribbling ability.
Hamrin first played for AIK in Sweden, whom he joined in the 1952-53 season. He then joined Juventus in 1956 and played 23 games during his single season there. After that one season, he joined Padova, where he scored 20 goals in 30 games. He would only stay there for one season again, however, and he then joined Fiorentina in 1958, where stayed until 1967, playing 289 Serie A games and scoring 150 goals. While at Fiorentina, he won the Coppa Italia in 1961 and 1966. He joined A.C. Milan in 1967 and played there for two seasons, winning the league in 1968. He also scored both goals for Milan as they overcame Hamburg 2-0 in the 1968 European Cup Winners' Cup Final. His final Italian club was Napoli, whom he joined from Milan in 1969.

wn.com/Kurt_Hamrin
Károly Fogl
Károly Fogl, also known as Károly Fogoly, "Károly Újpesti" and "Fogl II" (19 January 1895 – 12 January 1969) was a Hungarian footballer who played for Újpest FC, as well as representing the Hungarian national football team at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Fogl was born in Újpest, Budapest, Hungary^{[citation needed]}. Between 1918 and 1929 he played 50 games and scored 2 goals for the Hungarian national team as a right defender. Together with his younger brother, József Fogl III, the two Fogls formed the legendary "Fogl-gate" (Fogl-gát in Hungarian), an extremely powerful and tough defending formation for more than a decade.
Fogl II won the 1929-30 season with Újpest and served as a captain of the club for a decade.
After his player career, he went on to coach Sportklub Sofia and the Bulgarian national football team. Later he managed Juventus Bucuresti and in 1937 he led Győri ETO to the Hungarian top division NB I for the first time in the club's history. He joined Warta Poznań as a manager in 1938, leading the club to their second national championship title in 1947. He died on 12 January 1969 in Budapest.

wn.com/Károly_Fogl
Károly Plattkó
Károly Plattkó also known as Carlos Platko was a Hungarian football player and manager who coached Sporting de Gijón,Real Valladolid, Celta de Vigo, and Girona FC in Spain. His brothers were Franz Platko and Esteban Platko.

wn.com/Károly_Plattkó
Laureano Ruiz
Laureano Ruiz Quevedo (born 21 October 1937 in Escobedo de Villafufre, Cantabria) is a retired Spanish footballer and manager.
Ruiz played for local Racing de Santander and Gimnástica de Torrelavega, ending his career at the age of 28 to become a fulltime coach. At the age of 15, he had his first experiences as a manager, and often accumulated duties whilst still an active footballer. His first professional spell was with the former club in the 1967–68 season, being relegated from Segunda División.
In the following years, Ruiz worked extensively in youth football, being charged with FC Barcelona's cantera in the 70s/80s, as well as the Generalitat of Catalonia's youth facilities.
In 1975–76, Ruiz was in charge of Barcelona's first team for six La Liga games, taking the place of German Hennes Weisweiler. He managed three wins - including one at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium against Real Madrid on 30 April 1976 (2–0) - two draws and one loss during his spell, as the Catalans finished in second position; he was replaced by Rinus Michels in the summer, but continued working with the club.

wn.com/Laureano_Ruiz
Leonel Sánchez
Leonel Guillermo Sánchez Lineros (born April 25, 1936 in Santiago de Chile) is a former professional football player.
Regarded as one of Chile's most important players, Sánchez holds the record for most games played for Chile with 84 games and 23 goals between 1955 and 1968. Mundial scorer of 62 in Chile.
Sanchez was the son of a professional boxer.
He played at left midfield for over 20 years between 1953 and 1973. 17 of those 20 were for Universidad de Chile, where he was the icon of the Ballet Azul (Blue Ballet), a team that won 6 national championships between 1959 and 1969.
Four of his 23 international goals were at the 1962 World Cup, where he was the top scorer along with five other players. In that World Cup he also knocked out the Italian player Mario David with a hook in a dispute in the infamous Chile - Italy match.
Sánchez remained in Universidad de Chile, although he received numerous offers from well known European clubs such as AC Milan. In 1969, after a contract rule was settled, Universidad de Chile was forced to sell him. He finished his career playing for different Chilean clubs such as Colo-Colo, Palestino and Ferroviarios.

wn.com/Leonel_Sánchez
Leopold Nitsch
Leopold Nitsch (14 August 1897 – January 1977) was an Austrian footballer and coach.

wn.com/Leopold_Nitsch
Lev Yashin
Lev Ivanovich Yashin (Russian: Лев Ива́нович Я́шин) (22 October 1929 – 20 March 1990) nicknamed as "The Black Spider", "The Black Octopus" or "The Lion", was a Soviet-Russian football goalkeeper, considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the game. He was known for his superior athleticism in goal, imposing stature, amazing reflex saves and inventing the idea of goalkeeper sweeping. Yashin was voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS.
Yashin was born in Moscow into a family of industrial workers. At twelve years of age, the Second World War forced him to turn to factory work to aid in the war effort. He was sent to work in a military factory in Moscow, where he played for its football team. It was there that he was spotted and invited to join the Dynamo Moscow youth team. Yashin’s debut for Dynamo came in 1950 in a friendly match. It was not the debut he would have hoped for, as he conceded a soft goal scored straight from a clearance by the opposing keeper. That year he played in only two league games, and did not appear in a senior match again until 1953. But he remained determined, and stayed at Dynamo in the reserves waiting for another opportunity. Yashin also played goalie for the Dynamo ice hockey team during those early years of trying to break into the senior squad. He managed to win a USSR ice hockey cup in 1953 and was third in the USSR hockey championship as goalkeeper.

wn.com/Lev_Yashin
Leônidas da Silva
Leônidas da Silva (Portuguese pronunciation: [leˈõnidɐz dɐ ˈsiwvɐ]; born Rio de Janeiro, 6 September 1913 – died, Cotia, 24 January 2004) was an association footballer and commentator. He is regarded to be one of the most important players of the first half of the 20th century. He played for Brazil in two World Cups, and was the top scorer of the 1938 World Cup.
He was known as the "Black Diamond", and as the "Rubber Man" – due to his elasticity. He is known for having created the bicycle kick.
Leônidas, born in Rio de Janeiro, started his career at São Cristóvão. In 1931 and in 1932, he played for Bonsucesso.
He joined Peñarol in Uruguay in 1933. After one year, he came back to Brazil to play for Vasco da Gama. He helped them win the Rio State Championship. After playing in the World Cup in 1934 he joined Botafogo and won another Rio State Championship in 1935. On the following year, he joined Flamengo, where he stayed until 1941. Once again, in 1939, he won Rio State Championship. He also fought prejudice, being one of the first black players to join the then-elitist Flamengo team.

wn.com/Leônidas_da_Silva
Lilian Thuram
Lilian Thuram (born Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien on 1 January 1972 in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe) is a retired professional football defender and is the most capped player in the history of the France national team, and one of the twenty most capped players of all time.
He played at the top flight in France, Italy and Spain for over 15 seasons, including ten in the Serie A with both Parma and Juventus. With France national football team, Thuram won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Thuram holds the record for most appearances at the European Championship, with 16.
Thuram's football career began with AS Monaco of the French Ligue 1 in 1991. He then transferred to Parma FC (1996–2001) and then to Juventus FC (2001–2006) for £25 million, and eventually to FC Barcelona in 2006.
Thuram started his professional career with AS Monaco in 1991. He only made 1 appearance that season, but was officially promoted to the first team the following season, when he would go on to make 19 appearances. He was inserted into the starting eleven by the end of 1992 and would go onto make 155 league appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit, before transferring to Parma FC in the summer of 1996. He made his national team debut in 1994, while at Monaco.

wn.com/Lilian_Thuram
Lilyana Tomova
Lilyana Tomova-Todorova (Bulgarian: Лиляна Томова-Тодорова), born 9 August 1946) is a retired Bulgarian sprinter and middle distance runner who specialized in the 400, 800 and 1500 metres.
She was born in Plovdiv, and represented the club Trakiya Plovdiv. She won a silver medal in a 4 x 392 metres relay race at the 1974 European Indoor Championships. She also reached the final of the 800 metres event, but did not finish the race. At the 1974 European Championships in the summer she won the gold medal in the 800 metres and silver in the 1500 metres. In winning gold she beat the reigning Olympic 800 metres bronze medallist Gunhild Hoffmeister by 0.67 seconds, but Hoffmeister won the 1500 metres.
Tomova-Todorova continued to win the silver medal in the 800 metres at the 1976 European Indoor Championships. She competed once at the Olympic Games, in 1976. Here she finished second in her initial 800 metres heat, but was knocked out in the semi-finals. She also competed in the 4 x 400 metres relay, but the team did not progress past the first round.

wn.com/Lilyana_Tomova
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés Messi (Spanish pronunciation: [ljoˈnel anˈdɾes ˈmesi], born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine footballer who plays in La Liga for FC Barcelona and is the captain of the Argentina national team, mainly as a forward.
By the age of 21, Messi had received Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations. The following year in 2009 he won both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year, and won the inaugural FIFA Ballon d'Or in 2010 and 2011. He also won the 2010–11 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. Messi is the fourth football player to win three Ballons d'Or, after Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten and the second player to win three consecutive Ballons d'Or, after Michel Platini. His playing style and small stature have drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona, who himself declared Messi as his "successor".
Messi has won five La Liga titles and three Champions League titles. In 2012, Messi made UEFA Champions League history by becoming the first player to score five goals in one match, in a 7–1 win against Bayer Leverkusen. With two goals in the next round against A.C. Milan, he matched José Altafini's record of 14 goals in a single UEFA Champions League/European Cup season. He also became the first player to top-score in four successive European Champion Clubs' Cup campaigns. He set the world record for most goals scored in a season during the 2011–12 season, with 73 goals.

wn.com/Lionel_Messi
Ljupko Petrović
Ljubomir "Ljupko" Petrović (Serbian Cyrillic: Љубомир Петровић Љупко) (born 15 May 1947) is a Bosnian Serb former football player, today a football manager of FC Taraz in Kazakhstan Premier League. He was the winner of the European Cup in 1991 with Red Star.
Born in Brusnica Velika village near Bosanski Brod, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FPR Yugoslavia, Petrović played for the NK Osijek during most of his career. He is remembered as one of the best player of the generation which achieve promotion for NK Osijek in late 1970s. After his career at NK Osijek he also spent some time in the United States.
As a manager, he has been in charge of NK Osijek, FK Spartak Subotica, FK Rad, FK Vojvodina, and finally Red Star, with whom he won the 1991 European Cup. He has also managed Spanish RCD Espanyol, Uruguayan C.A. Peñarol, Austrian Grazer AK and Chinese Shanghai Shenhua and Beijing Guoan. He had another two spells at Red Star before moving to Bulgaria in the 2000s to coach PFC Levski Sofia and later PFC Litex Lovech. He came back to Serbia in March 2008 to become the manager of OFK Beograd, but he resigned from this position one month later. July 2, 2008, Petrović became the head coach of Croatian First League team Croatia Sesvete, thus becoming the first Serbian head coach of a Croatian first division team after the Yugoslav wars. On December 23, 2008 he was appointed for the head coach of his former team FK Vojvodina from Novi Sad, title challengers in the Serbian Superliga for 2008-09 season. Yet, after gaining only one point in the first two matches of the second part of the season, he resigned from this position on March 8, 2009. As of 2010 he is coached Croatian side NK Lokomotiva a youth division of Croatian football giant NK Dinamo Zagreb.

wn.com/Ljupko_Petrović
Lothar Emmerich
Lothar ("Emma") Emmerich (29 November 1941 – 13 August 2003) was a German football player. He was born in Dortmund-Dorstfeld and died in Hemer.

wn.com/Lothar_Emmerich
Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus German pronunciation: [ˈloːtaɐ̯ maˈtɛːʊs], (born 21 March 1961 in Erlangen, West Germany) is a German football manager and former player.
In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup. One year later, he was also named the first ever FIFA World Player of the Year.
He has played in five World Cups (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998) more than any other outfield player, and holds the record for the most World Cup matches played (25 games). He also won Euro 80, and played in Euro 84, Euro 88, and Euro 2000. In 1999, he was again voted German Footballer of the Year despite being 38 years old. He is the most capped German player of all time, retiring with a total of 150 appearances (83 of them when the team was called West Germany) and 23 goals for the German national team. Matthäus is a member of the FIFA 100 – a list of 125 of the greatest living football players chosen by Pelé. Maradona said about Matthäus "he is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him" in his book Yo soy el Diego (I am Diego).

wn.com/Lothar_Matthäus
Louis Hon
Louis Hon (11 September 1924 – 5 January 2008) was a French association football defender and manager. He notably played for Real Madrid.

wn.com/Louis_Hon
Louis Pilot
Louis Pilot (born 11 November 1940 in Esch-sur-Alzette) is a former Luxembourgian football player and manager.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's jubilee, he was selected by the Luxembourg Football Federation as the country's Golden Player - the greatest player of the last 50 years.
Pilot started his footballing career at his home town club CS Fola Esch, before signing for Belgian team Standard Liège at the age of 20. He went on to play 337 times for Standard, winning 4 Belgian league titles and 2 Belgian cups and then moved onto Royal Antwerp and Racing Jet. Pilot also represented the national team, winning 49 caps between 1959 and 1971, scoring seven goals in this time. He played in 14 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.
He retired from playing football in 1978.
Later that year, Pilot returned to Luxembourg and became the national team coach on April 12, leading his nation in this capacity until 1984, when he became the head coach at the club where he had enjoyed his most successful playing period, Standard Liège. He lasted only one season at Standard, before returning to Luxembourg and taking up similar roles at Etzella Ettelbruck and FC Avenir Beggen, before assuming a less active role in football.

wn.com/Louis_Pilot
Luca Toni
Luca Toni, Ufficiale OMRI (born 26 May 1977) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for UAE Pro-League club Al Nasr. He had successful spells at top clubs such as Palermo, Fiorentina, Bayern Munich, and Roma, as well as a short stint at Juventus. Toni is highly regarded for his goal scoring ability as can be seen by his prolific goals to games ratio at many of his clubs.
His style is at times seen as being unorthodox. His strength, however, and power have seen him become one of Serie A's most lethal finishers of the past decade. As well as the medals he has collected, he has also won several individual honours, including the Capocannonieri for the 2005–06 season in which he scored 31 goals, as well as finishing topscorer with 24 goals in the 2007–08 Fußball-Bundesliga.
Toni started his professional career at Modena. This was followed by a number of seasons spent around Serie B and Serie C1 with teams such as Empoli, Fiorenzuola, and Lodigiani. After a Serie B season with Treviso in 1999, he moved to Vicenza, playing in Serie A for the first time. He then moved to Brescia, playing for two seasons alongside Roberto Baggio.

wn.com/Luca_Toni
Luciano Chiarugi
Luciano Chiarugi (Italian pronunciation: [luˈtʃano kjaˈrudʒi]; born January 13, 1947 in Ponsacco, Province of Pisa) is an Italian football manager and former player.
Chiarugi started his career with ACF Fiorentina, being part of the lineup that won the 1968–69 Serie A title. After seven seasons with the viola, Chiarugi moved to AC Milan in 1972, being instrumental to the rossoneri triumph in the 1972–73 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, won thanks to a goal by him in the final match against Leeds United.
In 1976 he was sold to Napoli in an exchange bid with Giorgio Braglia. He played two seasons with the azzurri, winning a Coppa Italia and an Anglo-Italian Cup. He played for Serie B team Sampdoria in 1978–79, and then back to Serie A with Bologna the following season. After spells with minor league teams Rimini, Rondinella and Massese, Chiarugi retired from football in 1986.
Known in Italian football for his impetuous nature which gained him the nickname Cavallo Pazzo (Crazy Horse), he was also popularly considered as a diver, causing the Italian media to create the Italian neologism chiarugismo, a synonym of "football diving", after his name.

wn.com/Luciano_Chiarugi
Luis Cid
Luis Cid Pérez, known as Carriega (born 9 December 1929) is a Spanish former professional football coach who managed a number of club sides including Sporting de Gijón, Real Zaragoza, Sevilla, Real Betis, Atlético Madrid and UE Figueres.

wn.com/Luis_Cid
Luis Miró
Luis Miró Doñate (born March 3, 1913; died September 15, 1991) was a Spanish footballer and coach. As a player Miró played for FC Barcelona.
He then coached several teams in Spain, such as Sabadell, Valencia CF, Sevilla FC and former club FC Barcelona. He had then short spells abroad with Olympique de Marseille and A.S. Roma, before coming back in Spain with CD Málaga.

wn.com/Luis_Miró
Luis Pasarín
Luis Casas Pasarín (16 April 1902 – 17 August 1986) was a Spanish football defender and manager.
Born in Pontevedra, Galicia, Pasarín started his professional career with Celta de Vigo. One of the club's first captains, he played in the team's first ever official tournament, the 1923 Galician Championship, which ended in conquest.
During six seasons, Pasarín played in La Liga with Valencia CF, created precisely after he left Celta. His best individual season was in 1932–33 as he played in 17 games, but the Che could only rank ninth out of ten clubs, narrowly avoiding relegation; after retiring in 1935, he worked in the Ministy of Labour, but returned shortly after to play for amateurs Nacional de Madrid.
Pasarín gained six caps for Spain, and represented the nation at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
After the Spanish Civil War, Pasarín obtained his coaching license. He was in charge of the national team for one game, then returned to Valencia for the 1946–47 season, leading the club to its third national championship in six years; a runner-up position followed in the following year, trailing champions FC Barcelona by three points.

wn.com/Luis_Pasarín
Luís Figo
Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, OIH, (born 4 November 1972) is a former Portuguese international footballer. He played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Internazionale, during a career which spanned over a period of 20 years. He retired from football on 31 May 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portuguese national football team, a number that makes him the most capped Portuguese player in history.
Figo was the 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and was named amongst the FIFA 100.
Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both the Spanish rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. He had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, such as one Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups.
Figo started his career at Sporting CP. He won his first senior international cap in 1991. Prior to that, he won the Under-21 World Championships and Under-16 European Championships with Portugal junior sides, alongside Rui Costa, João Pinto and he was also a significant part of Portugal's "Golden Generation".

wn.com/Luís_Figo
Lyuben Kostov
Lyuben Kostov (Bulgarian: Любен Костов) (born 8 March 1935) is a former Bulgarian footballer. He was the top scorer of the 1960 championship (with 12 goals for Spartak Varna).

wn.com/Lyuben_Kostov
Lyubomir Hranov
Lyubomir Hranov (Bulgarian: Любомир Хранов; 2 July 1923 – 27 August 2011) was a Bulgarian international footballer who played as a midfielder for clubs in Bulgaria.
Hranov began playing football for local clubs ZhSK Sofia and PFC Levski Sofia. He won the Bulgarian league five times and won the Bulgarian Cup three times. He was the league top-scorer in 1950 with 11 goals.
He made two appearances for the Bulgaria national football team.
After he retired from playing football, Hranov managed several clubs, including FC Cherveno Zname Kyustendil, FC Arda, FC Bdin, FC Dorostol and FC Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa.
Hranov died at age 88 on 28 August 2011.

wn.com/Lyubomir_Hranov
Lyuboslav Penev
Lyuboslav Mladenov Penev (Bulgarian: Любослав Пенев) (born August 31, 1966) is a former Bulgarian footballer serving as national manager.
Penev's first professional team was CSKA Sofia of the Bulgarian capital. He made his first team debut in 1984, when he was only 18 years old. CSKA of the late 1980s was the football "alma mater" to several Bulgarian players like Hristo Stoichkov who made it to the international top in the 1990s. During those days Lubo's teammates included defender Trifon Ivanov, winger Emil Kostadinov, and striker Hristo Stoichkov. With CSKA Penev won the Bulgarian League twice; in 1987 and 1989) and the Bulgarian Cup three times in 1987, 1988 and 1989. He was also voted as the Bulgarian footballer of 1988.
In 1989, after reaching stardom in the Bulgarian game, he took an important step in his career by moving to the Spanish League. In Primera Penev played for four different clubs: Valencia CF, Atlético Madrid, SD Compostela and Celta Vigo. The highlight of the Spanish years was the 1995-1996 season with Atlético, when the club conquered both the league championship and the Spanish Cup. Penev was the most efficient player of the "double squad" by scoring 32 goals in 44 games (including both league and cup matches).

wn.com/Lyuboslav_Penev
Lyudmila Andonova
Lyudmila Andonova (Bulgarian: Людмила Андонова, née Zhecheva; born May 6, 1960) is a retired female high jumper from Bulgaria. She set the women's world record in the high jump event on July 20, 1984 in East Berlin, jumping 2.07 metres.
In 1985 she was suspended for doping with amphetamine.
Andonova competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, finishing in fifth place (1.93 m) alongside Romania's Galina Astafei. She was born in Novocherkassk, Soviet Union, and married to Bulgarian decathlete Atanas Andonov.

wn.com/Lyudmila_Andonova
Lyutvi Ahmedov
Lyutvi Ahmedov (born 10 April 1930) is a Bulgarian former wrestler who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics and in the 1964 Summer Olympics.

wn.com/Lyutvi_Ahmedov
Marcel Desailly
Marcel Desailly (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛl dəsaji]; born Odenke Abbey 7 September 1968 in Accra, Ghana) is a retired Ghanaian born French footballer and star of the France national football team squad, with whom he won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He also enjoyed a distinguished career at club level with several major European clubs.
Born as Odenke Abbey to Ghanaian parents, Marcel had his name changed when his mother married the head of the French Consulate in Accra who adopted all the children (the former professional footballer Seth Adonkor, seven years his elder, was a half-brother of his). He arrived in France as a four-year-old and, following Adonkor's lead, began his career at FC Nantes. There, as part of the famed FC Nantes youth programme, he played alongside a young Didier Deschamps, who became his closest friend. Desailly turned professional in 1986, two years after his half-brother had died in a car accident. In 1992, he moved to Olympique de Marseille, where he reunited with Deschamps, and won the UEFA Champions League the following year. In 1994, while playing for AC Milan, he again won the Cup (scoring in the final himself), being the first player to win the Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs. During his time in Milan he won two Italian league titles, in 1994 and 1996. Although he prefers to be a central defender, he also played as a defensive midfield for some time while being at A.C. Milan.

wn.com/Marcel_Desailly
Marcelo Nicácio
Marcelo da Paixão Ramos Nicácio (born 5 January 1983 in Salvador, Bahia) is a Brazilian footballer, who currently plays as a forward for Litex Lovech in the Bulgarian A PFG.
Marcelo Nicácio previously played in the Campeonato Brasileiro for Esporte Clube Bahia.
In January 2009 Nicácio joined Fortaleza on loan from Atlético Mineiro. In the first half of the year, he scored 13 goals in the Campeonato Cearense. He also completed the season as the Série B's top goal-scorer with 17 goals.
In 2010 he signed for Figueirense and scored 2 goals in 10 matches of Série B.
In September 2010, Nicácio joined Ceará. He made his debut in a 1–1 home draw against Goiás on 20 September, coming on as a substitute for Kempes. He scored his first goal on 2 October, in a 2–2 away draw against Corinthians.
In the first half of 2011, Nicácio scored 16 goals in the Campeonato Cearense and Ceará were crowned champions. He continued scoring as he scored Ceará's opening goal of the Série A match in their 3-0 win over Atlético Mineiro on 7 July. On 10 August, Nicácio scored a last-minute winning goal in a 2–1 home win over São Paulo in their second stage first leg tie of the Copa Sudamericana.

wn.com/Marcelo_Nicácio
Marco van Basten
Marcel "Marco" van Basten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɑr.koʊ̯ vɑm.ˈbɑs.tə(n)]; 31 October 1964) is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played for Ajax and Milan, as well as the Dutch national team, in the 1980s and early 1990s. He is regarded as one of the greatest forwards of all time and has scored 277 goals in a high-profile career, which ended in 1995 as a result of an injury suffered two years earlier. He was later the head coach of Ajax and the Dutch national team.
Known for his strength on the ball, his tactical awareness and spectacular strikes and volleys, van Basten was named European Footballer of the Year three times (1988, '89 and '92) and FIFA World Player of the Year in 1992. Van Basten was voted eighth in a poll organised by the French weekly magazine France Football consulting their former Ballon d'Or winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. In 2004, a nationwide poll was held for the 100 greatest Dutch people (De Grootste Nederlander) and van Basten was number 25, the second highest for a football player^{[citation needed]}. In March 2007, Sky Sports ranked van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short.

wn.com/Marco_van_Basten
Marian Hristov
Marian Hristov (Bulgarian: Мариян Христов) (born 29 July 1973) is a Bulgarian footballer who is currently playing for PFC Balkan Botevgrad of the Bulgarian B PFG.
Hristov's first club was PFC Balkan Botevgrad. He later played with Slavia Sofia (1994–95), Levski Sofia (1995–97), and has been champion of Germany with Kaiserslautern in 1998, reached a UEFA Cup Semi-final: 2001 and a Champions League, Quarter-final: 1999 (1997–2004). He also was the DFB-Pokal finalist in 2003.
For Bulgaria, he played at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2004.
By 27 March 2007, Hrıstov has retired from international football. Marian Hristov had earned 45 caps and scored four times for Bulgaria.
He has also expressed an interest in coaching his country.

wn.com/Marian_Hristov
Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (born 15 July 1954 in Bell Ville, Córdoba) is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined the Talleres reserves. He is most notable for playing for Valencia and being the focal point of Argentina's 1978 World Cup win.
Kempes was nicknamed El Toro and El Matador. During his first stint with Valencia, he won two consecutive Pichichis, scoring 24 and 28 goals in 1976–77 and 1977–78. His career started at local club Instituto, where he played alongside Osvaldo Ardiles before quickly moving on to Rosario Central, where he scored 85 goals in 105 matches and established himself as a notorious goalscorer, which prompted a move to Valencia, where he would go on to win the Copa del Rey, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Famous as a hard-working forward, he used to strike from outside the penalty area with his surging runs goalwards and was not the traditional center-forward operating solely inside the box. Many defenders found difficulty handling his attacking style.

wn.com/Mario_Kempes
Marius Trésor
Marius Trésor (born January 15, 1950 in Sainte-Anne, Guadeloupe) is a retired football defender from France, who was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.
Trésor's career began with the French club Ajaccio. He also played for Olympique de Marseille and Girondins de Bordeaux. With Marseille, he won the French Cup in 1976. He also won the Ligue 1 title in 1984 with Girondins de Bordeaux. For the French national team, Trésor played in the World Cup in 1978 and 1982. He obtained 65 international caps, scoring four goals.

wn.com/Marius_Trésor
Mark McGhee
Mark Edward McGhee (born 25 May 1957 in Glasgow) is a former Scottish professional football player. He is currently the manager of Bristol Rovers. McGhee started his career at Greenock Morton in 1975 and spent spells at clubs including Newcastle United, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading. McGhee was part of the Aberdeen side which won the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup and 1983 UEFA Super Cup, as well as three Scottish Premier Division titles. McGhee has since managed several clubs in both England and Scotland.
McGhee played for a host of Scottish and English clubs, before he had to abruptly retire because of injury. He started his playing career at Greenock Morton before moving on to Newcastle United – where he scored 36 goals in 99 appearances, including a fantastic last minute winner against Bradford, Aberdeen, Hamburg, Celtic, IK Brage and Reading and won the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1982 as well as four caps and two goals for the Scotland national football team. He also played for Queen of the South as a guest player against Manchester United in a benefit game following the Lockerbie air disaster.

wn.com/Mark_McGhee
Mart Poom
Mart Poom (Estonian pronunciation: [ˈmɑrt ˈpoːm]; English: /ˌmɑrt ˈpoʊm/; born 3 February 1972) is an Estonian former football goalkeeper. He retired after Estonia's 0–0 draw against Portugal on 10 June 2009 to focus on his job as goalkeeping coach at Arsenal and the Estonian national team, as well as other more "personal" projects.
Poom started his football career in the clubs Tallinna Lõvid ("Lions of Tallinn") and Flora Tallinn in his home country, before a brief stint at Finnish club KuPS and Swiss club Wil. In 1994, he moved to English club Portsmouth, but only played seven games and was loaned back to his former club Flora.
In 1997, Poom moved to Derby County, making his Premier League debut against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Poom became a fan favourite at Derby, with supporters often confusing unfamiliar commentators with a low chant of 'Pooooom' before games, which sounded like booing. Poom won the Jack Stamps Trophy (player of the year) at the end of the 99/00 season. While at Derby Poom also conceded a penalty in a 5 a-side tournement in South Wingfield to promising young forward Adam Morris from Chesterfield at the beginning of the 1998/99 season

wn.com/Mart_Poom
Martin Kamburov
Martin Kamburov (Bulgarian: Мартин Камбуров), (born October 13, 1980) is a Bulgarian footballer and current international, currently playing as a striker for Dalian Shide.
Born in Svilengrad, Kamburov began his career with Botev Plovdiv, but then switched to local rivals Lokomotiv Plovdiv, with whom he won the top Bulgarian league, A PFG, in 2004, and the bronze medals in 2005. Kamburov was also the league top scorer in these two seasons with 26 and 27 goals respectively.
In December 2005, Kamburov was transferred to the UAE in Al-Ahli (Dubai) side for €2 million and signed a five-year contract. He was capped 33 times and scored 16 goals. In 2007 he returned to his former club – Lokomotiv Plovdiv.
In July, 2007, Martin left for Greek side Asteras Tripolis. He spent there 1 year, but however he failed to impress the coaching staff and at the end of the season he was released from the club.
Lokomotiv Sofia signed Martin Kamburov on January 9, 2009 to a three-year deal. He was given the number 19 shirt. Kamburov had an excellent start to the season, netting 10 goals in just 6 games, including a spectacular hat-trick in Loko Sofia's away game against Levski Sofia on April 11, 2009 to help the team from the Nadezhda district to secure a historic 3:0 win. Kamburov became the top scorer in the 2008/2009 season in the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, managing 17 goals in total, a remarkable achievement given that he only played in half of the season's games. In the winter of 2009, Kamburov won the best forward of A PFG award once again. At the same time, he was again called up for the Bulgarian national football team, with his choice receiving positive acclaim by the Bulgarian fans.

wn.com/Martin_Kamburov
Massimo Bonini
Massimo Bonini (born 13 October 1959 in San Marino) is a retired Sanmarinese footballer and coach, who played as a midfielder for Italian sides Bellaria Igea Marina, Forlì, Cesena, Juventus and Bologna.
Bonini played for Juventus between 1981 and 1988, in which he played 296 matches and scored 6 goals. He won 3 Scudetti, 1 Italian Cup, 1 European Champion Clubs' Cup, 1 Cup Winners' Cup, 1 European Super Cup and 1 Intercontinental Cup. He is the only Sanmarinese footballer to have won a European Cup.
Since the San Marino Football Federation was not officially recognised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) until 1990, players from San Marino were assimilated to Italian players. For this reason, Bonini was entitled to play for the Italian Football Federation and actually played for the Italian Under-21 football team. Since he always refused to give up the citizenship of San Marino, he had to wait until 1990 in order to play for San Marino’s first team, winning 19 full caps since then. He was also briefly the national coach of the San Marino national team after retirement.

wn.com/Massimo_Bonini
Matthias Sammer
Matthias Sammer (born September 5, 1967 in Dresden) is a retired German football player and coach who is now working as technical director of the DFB (German Football Association). He played as a midfielder, and later in his career as a sweeper.
With Borussia Dortmund, he was named European Footballer of the Year in 1996, the year he led Germany to victory in the European Championship. Sammer retired with 74 total caps, 23 for East Germany and 51 for the unified side.
Sammer played for his hometown club Dynamo Dresden from 1987 to 1990, the club his father, Klaus had played for and managed. He was one of the first notable East German players to join a Western club after the German re-unification when he signed with VfB Stuttgart in 1990 (the first being Andreas Thom, who joined Bayer Leverkusen from BFC Dynamo). He then went on to play with Italian club Internazionale (1992–1993), and Borussia Dortmund (1993–1998). He won two East German championships with Dynamo Dresden (1989, 1990), and three German championships, (1992 with VfB Stuttgart, 1995 and 1996 with Borussia Dortmund). During his time in Dortmund he also won the UEFA Champions League in 1997. Sammer also scored the last ever goal for the East Germany football team before re-unification.

wn.com/Matthias_Sammer
Maxim Staviski
Maxim Staviski (Bulgarian: Максим Стависки) (born November 16, 1977, in Rostov-on-Don, Soviet Union (now Russia)) is a Russian-born naturalized Bulgarian ice dancer. With partner and fiancée Albena Denkova, he is the 2006 & 2007 World Champion, the 2003 & 2004 European silver medalist, and the 2006 Grand Prix Final champion. Denkova & Staviski are the first Bulgarian figure skaters to medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.
Staviski began skating at the age of four because his parents wanted to improve his health. He was initially a singles skater but at the age of 11 or 12, he broke his leg and his jumping ability declined. His coach recommended him to Natalia Dubova's ice dancing group. He originally competed for Russia with Anastasia Belova, with whom he appeared as the third Russian team at the 1996 Junior Worlds but they split up at the end of the season. Staviski had a successful tryout with Albena Denkova in Moscow and he moved to Sofia to compete for Bulgaria. They soon became a couple off-ice, as well. Staviski received Bulgarian citizenship. In 2000, Denkova/Staviski began dividing their time between Sofia and Odintsovo, near Moscow, Russia where they worked with coach Alexei Gorshkov and choreographer Sergei Petukhov.

wn.com/Maxim_Staviski
Maxime Josse
Maxime Josse (born 21 March 1987 in Saint-Quentin) is French football player who currently plays for Bulgarian A PFG side Litex Lovech.
Josse was part of the France national youth football team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship.
Josse began his career at Sochaux breaking through the Youth Academy and made his Ligue 1 debut in a 2–2 away draw against Paris Saint-Germain on 14 May 2005. In his first two seasons he earned only 9 appearances and for the 2006–07 season he was loaned out to Stade Brestois in the Ligue 2.
Josse's debut for Stade Brestois came on 8 September 2006 in a 0–0 home draw against Montpellier HSC. By the end of his loan at Brestois, he had made 20 league appearances.
After spending the 2007–08 season at Sochaux, on 28 August 2009, Josse signed for Angers SCO on a season-long loan.
On 6 July 2011, Josse joined Bulgarian side Litex Lovech on a three-year contract, taking squad number 6, after it was vacated by Ivaylo Petkov.
As of 1 July 2011

wn.com/Maxime_Josse
Mia Hamm
Mariel Margaret "Mia" Hamm (born on March 17, 1972, in Selma, Alabama) is a retired American soccer player. Hamm played many years as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team and was a founding member of the Washington Freedom. Hamm has scored more international goals in her career than any other player, male or female, in the history of U.S. soccer (158). She is the second most capped female player in soccer history behind Kristine Lilly, appearing in 275 international matches throughout her career.
Hamm was named the women's FIFA World Player of the Year the first two times that award was given (in 2001 and 2002), and is listed as one of FIFA's 125 best living players (as chosen by Pelé). Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon called Hamm, "Perhaps the most important athlete of the last 15 years."
She retired from the sport in 2004, when she played her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour to commemorate the U.S. women's national team's victory in the 2004 Olympics. In 2007, her first year of eligibility, she was selected for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame by having 137 votes of the 141 ballots cast. Women's Professional Soccer, a professional soccer league that launched in 2009, features Hamm's silhouette in its logo.

wn.com/Mia_Hamm
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack (born 26 September 1976) is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He has won the German Footballer of the Year award three times – in 2002, 2003 and 2005. In his prime, Ballack was known for his passing range, scoring ability, ball skills and commanding presence in the midfield.
Ballack began his career as a youth at Chemnitz, his local team, and made his professional debut in 1995. Although the team were relegated in his first season, his performances in the Regionalliga the following season led to a transfer to Kaiserslautern in 1997. He won the Bundesliga in his first season at the club; his first major honour. He became a first team regular in 1998–99 season and also earned his first senior national cap for Germany. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen for €4.1 million in 1999. The 2002 season saw him win a slew of runners-up medals: Bayer Leverkusen finished second in the Bundesliga, German Cup, UEFA Champions League and Germany lost to Brazil in the 2002 World Cup Final.

wn.com/Michael_Ballack
Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup (born 15 June 1964 in Frederiksberg) is a retired Danish footballer, who works as a manager and last coached La Liga side RCD Mallorca. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of football. His most prominent run of football came with Spanish club Barcelona, with whom he won four straight La Liga championships. He famously moved to arch rivals Real Madrid in 1994, with whom he won his fifth La Liga title in a row. He made his debut for the Denmark national football team on his 18th birthday in 1982, and scored 37 goals in a total of 104 appearances for his country. From November 1994, he captained Denmark for a total of 28 matches, including the victorious 1995 Confederations Cup tournament. He retired as an active player in June 1998.
In 1999, he was voted the Best Foreign Player in Spanish Football over the preceding 25-year period and in April 2000 he was knighted, receiving the Order of the Dannebrog. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Denmark by the Danish Football Association; their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. He was officially named the best Danish footballer of all time by the Danish Football Association (DBU) in November 2006.

wn.com/Michael_Laudrup
Michael Owen
Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979 in Chester) is an English professional footballer who is currently a free agent after being released by Manchester United in June 2012.
The son of former footballer Terry Owen, Owen began his senior career at Liverpool in 1996. He progressed through the Liverpool youth team and scored on his debut in May 1997. In his first full season in the Premier League he finished as joint top scorer with 18 goals. He repeated this the following year and was Liverpool's top goal scorer from 1997–2004, despite a recurring hamstring injury. In 2001, Liverpool won a cup treble of the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and Football League Cup, and Owen was the recipient of the Ballon d'Or. He went on to score 118 goals in 216 appearances in the Premier League for Liverpool.
Owen moved to Real Madrid for £8 million in mid-2004; he was frequently used as a substitute. He scored 13 goals in La Liga and had the season's highest ratio of goals scored to number of minutes played. He returned to England the following season, joining Newcastle United for £16 million. After a promising start to the 2005–06 season, injuries largely ruled him out over the next 18 months. After his return he became team captain and was the team's top scorer for the 2007–08 season. After the final season of his four-year contract, Newcastle were relegated, and Owen moved to Manchester United as a free agent.

wn.com/Michael_Owen
Michel Platini
Michel François Platini (born 21 June 1955) is a former French football player and manager, and the president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) since 2007.
During his professional footballing career, Platini played for the clubs Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus, and was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was the top goalscorer and voted the best player. He also participated in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups, reaching the semi-finals in the latter two. Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana together made up the "carré magique" (French for "magic square"), the group of midfield players that formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s.
Considered one of the best passers in football history as well as one the best free kick specialists and finishers, he holds the record for most goals (9) scored in European Championship final tournaments despite only appearing in the 1984 edition. Despite being a midfielder, he held the national team top scorer record until striker Thierry Henry surpassed the 41 goals mark in 2007.

wn.com/Michel_Platini
Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers (born February 1, 1966 in Santa Clara, California) is a former leading American association football player, who starred in the historic 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the 1991 tournament. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Michelle Akers was born on February 1, 1966 to Robert and Anne Akers in Santa Clara, California. She grew up in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. She went to and played soccer at Shorecrest High School. She was named an All-American three times while attending that school.
Akers attended the University of Central Florida on a scholarship where she was selected as four-time NCAA All-American. She was Central Florida's Athlete of the Year in 1988-89, the all-time leading scorer in UCF history, won the Hermann Trophy in 1988, and had her #10 jersey retired by the school.
She played for the first-ever U.S. Women's National team in August 1985 on the first international trip for the US Women. Due to an ankle injury, she did not play in the first game. However, she played in the second ever international game and scored the second goal in the history of the program against Denmark, in a 2-2 tie.

wn.com/Michelle_Akers
Miguel Ángel Lotina
Miguel Ángel Lotina Oruechebarría (born 18 June 1957 in Meñaka, Biscay) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a striker, and a current manager.
Lotina started playing football with local outfit Gernika Club, representing CD Castellón from 1981–83. In his only season in La Liga, he scored three goals in 21 games for the Valencian, who ranked 18th and last.
In the 1983 summer, Lotina signed with CD Logroñés. After netting 22 goals in two Segunda División seasons combined with the Riojan – also representing the club in Segunda División B – he contributed with two in 14 games in the 1986–87 campaign, as the club promoted to the top flight for the first time ever, after finishing second to champions Valencia CF; he retired from the game in 1988 at the age of 31, without having appeared in the first division with his main club.
After starting coaching with Logroñés' reserves, Lotina managed the club in two separate stints in the 90's (11 games). In 1995–96, whilst in charge of CD Numancia, he helped the Soria team reach the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, with the third division outfit ousting three top flight clubs – Real Sociedad, Racing de Santander and Sporting de Gijón – before bowing out to eventual finalists FC Barcelona 3–5 on aggregate.

wn.com/Miguel_Ángel_Lotina
Mihail Mihaylov
Mihail Mihaylov (born 4 March 1973 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian former football midfielder who played several seasons for PFC Velbazhd Kyustendil. He also had a brief stint in Germany for SSV Ulm 1846.
Mihaylov was the leading scorer in the league during the Bulgarian A Liga's 1999-2000 season, scoring 20 goals for Velbazhd.

wn.com/Mihail_Mihaylov
Mihail Valchev
Mihail Valchev (Bulgarian: Михаил Вълчев, born 13 October 1956 in Dalgopol) is a former Bulgarian football forward.
In his career Valchev played mostly for Akademik Sofia and PFC Levski Sofia.
On 13 May 1998, in his only match as Levski manager, he led the team to a famous 5:0 victory against city rivals CSKA Sofia in a Bulgarian Cup game.

wn.com/Mihail_Valchev
Mikhail Zhelev
Mikhail Zhelev (born 15 July 1943 in Sliven, Sliven, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian former athlete, known primarily for running the steeplechase. He competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics, finishing 6th and in the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing 12th. He set his personal record of 8:25.0 while winning the race at the 1969 European Athletics Championships.

wn.com/Mikhail_Zhelev
Milen Petkov
Milen Petkov (Bulgarian: Милен Петков) (born January 12, 1974 in General Toshevo) is a former Bulgarian football player.
His previous teams were Dobrudzha Dobrich, CSKA Sofia, AEK Athens, Atromitos and Ilisiakos.
Petkov was part of the Bulgarian World Cup 1998 team and Bulgarian 2004 European Football Championship team, which was eliminated in the first round, finishing bottom of Group C, having finished top of Qualifying Group 8 in the pre-tournament phase. Between 1997 and 2004 for Bulgaria national football team he have 32 caps and scored 3 goals.
CSKA Sofia
AEK Athens

wn.com/Milen_Petkov
Miodrag Ješić
manageryears23 = 2012-2013 Najran sc
Miodrag Ješić (Serbian Cyrillic: Миодраг Јешић; born 30 November 1958) is a Serbian football manager and a former footballer. He is the last head coach of Shahrdari Tabriz in Iran Pro League.
Born on 30 November 1958 in Osečenica, Ješić played for Partizan Belgrade between 1974 and 1985, taking part in 342 matches and scoring 81 goals.
For the Yugoslavia national football team, he played in 8 games and scored twice.
Between 1985 and 1989 he represented Altay SK, where he recorded 140 matches and 61 goals, and finished his career at Trabzonspor in 1989-90 with 40 matches and 9 goals.
He is immensely disliked amongst the Fenerbahçe supporters because they view him as responsible for an injury suffered by "Şeytan" Rıdvan Dilmen (Rıdvan the Devil) in 1990 during a league match between Fenerbahçe and Trabzonspor. Rıdvan never fully recovered despite undergoing sixteen operations, and eventually had to retire in 1995 at Fenerbahçe after painful years of injuries. Ješić had also accumulated a record number of bookings in his tenure in Turkish Süper Lig. Opponents claimed that he also injured many players in Turkey and gave him the nickname of "Kasap Jesic", which means "Jesic the Butcher"

wn.com/Miodrag_Ješić
Miroslav Klose
Miroslav Josef Klose (German pronunciation: [ˈmɪʁoslaf ˈkloːzə] ( listen)) (Mirosław Marian Kloze IPA: [miˈrɔswaf ˈklɔzɛ]) (born 9 June 1978) is a German footballer who plays as a striker for Lazio in the Serie A. Since bursting onto the international stage at the 2002 World Cup, he has become well known for his knack of scoring headers, front-flip goal celebrations, and decisive short passing.
Klose holds German nationality and has played 113 times and scored 63 goals for Germany. With five goals, he was the top scorer and Golden Boot winner at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the first German player to win the award since reunification. Klose also scored five goals in his debut World Cup, the 2002 World Cup, all of which were headers. He scored four times in 2010 World Cup, giving him a total of 14 World Cup goals and putting him joint second along with Gerd Müller on the list of FIFA World Cup goalscorers.
Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only player to have scored at least four in three different tournaments.

wn.com/Miroslav_Klose
Miroslav Đukić
Miroslav Đukić (Serbian: Мирослав Ђукић; born 19 February 1966) is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a sweeper, and the current coach of Real Valladolid.
He spent 14 years of his professional career in Spain, notably at the service of Deportivo de La Coruña and Valencia, amassing La Liga totals of 368 games and 11 goals, and winning six major titles for the two clubs combined.
Đukić represented Serbia in one World Cup and one European Championship. After retiring, he embarked in a managerial career, at both club and international level.
Born in Šabac, Serbia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Đukić began his playing career with hometown club FK Mačva Šabac, moving in 1988 to Belgrade with FK Rad, after reported interest from both national giants, FK Partizan and Red Star Belgrade.
In the 1990 summer, Đukić signed for Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain, who purchased him for 40 million pesetas in 1990. He only appeared in five league games for the Galicians in his first season, which ended in La Liga promotion, but, from there onwards, became an undisputed starter, never totalling less than 35 games and 3,000 minutes of action in five consecutive campaigns, as Super Depor was coming to fruition.

wn.com/Miroslav_Đukić
Momchil Tsvetanov
Momchil Emilov Tsvetanov (Bulgarian: Момчил Цветанов) (born 3 December 1990 in Pleven) is a Bulgarian footballer currently playing for Litex Lovech as a winger.
Tsvetanov was part of the Bulgarian under-19 team that played at the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship in the Czech Republic.
Born in Pleven, Tsvetanov began his career playing for his local club Spartak. On 9 September 2006, at the age of 16 he made his professional debut in the West B PFG, playing the second half of a 3–0 defeat to Minyor Pernik. He scored his first goal on 7 April 2007 against Hebar Pazardzhik in a 2–0 home league victory. He made 15 league appearances, scoring three goals during his debut season. The following season Tsvetanov scored four goals in 12 matches.
In January 2008, Tsvetanov joined Litex Lovech on a four-and-a-half year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his competitive debut in the A PFG in a 0–0 draw against CSKA Sofia on 1 March 2008. He played for 45 minutes.
On 12 July 2011 Tsvetanov assisted Svetoslav Todorov twice in a 2–1 away win over Mogren Budva in the second qualifying round of the 2011–12 Champions League.

wn.com/Momchil_Tsvetanov
Mordechai Spiegler
Mordechai "Motaleh" Spiegler (Hebrew: מרדכי שפיגלר‎, born in Sochi, Soviet Union, 19 August 1944) is a former Israeli footballer. He remains Israel's record goalscorer, with 33 goals in 83 caps.
In 2005, he was voted the 105th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
As a striker, he played for Maccabi Netanya along with Paris Saint Germain in France and alongside Pelé for New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in the 1970s.
He was chosen as the Israeli Player of the Year a record four times, in 1967/68, 1968/69, 1969/70, and in 1970/71.
Spiegler made his international debut for Israel on 2 January 1964 against Hong Kong. He took part in the Israeli win in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, and scored 2 goals at the tournament, which made him a joint top scorer of the tournament.
His major achievement was helping Israel qualify for the Football World Cup 1970 in Mexico. He scored Israel's lone goal in World Cup history in a 1–1 draw against Sweden.

wn.com/Mordechai_Spiegler
Murtaz Khurtsilava
Murtaz Kalistratovich Khurtsilava (Russian: Муртаз Калистратович Хурцилава, Georgian: მურთაზ ხურცილავა) (born 5 January 1943 in village Bandza, Martvili District, Georgian SSR) is a former Georgian footballer. He was a famed defender.
Khurtsilava was discovered while playing football in the school garden in Gegechkori, a small town in Caucasus -now known as Martvili- where he learnt to play football with a ball made of hay and rags. [1]
He was part of the USSR side that finished second in the 1972 UEFA European Championship, third at the 1972 Summer Olympics and fourth at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He was also one of only two Georgians, alongside Alexandre Chivadze, to have captained the Soviet team. At the club level he played for FC Dynamo Tbilisi.
After retiring in 1977, Khurtsilava set up his own business in Tbilisi, where he now resides with his family. [2]
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Georgia by the Georgian Football Federation as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. [3]

wn.com/Murtaz_Khurtsilava
Mário Jardel
Mário Jardel de Almeida Ribeiro (born 18 September 1973) is a former Brazilian/Portuguese professional footballer.
Jardel was most noted for his positioning on the field and "being at the right place, at the right time".^{[citation needed]} With this exceptional positioning ability, Jardel was able to become one of Europe's most prolific strikers during his time at FC Porto, Galatasaray, and Sporting CP.
Jardel played first for Vasco da Gama, but moved in 1995 to Grêmio, where he won the 1995 Copa Libertadores.
In 1996, he was linked to several teams, and after failing to transfer to Benfica and Rangers (due to the strict British rules involving non-EU players), he signed with Portuguese side FC Porto, where with help from players such as Zlatko Zahovič, Sérgio Conceição, and Ljubinko Drulović, he was the top goalscorer in Europe for three years (1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02), with a goal average of slightly over one goal per match (130 goals in 125 games, avg: 1.04). Although he was top scorer three times, due to the use of coefficients based on each European league's standards, he only won twice, the 1998–99 and 2001–02 European Golden Boots. He lost out to Kevin Phillips in 1999–2000 despite Phillips having scored six fewer goals than Jardel.

wn.com/Mário_Jardel
Nasko Sirakov
Nasko Petkov Sirakov (Bulgarian: Наско Петков Сираков; born 26 April 1962) is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played mainly as a striker.
Part of the Bulgarian team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup as it finished fourth, he was one of the most important footballers in the country in the 1980s/1990s, being a legend at Levski Sofia, a club he represented in four different spells.
Having surpassed the 300-goal mark as a professional – he was crowned the country's top division topscorer four times – Sirakov also worked with his main club in directorial capacities.
Born in Stara Zagora, the son of professional wrestler Petko Sirakov, Sirakov started playing as a striker, playing three games for PFC Levski Sofia's first team in 1980, having joined the club's youth system at the age of 13. In the following years, he developed his game with PFC Spartak Varna and lowly FC Haskovo, returning to Levski after two seasons (he also played briefly for the latter club in the 1982–83 season.
In his second stint at Levski, Sirakov began appearing regularly, for example scoring 15 goals in only 19 matches in 1984–85 A PFG, as the capital team won the league. From 1986–88, with the club now renamed Vitosha, he helped to another championship, as well as leading the goal charts in both seasons, scoring 64 goals combined – 36 in just 30 matches in the first year, although the championship was eventually lost to PFC CSKA Sofia, by three points. During this spell, he also won two Bulgarian Cups with the club.

wn.com/Nasko_Sirakov
Nebojša Jelenković
Nebojša Jelenković (Serbian Cyrillic: Небојша Јеленковић ; born 26 May 1978) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bulgarian club Litex Lovech and is currently the team's captain.
He has played more than 250 domestic games with Litex and holds the record for most domestic games played by a foreigner in the Bulgarian A PFG. He is also the first foreigner to become a captain of a Bulgarian team. In 2004 he obtained a Bulgarian passport.
Young Jelenković joined the local team FK Novi Sad to start his youth career. In 1997 he signed with FK Obilić. During his first season with the team Jelenković became a champion of Serbia for 1997-98.
In 1999 Jelenković moved to Litex Lovech. He made his first appearance for Litex in a Champions League qualification match against Widzew Łódź, on 28 July 1999. His league debut came on 8 August, in a 1–0 loss against Slavia Sofia on the opening day of the 1999-00 season. On 20 November 1999, Nebojša scored his first goals, scoring twice in a 3–1 away win over Velbazhd Kyustendil. He scored his final goal of the season in a 6–0 win at home over Volov Shumen on 1 April 2000.

wn.com/Nebojša_Jelenković
Nedelcho Kolev
Nedelcho Lazarov Kolev (Bulgarian: Неделчо Лазаров Колев, born 26 March 1953 in Kableshkovo) is a Bulgarian Olympic, European and World Weightlifting Champion. Best known for his success at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and for his 6 gold medals from world championships in Manila and Havana, Cuba.
Kolev is the father of singer Ruth Koleva.

wn.com/Nedelcho_Kolev
Nihat Kahveci
Nihat Kahveci (born 23 November 1979 in Istanbul, Turkey) is a former Turkish footballer. Nihat played as a Forward.
Nihat's family name, Kahveci, means "coffee maker." Many people in Turkey adopted the name of their profession as their family name in the early 20th century, suggesting that Nihat's ancestors were in the coffee business. Like most Turkish players, his shirt carries his first name, Nihat, rather than his family name, Kahveci. He married Pınar Kaşgören on 5 July 2003. Their daughter Selin was born in May 2008.
Nihat is a product of Beşiktaş's youth system and was discovered by Hürser Mustafa Cindir when Nihat played in Beşiktaş in the 1996–97 season. He joined the first team at Beşiktaş in the 1997–98 season when he was just 17, at the time John Toshack was the coach.
In January 2002, he was transferred to Real Sociedad in Spain by former Beşiktaş coach Toshack. While at Real Sociedad, Nihat scored 57 goals in 115 appearances. In the 2002–03 season, Nihat scored 23 goals making him the league's joint-second highest scorer for the season behind Roy Makaay (29 goals) and tied with Ronaldo. Real Sociedad finished 2nd in the league that season, just 2 points behind Real Madrid. He had a very fruitful strike partnership with Serbian forward Darko Kovačević, such that sports journalist Phil Ball nicknamed the pair "Little and large", in reference to the height difference between them (Nihat's height is 1.75 m and Kovačević's is 1.87 m).

wn.com/Nihat_Kahveci
Nikola Kolev
Nikola Kolev (Bulgarian: Никола Колев; born 6 June April 1995 in Targovishte) is a Bulgarian football player. He currently plays for Litex Lovech as a midfielder.
Nikola Kolev made his first team debut for Litex Lovech against Levski Sofia on 29 March 2012 at age 16 years, 9 months and 23 days.

wn.com/Nikola_Kolev
Nikola Yordanov
Nikola Yordanov (Bulgarian: Никола Йорданов) (1938 - 1995) was a former Bulgarian football (soccer) player. He was the top scorer of the 1962 championship (with 23 goals for Dunav Ruse).
A native of Ruse, Yordanov played as a forward for Dunav Ruse, Spartak Pleven and Lokomotiv Ruse.

wn.com/Nikola_Yordanov
Nikolay Bodurov
Nikolay Georgiev Bodurov (Bulgarian: Николай Бодуров) (born 30 May 1986) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently (as of July 2009^[update]) playing for Litex Lovech as a defender.
Bodurov started to play football in Pirin 1922. On 8 August 2004, Bodurov made his first appearance for Pirin 1922 in B PFG, when he was only 18 years old, in a match versus Shumen. He earned 34 appearances in 2004-05 season.
Bodurov scored his only goal for the team in 2007-08 season. On 27 October 2007, he scored a last-minute goal to secure a 1–0 away win over Vidima-Rakovski.
In 2008-09 season with the team he qualified for the final of Bulgarian Cup. Bodurov played in 125 matches at the club of Blagoevgrad until 2009.
In June 2009, Litex Lovech signed Bodurov on a four-year deal. He was given the number 33 shirt. He made his competitive debut for Litex on August 1, 2009, against Levski Sofia in the final of Bulgarian Supercup. On 3 August 2011, he scored the only goal for Litex in the 1:3 away loss against Wisła Kraków in a Champions League qualifying match.

wn.com/Nikolay_Bodurov
Nikolay Bukhalov
Nikolay Petkov Bukhalov (Bulgarian: Николай Петков Бухалов, born March 20, 1967 in Karlovo) is Bulgaria's most successful ever sprint canoer. He competed mostly in the Canadian canoe C-1 event though he did win world championship medals in the C-4 events.
Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won three medals, including double gold at Barcelona in 1992. In addition, he won thirteen medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with five golds (C-1 200 m: 1994, 1995; C-1 500 m: 1993, 1994, 1995), three silvers (C-1 500 m: 1991, C-1 1000 m: 1991, 1994), and five bronzes (C-1 500 m: 1986, C-4 500 m: 1990, C-4 1000 m: 1989, 1990, 1991).
The final gold medal of his career came at the 1997 European Championships, held on his home course in Plovdiv, where he won the C-1 500 m title.
Bukhalov was a member of the Trakia club in Plovdiv and was coached by Georgi Uchkunov.^{[citation needed]} He is 187 cm (6'2") tall and raced at 83 kg (183 lbs).
Nikolay Bukhalov is a distant cousin of the pole vaulter Spas Bukhalov.

wn.com/Nikolay_Bukhalov
Nikolay Iliev
Nikolay Iliev (Bulgarian: Николай Илиев) (born 31 March 1964) is a Bulgarian former football player. He was part of the Bulgarian national team that reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup. He also had a successful spell with Bologna in Serie A in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

wn.com/Nikolay_Iliev
Nikos Machlas
Nikolaos Machlas (Greek: Νίκος Μαχλάς) (born 16 June 1973) is a Greek retired footballer and now chairman of OFI Crete. He finished his career as a striker for Cypriot team APOEL.
He began his career with OFI Crete, where he made his debut in February 1991 against Panionios. He stayed at the club for six seasons before moving to Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem in 1996.
Machlas scored a disappointing 8 goals in 29 games in his first season in the Eredivisie, but in his second season he scored 34 goals in just 32 games, a feat which earned him the European Golden Boot for the 1997-1998 season. After having scored 60 goals in 92 matches for Vitesse, Machas joined Eredivisie giants Ajax Amsterdam in June 1999 for a then-club record $7.6 million.
Despite netting 38 goals in 74 Eredivisie league games spread over three seasons, Machlas' goalscoring record was not deemed prolific enough for the demanding Ajax fans and coaching staff. The team went through a transition as poor results meant Machlas had to endure three different coaches in as many years.

wn.com/Nikos_Machlas
Nílton Santos
Nílton Reis dos Santos (born 16 May 1925) is a Brazilian former association footballer who played defender. Born in Rio de Janeiro, he was a pioneering left back, being one of first full backs to participate in the offensive game.
He was called "The Encyclopedia" because of his knowledge of the sport of football. He was world class both at defending and attacking and possessed very good technique. Nílton was a key player in defence during the 1954, 1958 and 1962 World Cup finals (he was also in the Brazilian squad for the 1950 finals, but made no appearances) and became famous for scoring a magnificent goal in the 1958 tournament when Brazil played Austria. Dribbling his way through the whole field, he finished with a superb shot, driving his coach Vicente Feola crazy (he kept on insisting for Nílton to retreat to the defensive field, but was ignored until the goal was scored).
Pelé named him in his "top 125 greatest living footballers" in March 2004.
Nílton Santos played for only 2 teams in his professional career; Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas and the Brazilian national team collecting 75 caps and scoring 3 goals; he is regarded as the best left wingback in the history of the game.

wn.com/Nílton_Santos
Oldřich Nejedlý
Oldřich Nejedlý (26 December 1909 — 11 June 1990) was a Czech footballer, who spent his entire career at Sparta Prague as an inside-forward. He is also a former member of the Czechoslovakian national team.
Nejedlý played for Sparta Prague in his entire career. He scored 162 league goals in 187 games, winning four Czechoslovak First League championships in 1932, 1936, 1938 and 1939, adding a Mitropa Cup in 1935. He also scored 18 goals in 38 games for SK Rakovník (1943, 1944 and 1946), giving him a total of 180 league goals in 225 games.
For Czechoslovakia, Nejedlý scored 29 goals in 44 games. He was awarded the Bronze Ball in the 1934 as the third most outstanding player of the tournament and was voted into the All Star Team of the tournament. He was also top goalscorer. He would have gone on to play more games and score more goals for the Czechoslovakia had he not broken his leg in the 1938 which effectively ended his International career.
He was a participant in two World Cups, in 1934 in Italy and 1938 in France. Nejedlý was the outright top scorer in the 1934 World Cup with five goals. This has been officially recognized by FIFA since November 2006, as he was initially credited with only four, making him joint top scorer with Angelo Schiavio and Edmund Conen. He also scored two goals in 1938.

wn.com/Oldřich_Nejedlý
Oleg Salenko
Oleg Anatolyevich Salenko (Russian: Олег Анатольевич Саленко; Ukrainian: Олег Анатолійович Саленко; Oleh Anatoliyovich Salenko born 25 October 1969 in Leningrad, Russia) is a retired Russian and Ukrainian footballer, who played as a striker. He scored a record of five goals in a group stage match in the 1994 World Cup, helping him earn the Golden Shoe as joint-top tournament goalscorer.
Salenko played at Zenit Leningrad, Dynamo Kyiv, Logroñés, Córdoba, Valencia, Rangers and İstanbulspor in a club career that lasted from 1986 to 2000.
Eventually, he faded from the international soccer scene and finally had to end his career prematurely for health reasons stemming from injuries. Salenko returned to playing professional football in the 2000–01 season and signed for Pogoń Szczecin. He retired after playing a single game however due to his physical conditioning.
Salenko set a World Cup record by scoring five goals in one game, for Russia against Cameroon on 28 June 1994. Salenko finished the 1994 World Cup with six goals (scoring his sixth goal from the penalty spot against Sweden), sharing the Golden Boot with Hristo Stoichkov, a remarkable feat since Russia was knocked out in the first round, and Stoichkov's Bulgaria played another four games in the tournament. This mirrored Salenko's achievement in the 1989 U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, where he was top scorer when he scored 6 goals in the tournament. He is the only player to win the Golden Boot at both the U-20 World Cup and FIFA World Cup.

wn.com/Oleg_Salenko
Oleksandr Zavarov
Oleksandr Anatoliyovych Zavarov, also spell Aleksandr Anatoljević Zavarov (Ukrainian: Олександр Анатолійович Заваров) – (born 20 April 1961 in Luhansk, Ukrainian SSR) is a former football midfielder and the former head coach at FC Arsenal Kyiv. In 1986 he was named the best footballer in the USSR and Ukraine and the 6th best footballer in Europe according to France Football. Zavarov is widely regarded to be among the greatest footballers in the history of the USSR and Ukraine, and in 2000 he was included in the Ukrainian Team of The Century according to a poll by the Ukrainsky Futbol weekly.
Zavarov started off his career in his home city of Zorya Luhansk. He played in the USSR Premier League for Zorya Luhansk (1977–79, 1982), SKA Rostov (1980–81). In 1983–88, he played for the Soviet-Ukrainian giants, Dynamo Kyiv, with whom he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1985–86, scoring in the final itself. Finally, Zavarov played for Juventus between 1988 and 1990, winning the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup.

wn.com/Oleksandr_Zavarov
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn (German pronunciation: [ˈɔ.lɪ.vɐ ˈkʰaːn], byname Der Titan [deɐ̯ ti.ˈtʰaːn] (the Titan); born 15 June 1969) is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987. In 1994, he was transferred to Bayern Munich for the fee of 4,600,000 DM, where he played until the end of his career in 2008.
He is one of the most successful German players in recent history, having won eight German championships, six German cups, the UEFA Cup (1996), the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup (both 2001). His individual contributions have earned him four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper awards, three IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper awards, and two German Footballer of the Year trophies. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he became the first and only goalkeeper in the tournament's history to win the Golden Ball.
From 1994 to 2006, Kahn was part of the German national team, in which he played as a starter after the retirement of Andreas Köpke. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the team reached the Finals. While the team was several times derided for their poor performance, Kahn's prowess proved to be the deciding factor in several games up until the final, where Germany lost to Brazil 0–2 and Kahn received criticism for two blunders. Nonetheless, he was named the tournament's best player and received the Golden Ball award.

wn.com/Oliver_Kahn
Omar Sívori
Enrique Omar Sívori (2 October 1935 – 17 February 2005) was an Italian Argentine football striker and manager. He is known for his time with the successful Juventus side during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At club level he also played for River Plate and Napoli.
On the international level, he first appeared for the Argentine national team, winning the Copa América. Later in his career, he played for the Italian national team and took part in some of the 1962 World Cup. After his retirement as player, he coached several teams in Argentina, including the national side.
Sívori's footballing talent was acclaimed and he won the coveted European Footballer of the Year in 1961.
Encyclopædia Britannica describe his playing style as "audacious and brilliant". Sívori utilized his dribbling skills and favourite move of the nutmeg (playing the ball between an opposition players legs) to defeat defenders. Primarily a left footed player, Sívori had the ability to score with his left, his right and despite his relatively short stature his head; this would sometimes see him receiving kicks to the face.

wn.com/Omar_Sívori
Oscar Ruggeri
Oscar Alfredo Ruggeri (born 26 January 1962 in Corral de Bustos, Córdoba) is a former footballer. Nicknamed "El Cabezón" ("The Big-Headed One"), Ruggeri is one of the most successful defenders ever to come out of Argentina.
Ruggeri started his career at Boca Juniors, playing with Diego Maradona, with whom he won a league title in 1981. In 1985 he moved to rivals River Plate, where he won the Copa Libertadores, the Intercontinental Cup and another league title in 1986. In 1988 he left for Europe where he played for Spanish clubs Logroñes and Real Madrid, where he won yet another league championship. He also played for Vélez Sársfield, Ancona in Italy, América in Mexico, San Lorenzo and Lanús, where he ended his career.
During his career he represented his country in three World Cups, captaining Argentina in the final two games of the 1994 competition, after Diego Maradona was expelled from the tournament. Ruggeri was also a key piece in the Argentina teams that won the trophy in 1986 and lost the final to West-Germany in 1990. After losing to Romania in the 1994 tournament, Ruggeri retired from international football having played 97 international games, an Argentine record until it was surpassed by Diego Simeone.

wn.com/Oscar_Ruggeri
Paco Herrera
Francisco "Paco" Herrera Lorenzo (born 2 December 1953) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder, and a current manager.
Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Herrera started playing professionally with CE Sabadell FC in his native region, appearing in two Segunda División seasons with the team. In 1974, the 20-year old signed for Sporting de Gijón in La Liga, suffering relegation in his second year.
After a two-season spell with Levante UD, Herrera retired from football with CD Badajoz in 1986 at the age of 32, having played mainly for the Extremaduran in Segunda División B, the new third level created in 1977.
Herrera was connected to his last club Badajoz for several years as a manager, first coaching its youth sides, and later acting as assistant. He would manage the first team in 24 games in two separate second division seasons (18 in 1992–93 and six in 1994–95).
During three seasons, Herrera then coached in level two, with CD Numancia and CP Mérida, the only complete one being 1998–99. He was sacked by the latter in late November 1999, following a 1–3 loss at former club Levante; the team eventually ranked sixth, being however demoted due to financial irregularities.

wn.com/Paco_Herrera
Panajot Pano
Panajot Pano (7 March 1939 – 19 January 2010) was an Albanian football player. He started his career as a goalkeeper in the SK Tirana youth academy, but he became the most prolific centre-forward of their arch-rivals, Partizani Tirana. During his eighteen-year career he played 24 matches with the Albanian national football team and was awarded the Albanian UEFA Jubilee Award.
Pano was born in Durrës, Albania from ethnic Greek parents (Greek: Παναγιώτης Πάνου Panagiotis Panou).
He has won four Albanian championships with Partizani Tirana, five Albanian Cups, and in 1970, the Balkans Cup. On the international front, he played 25 times (3 goals) for the Albania national football team.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Albania by the Football Association of Albania as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.
On 6 March 2009, Pano received the order Honor of the Nation from the President of Albania, H.E. Bamir Topi. This was the first time in the history of Albania that a footballer was honored with the Honor of the Nation order.

wn.com/Panajot_Pano
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968) is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender, being adept with either foot although naturally right footed. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club. During that period, he won the Champions League five times, as well as seven Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, five European Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups. He played for 14 years for the Italian national team, making his debut in 1988 before retiring in 2002 with 126 caps and four World Cup participations.
Maldini played at a world class level for his entire career spanning 2 and a half decades, and won the Best Defender trophy at the UEFA Club Football Awards at the age of 39. He came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 1995, the closest a defender had ever reached to winning the award at the time. He was also the Milan and Italy captain for many years and was considered a leader amongst leaders by fellow footballers, leading to the nickname "Il Capitano" (the Captain). Paolo's father Cesare formerly played for and captained Milan, and is a successful national U-21 manager.

wn.com/Paolo_Maldini
Paolo Rossi
Paolo Rossi (born 23 September 1956 in Prato) is an Italian former football striker. In 1982, he led Italy to the 1982 FIFA World Cup title, scoring six goals to win the Golden Boot/top scorer honors, and the Golden Ball. After his performance at the 1982 FIFA World Cup he became a hero in the hearts of all Italians. Rossi is one of only two players to have won all three honours at a single tournament (the other is the Argentinian Mario Kempes, in 1978). Javier Saviola, Lionel Messi, Sergio Agüero and Dominic Adiyiah accomplished this in junior teams, in the 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cups respectively. He is listed among Pelé's 125 all-time greatest footballers.
Since retiring, Rossi has gone into sports journalism and punditry. He currently works as a pundit for Juventus Channel.
Rossi was born at Santa Lucia, in the province of Prato (Tuscany).
He made his debut in professional Italian football with Como, to which Juventus had sent him to gain experience after three operations on his knees, as a right wing, where his small build would not be a hindrance.

wn.com/Paolo_Rossi
Pasquale Luiso
Pasquale Luiso, born 30 October 1969 in Naples, Italy, is a retired Italian footballer and the current coach of A.S. Sora.
Luiso was a striker who spent several years in amateur leagues, before he was picked up by Torino in 1994. Playing just one game for the club, he was loaned out to Pescara, before being sold to Chievo, who in turn loaned him out to Avellino, where a successful 1995-96 season saw him being picked up by Serie A minnows Piacenza.
During Luiso's only season at Piacenza he was a revelation in the top flight, netting 14 goals, among them a winning goal against reigning champions Milan. Piacenza beat Cagliari in a relegation playoff, which was a successful end for Luiso at the club, since he was bought by Coppa Italia winners Vicenza. During a four-year stint with the club, save for a short stint at Pescara. In total, Luiso struck 24 league goals for Vicenza, but was relegated twice with the club.
Following the second relegation, Sampdoria signed Luiso, who scored 13 goals in 47 Serie B fixtures for the club. Prior to Sampdoria's promotion season, Luiso was sold to Ancona, where he contributed to their promotion instead, even though he spent the spring on loan at Salernitana. Following a mere three Serie A fixtures in Ancona's disastrous season, before a short spell at Catanzaro in 2004 signed the end of Luiso's professional career.

wn.com/Pasquale_Luiso
Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Stephan Kluivert ([ˈpɛtrɪk ˈklœy̆vərt] ( listen); born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch former footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He is their all-time leading goalscorer with 40 goals. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé as part of FIFA's centenary observances.
Patrick Stephan Kluivert was born on 1 July 1976 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. His father, a professional football player, was born in Calcutta, Suriname and his mother in Curaçao. Kluivert learned to play football on the street. After he played for football club Schellingwoude one year, he joined the AFC Ajax youth academy at the age of seven.
During his younger years, he played several different positions, even as a defender. He was strong in technique, football intelligence, and speed, but his personality was considered too impulsive. Kluivert played for the Dutch national teams under-15, under-16 and under-17.

wn.com/Patrick_Kluivert
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira (born 23 June 1976 in Dakar, Senegal) is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City in the English Premier League.
He rose to prominence during his time at Arsenal from 1996 to 2005, where he won three Premier League titles – one unbeaten – and four FA Cups, eventually becoming club captain. After leaving Arsenal in 2005, he spent one season at Juventus before joining Internazionale in 2006, following Juventus' relegation for their part in a match-fixing scandal. He has 107 caps for France, and was part of their 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000-winning sides.
In May 2010, Vieira was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. He announced his retirement from professional football on 14 July 2011. Vieira is currently Football Development Executive at Manchester City with a role to oversee aspects such as youth development, commercial partners and the club's social responsibility programme, "City in the Community".

wn.com/Patrick_Vieira
Paul Breitner
Paul Breitner (born 5 September 1951 in Kolbermoor, Bavaria) is a former German football player. One of Germany's most controversial players, he was capped 48 times for his country.
His football career lasted from 1970 until 1983, mainly playing for Bayern Munich (1970–74 and 1978–83) and Real Madrid (1974–78), with one season playing for Eintracht Braunschweig. His early success was as a free roaming left back, as likely to score from the right midfield as to stop an attacker in his own penalty area. Later in his career he moved to midfield and became one of the top midfielders through the early 1980s.
The early peak of Breitner's long and successful career was at age 21 in 1972 as part of the winning German European Championship team. This was followed two years later with victory as a member of the German World Cup squad. The final was played in Munich against the Netherlands, and Breitner scored the first German goal on a penalty kick. In the final, he, Franz Beckenbauer and Berti Vogts formed a slick unit at the back and their water-tight defense prevented the Dutch from winning the World Cup. He moved to Real Madrid following the World Cup and quit the West German squad, remaining off the side until enticed to return by Jupp Derwall in 1981. Breitner is one of only four footballers to have achieved the feat of scoring in two different World Cup final matches, sharing that honour with Pelé, Vavá, and Zinédine Zidane. He achieved this in 1974 against the Netherlands and in 1982 against Italy.

wn.com/Paul_Breitner
Paul Van Himst
Paul van Himst (born in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, 2 October 1943) is a former talented Belgian football midfielder and a football manager. Now retired, he still supports R.S.C. Anderlecht, his former team. He was nicknamed Polle Gazon (Polle is Paul in Brussels dialect, and Gazon means lawn in French) due to the large number of fouls committed on him. In 1964, he played in the Belgium-Netherlands match alongside 10 Anderlecht players after the substitution of goalkeeper Delhasse by Jean Trappeniers.
Van Himst won the Belgian championship 8 times, all of them with Anderlecht, a club for which he started playing his first professional season in 1959-60. With Anderlecht, he scored 233 goals in 457 matches (16 seasons). He then played for RWDM (another Brussels club) in 1975-76 and for Eendracht Aalst (then in second division) in the following season.
Between 1960 and 1974, "Polle Gazon" scored 30 goals (in 81 matches) for the Belgian national team. This performance made him Belgium's topscorer—along with Bernard Voorhoof -- and the fifth most capped player for his country. He made his debut on 19 October 1960 in a match against Sweden and he was part of Belgium's team which qualified for the 1970 World Cup. Van Himst then helped Belgium reach third place at the Euro 1972. He also holds the record of Golden Shoe, awarded to him four times.

wn.com/Paul_Van_Himst
Paulinho Cascavel
Paulo Roberto Bacinello, aka Paulinho Cascavel (born 29 September 1959), is a Brazilian retired footballer who played as a striker.
Unknown in his native land, he played with relative success in Portugal, most notably for Vitória de Guimarães and Sporting. His nickname stems from his birthplace.
Born in Cascavel, Paraná, Cascavel started his career with local amateurs Cascavel Clube Recreativo, then successively represented Criciúma Esporte Clube, Joinville Esporte Clube and Fluminense Football Club. In 1984 he moved to Portugal, signing with league powerhouse F.C. Porto, but his spell there was quite unassuming, as he amassed virtually no official appearances.
In the following season, Cascavel moved to Guimarães' Vitória Sport Clube, scoring 22 goals in his second year – league's best – as the Minho side overachieved for a final third place, and qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Cascavel was then signed by another league giant, Sporting Clube de Portugal, for 1987–88, repeating individual accolades in his first season, now with 23 goals, but the Lisbon side finished fourth. He also scored six in as many matches in the club's European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal run.

wn.com/Paulinho_Cascavel
Paulo Roberto Falcão
Paulo Roberto Falcão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpawlu ʁoˈbɛʁtu fawˈkɐ̃w̃]; born October 16, 1953) is a Brazilian head coach and former footballer, currently managing Bahia. He is widely considered one of the best players in Internacional and Roma history, and one of the most talented midfielders of all time, especially at his peak in the mid 1980s. At one stage, he was the world's highest paid footballer, earning £10,000 a week.
For the Brazil national team, he was capped 34 times between February 1976 and June 1986. He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers to mark FIFA’s centennial in March 2004.
Falcão began his professional career at Sport Club Internacional of Porto Alegre, in Rio Grande do Sul, where he played from 1973 to 1980, winning three Brazilian National Championships(1975, 1976, 1979) and reaching the finals of the 1980 Copa Libertadores, losing to Nacional. During his time at Sport Club Internacional, he was surprisingly left out of the Brazil squad for the World Cup in Argentina in 1978, though he made the shortlisted pre-tournament 40.

wn.com/Paulo_Roberto_Falcão
Pavel Cebanu
Pavel Cebanu (born 28 March 1955 in Reni, Ukraine) is a former Moldovan football (soccer) player. He spent his entire career, from 1973-85, at the Moldovan side FC Nistru Chişinău. He was captain for many years and played 341 games scoring 45 goals.
He is the current president of the Football Association of Moldova, assuming the role on 1 February 1997.
In November 2002, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Moldova by the Football Association of Moldova as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years. [1]

wn.com/Pavel_Cebanu
Pavel Nedvěd
Pavel Nedvěd (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpavɛl ˈnɛdvjɛt] ( listen); born 30 August 1972 in Cheb) is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup. Widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of the modern era, he was the recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2003, only the second Czech player to receive this honour, and the first since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. He was also the recipient of the 2nd Golden Foot award in 2004. Nedved was a key member of the Czech Republic team, which reached the final of Euro '96, during which he garnered much international attention. He was later given the international captaincy. Well known for his energy and tireless runs, as well as his goal scoring ability, Nedved was nicknamed Furia Ceca ("The Czech Fury", an Italian wordplay on the phrase Furia Cieca, meaning "Blind Fury") by Juventus fans.

wn.com/Pavel_Nedvěd
Pedro Dellacha
Pedro Rodolfo Dellacha (9 July 1926, Lanús – 31 July 2010) was an Argentine football defender and coach. He was the captain of the Argentina national team that won the 1957 Copa América and earned the nickname "Don Pedro del Area". As a manager he won the Copa Libertadores twice and league championships in four different countries.
Dellacha joined Quilmes Atlético Club in 1945, and in 1947 he made his debut for the first team. He was part of the squad that won the Primera B championship and promotion to the Argentine Primera in 1949. he played with the club until 1951, making a total of 141 appearances.
In 1952, Dellacha joined Racing Club where he went on to make 184 appearances and help the club to win the 1958 league championship.
In 1953, he appeared in the film "El hijo del crack".
Dellacha played 35 times for the Argentina national team between 1953 and 1958. he played in three editions of the Copa América winning the tournament twice in 1955 and 1957. In 1957 he was the captain of the team and was awarded the Olimpia de Oro for his role in leading them to victory. He also played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

wn.com/Pedro_Dellacha
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (name given as Edison on birth certificate, born 21 October 1940 (however, Pelé himself claims that he was born on 23 October) ), known by his nickname Pelé (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [peˈlɛ]), is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as the best football player of all time. In 1999, he was voted Football Player of the Century by the IFFHS International Federation of Football History and Statistics. In the same year French weekly magazine France-Football consulted their former "Ballon D'Or" winners to elect the Football Player of the Century. Pelé came in first place. In 1999 the International Olympic Committee named Pelé the "Athlete of the Century". In his career he scored 760 official goals. He is also the most successful Top Division goal scorer of all time with 541 League goals. In total Pelé scored 1281 goals in 1363 games.
In his native Brazil, Pelé is hailed as a national hero. He is known for his accomplishments and contributions to the game of football. He is also acknowledged for his vocal support of policies to improve the social conditions of the poor (when he scored his 1,000th goal he dedicated it to the poor children of Brazil). During his career, he became known as "The King of Football" (O Rei do Futebol), "The King Pelé" (O Rei Pelé) or simply "The King" (O Rei).

wn.com/Pelé
Petar Aleksandrov
Petar Aleksandrov (Bulgarian: Петър Александров; born 7 December 1962 in Karlovo, Plovdiv Province) is a Bulgarian former footballer who played for various clubs in Bulgaria, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland during the 1980s and 1990s. He was a striker, noted for his goal-scoring ability, and is now assistant manager of the Bulgarian national team.
Aleksandrov started playing professionally with home-town club Levski Karlovo in 1981 before moving to PFC Slavia Sofia a year later. He played at Slavia for seven years and helped the club win the Balkans Cup in 1986 and 1988, and secure third-placed finishes in 1982 and 1986. For Slavia Aleksandrov played in 173 matches and scored 100 goals. In 1989, he signed for Belgium's K.V. Kortrijk where his form earned him a move to FC Energie Cottbus of East Germany in 1990. He struggled there, however, and moved on to FC Aarau in Switzerland after just one season. He was a major success at Aarau before he made his way back to Bulgaria to play for PFC Levski Sofia. Despite his excellent goal record, he played at Levski for just one and a half seasons as he returned to Switzerland with Neuchâtel Xamax in January 1995. The following January, he signed for FC Lucerne and he went on to play over fifty league matches for the club before going to FC Aarau for a second spell in 1998. In 2000, he played for FC Basel for a short while before dropping down to the Swiss lower leagues where he continued to play for another two years with Kickers Lucerne and Blue Star Zürich.

wn.com/Petar_Aleksandrov
Petar Houbchev
Petar Houbchev (Bulgarian: Петър Хубчев) (born 26 February 1964) is a Bulgarian former football player, and Director of Sport at Beroe Stara Zagora. He was part of the Bulgarian national team that reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup and also played at Euro 96.
Born in the village of Glozhene, Lovech Province, Houbchev initially began his career as a central defender at Osam Lovech (today Litex Lovech) and being called up for the national team while still playing in B PFG. He was subsequently bought by Levski Sofia in 1989 after 249 matches for Osam. He stayed in Sofia until 1994, winning two titles and two national cups. His success during the 1994 World Cup meant he moved to German club Hamburger SV, a team he even captained. He then played for Eintracht Frankfurt since 1997, where he finished his career at the age of 38 and continued as an assistant manager and reserves manager, having played 128 matches and scored two goals in the German Bundesliga, as well as 44 matches in the 2nd Bundesliga with another two goals.

wn.com/Petar_Houbchev
Petar Kirov
Petar Kirov (Bulgarian: Петър Киров, born September 17, 1942) is a former Greco Roman wrestler from Bulgaria.
He was born in Kalchevo, Yambol province.
He is an Olympic gold winner from the games in Mexico 1968 and Munich 1972, three times champion of the World and four times champion of Europe.

wn.com/Petar_Kirov
Petar Mihtarski
Petar Sotirov Mihtarski (Bulgarian: Петър Михтарски; born 15 July 1966) is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played as a striker.
Born in Blagoevgrad, Mihtarski spent the first 13 years of his career (youth years included) with local FC Pirin, making his first-team - and first division - debuts in 1982–83, appearing in eight games and scoring four goals in an eventual relegation. He went on to score in double digits in five of the following six seasons.
In the 1989 summer, Mihtarski signed for country giants PFC Levski Sofia, netting 24 times in his debut season, and winning one Bulgarian Cup during his two-year spell. Subsequently, he joined F.C. Porto in Portugal, being barred by countryman Emil Kostadinov for most of his stay, and also being loaned twice to fellow top division outfit F.C. Famalicão; in his first year, however, he did manage five goals in only 11 games as the northerners won the national championship for the third time in five years.
In February 1994, Mihtarski was released by Porto and rejoined FC Pirin, netting five goals in three-months to help the club retain its top flight status. He then joined PFC CSKA Sofia, equalling a career-best 24 goals in the 1994–95 season, best in the competition but not good enough for the national title, as former team Levski won the championship with CSKA ranking only fifth.

wn.com/Petar_Mihtarski
Petar Zanev
Petar Dimitrov Zanev (Bulgarian: Петър Димитров Занев) (born 18 October 1985) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently (as of June 2008^[update]) playing for Litex Lovech as a defender.
Zanev started his career in home town Blagoevgrad in local team Pirin. In 2005 he signed with Litex Lovech.
Оn 17 June 2007, Celta manager Hristo Stoichkov unveiled Zanev as the club's first signing ahead of 2007-08 season. In the next day, Zanev signed for Spanish Segunda División side on a season-long loan deal, who have an option to make the move permanent. On 26 August, he made his league debut in their 1–1 draw against Córdoba CF, but spent most of his time with Celta on the bench, making only three appearances. Because of this, midway through the season his contract was terminated.
On 9 January 2008, Racing Ferrol confirmed Zanev has joined on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut on 27 January in a 3–1 away win over SD Eibar, coming on as a substitute for Jonathan Pereira. Zanev appeared 14 times for Ferrol in the Segunda División.

wn.com/Petar_Zanev
Petar Zhekov
Petar Petrov Zhekov (Bulgarian: Петър Петров Жеков, born October 10, 1944) is a former Bulgarian football player, who won the silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Zhekov was born in Knizhovnik, Haskovo Province, and began his career in F.C. Dimitrovgrad. Later he moved to Beroe Stara Zagora, where he twice became Bulgaria's top goalscorer. Between 1968 and 1975 Zhekov played for CSKA Sofia and scored 144 goals for the team. This makes him the club's best goalscorer of all time. He also won the European Golden Boot in 1969 and two European Bronze Boots.He has 333 appearances and a record of 253 goals in TBI A Football Group.
1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1974–75

wn.com/Petar_Zhekov
Peter Osgood
Peter Leslie Osgood (20 February 1947 – 1 March 2006) was an English footballer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. He is best remembered for representing Chelsea and Southampton at club level, and was also capped four times by England in the early 1970s.
Born in a small road named Kentons Lane in Windsor, Osgood was signed by Chelsea as a junior and made his debut as a 17 year-old in the League Cup, scoring both goals in a 2–0 win against Workington AFC on 16 December 1964. The buzz surrounding the tall, skilful teenager's goalscoring for the club's reserves – 30 goals in 20 games going into that month – was already immense and it was only a matter of time before he became a regular first-teamer.
Following an end-of-season tour of Australia during which Osgood scored 12 times in eight games, the centre-forward's next senior match was the 22 September 1965 4–1 victory over AS Roma in the Inter-City Fairs Cup (a violent encounter dubbed "the Battle of the Bridge"). A run in the league followed, bringing seven goals, including one involving a 60-yard run past a trail of Burnley players.

wn.com/Peter_Osgood
Peter Schmeichel
Peter Bolesław Schmeichel MBE (Danish pronunciation: [ped̥ɐ ˈsmɑɪ̯ˀɡ̊l̩]; born 18 November 1963) is a retired Danish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and was voted the "World's Best Goalkeeper" in 1992 and 1993. He is best remembered for his most successful years at English club Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 UEFA Champions League to complete the Treble, and for winning UEFA Euro 1992 with Denmark.
Born in Gladsaxe, Copenhagen, Schmeichel was famous for his intimidating physique (he is 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) tall and weighed about 105 kg (16 st 7 lb) during his playing days. He wore specially made size XXXL football shirts. Unusual for a goalkeeper, Schmeichel scored 11 goals during his career, including one for the national team. He is also the most capped player for the Denmark national team, with 129 games between 1987 and 2001. In addition to Euro 92, he played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and three additional European Championship tournaments. He captained the national team in 30 matches.

wn.com/Peter_Schmeichel
Petr Samec
Petr Samec (born 14 February 1964) is a former Czech football player who played for several Czech clubs.
Samec was a prolific striker and with nine goals was the best goalscorer of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

wn.com/Petr_Samec
Pierre Kerkhoffs
Pierre Kerkhoffs (born 26 March 1936) is a Dutch former footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a striker. Kerkhoffs played club football for SC Enschede and PSV, and was the Eredivisie top scorer in the 1962-63 season. He later played in Switzerland for Lausanne Sports.
Kekhoffs also earned five caps for the Netherlands between 1960 and 1965.

wn.com/Pierre_Kerkhoffs
Plamen Getov
Plamen Getov (Bulgarian: Пламен Гетов; born 4 March 1959) is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played as either an attacking midfielder or a striker.
A skillful free-kick taker, he scored numerous goals from different positions, in a career which spanned almost 20 years. Getov represented Bulgaria at the 1986 World Cup.
A native of Pleven, Getov played as a youth for PFC Spartak Varna, then represented professionally PFC Spartak Pleven (1979–88, 1995–98), FC Beloslav (a loan), CSKA Sofia (August–December 1988), FC Etar Veliko Tarnovo (1991–92), PFC Levski Sofia (1992–93), PFC Shumen (1993–94) and PFC Cherno More Varna (1994), also having spells abroad in Portugal with Portimonense S.C. (January 1989–1991, (being allowed to leave the country at age 30) and G.D. Chaves (January–June 1995).
He won the top Bulgarian league twice: with CSKA Sofia in 1989 and with Levski Sofia in 1993. Proclaimed the best player of the 1992–93 season, he added the league to the top scorer's crown, scoring 26 times at 34 years of age (had already won that award in 1985, with 26 for Pleven).

wn.com/Plamen_Getov
Plamen Markov
Plamen Markov (Bulgarian: Пламен Марков) (born September 11, 1957 in Sevlievo) is a retired Bulgarian international footballer who played as a midfielder.
He played for the Bulgaria national football team on 32 occasions. His club career was spent with CSKA Sofia (1975–1985), FC Metz (1985–1987) and Grenoble Foot (1987–1990).
His first coaching job came with Grenoble, and he was later in charge at his former club, CSKA Sofia, but he was sacked in 1995. In 2001 he was appointed as coach of the Bulgaria national football team, with his first match in charge coming against Croatia in February.

wn.com/Plamen_Markov
Predrag Mijatović
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović (Serbian: Предраг Мијатовић Пеђа) (born 19 January 1969) is a Montenegrin football player and former sports director of Real Madrid. He is considered^{[by whom?]} one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997. During his career his position on the pitch was striker but was very often deployed, especially later in his career, as a midfield creator.
On the club level, Mijatović played for 6 different clubs: Budućnost Podgorica, FK Partizan, Valencia, Real Madrid, Fiorentina, and Levante. Internationally, Mijatović has been capped 73 times, scoring 28 goals (the appearances are split between the SFR Yugoslavia and the FR Yugoslavia national teams). He played in the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
A very technically gifted player known for his outstanding skill and vision, as well as his prolific goalscoring ability, Mijatović is well remembered for scoring impressive 28 goals in the 1995/1996 Primera División season for Valencia, which in turn led him to controversially move to Real Madrid, where he scored a goal for Real Madrid in the 1998 UEFA Champions League Final that brought the biggest European title back to Madrid after 32 years. He also had many memorable moments on the big stage, at both club and international levels.

wn.com/Predrag_Mijatović
Prodan Gardzhev
Prodan Stoyanov Gardzhev (Bulgarian: Продан Стоянов Гарджев, April 8, 1936 – July 5, 2003) is a Bulgarian former Olympic Champion in freestyle wrestling in the 1964 Olympics. He also won a bronze medal and finished behind gold medalist Boris Michail Gurevich of the Soviet Union and silver medalist Jigjidiin Mönkhbat of Mongolia at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He is in addition a two-time world champion.
He was born in Rosenovo, Burgas Region and died in Burgas.

wn.com/Prodan_Gardzhev
Péter Lipcsei
Péter Lipcsei (born 28 March 1972 in Kazincbarcika) is a Hungarian football player who currently plays for Ferencvárosi Torna Club.
He made his debut for the Hungarian national team in 1991, and gained 58 caps and 1 goal until 2005.

wn.com/Péter_Lipcsei
Radomir Antić
Radomir Antić (Serbian Cyrillic: Радомир Антић; born 22 November 1948 in Žitište) is a Serbian former football defender and former football manager for the Serbian national team.
Following a 17-year playing career he found his true calling in coaching.
He is the only individual who has managed FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid. Additionally, Antić is one of only two men to have managed both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, long-time bitter rivals (the other one is Enrique Fernández Viola).
Antić was born in Žitište to a Serbian family that settled in the small Banat town shortly before his birth (his father Jovan is from Janja village near Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, his mother Milka from Grmeč region). The family then moved to Titovo Užice when Radomir was six years old. He started his playing career with FK Sloboda Titovo Užice (1967–1968) and then moved to the club where he would play most of his career, FK Partizan (1968–1976).
In the summer of 1976, he signed for Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He spent two seasons in Istanbul before moving to La Liga where he played for Real Zaragoza.

wn.com/Radomir_Antić
Radoslav Zdravkov
Radoslav Metodiev Zdravkov (Bulgarian: Радослав Здравков; born 30 July 1956 in Sofia) is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.
During his professional career, which spanned nearly 20 years, Zdravkov represented PFC Lokomotiv Sofia (1973–80), PFC CSKA Sofia (1980–86), Portugal's G.D. Chaves (1986–89), Sporting de Braga (1989–90), F.C. Paços de Ferreira (1990–91) and F.C. Felgueiras (1991–92) - after he had left the Iron Curtain at the age of 30 - Yantra Gabrovo (1992–93) and PFC Litex Lovech (1993–94). During his stay abroad, he was known as Radi, and he was instrumental in lowly Chaves' first ever UEFA Cup qualification, in 1986–87, as fifth.
After retiring, Zdravkov served as assistant manager with former club CSKA.
Zdrvakov earned 71 caps and scored six goals for the Bulgaria national football team during 12 years, and played at the 1986 FIFA World Cup finals.

wn.com/Radoslav_Zdravkov
Radostin Kishishev
Radostin Prodanov Kishishev (Bulgarian: Радостин Кишишев, born 30 July 1974) is a Bulgarian footballer, who is currently playing for Chernomorets Burgas in the A PFG.
Kishishev, born in the Bulgarian city of Burgas, began his career with local sides Chernomorets Burgas and Neftochimic Burgas. He then played as a central midfielder in Turkish side Bursaspor between 1997–98 with another Bulgarian footballer, Kostadin Vidolov. He returned to Bulgaria with Litex Lovech, and won Bulgarian league title with them in 1998 and 1999.
In the summer of 2000 Kishishev was purchased by newly promoted English Premier League side Charlton Athletic. Initially utilised as a right back, manager Alan Curbishley moved him into the midfield position where Kishishev (nicknamed "The Legend that is Kish" by supporters) would establish himself in the team. An almost constant presence throughout most of Charlton's seven year spell in the Premier League, he had a reputation as a hard worker, a warrior and often topped the team on the distance he ran during games, as shown by the Pro Zone statistics system. However, some supporters believed that occasional lapses in his concentration resulted in his team conceding a number of goals. Kishishev scored two goals during his time at Charlton, with both coming in the 2002/03 season. He netted in games against West Ham, which made him a local hero. and Everton.

wn.com/Radostin_Kishishev
Rainer Hasler
Rainer Hasler (born 2 July 1958) is a former Liechtenstein football (soccer) player. In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's jubilee, he was selected by the Liechtenstein Football Association as the country's Golden Player - the greatest player of the last 50 years. [1]
He played as a right defender for the Swiss club Neuchatel Xamax and Servette Geneva. With those in Geneva, where he spent two years as captain, he won in 1984 the Swiss Cup and the Swiss championship in 1985. Another major success was with Xamax reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-final in the 1981/82 season.
He retired from football in 1989 at 31 years of age.
He never played for the Liechtenstein national team, as the national team barely participated in any games before he retired.^{[citation needed]}

wn.com/Rainer_Hasler
Ramaz Shengelia
Ramaz Aleksandrovich Shengelia (Georgian: რამაზ შენგელია) (born 1 January 1957 at Kutaisi) is a former Georgian footballer. He won 26 caps and scored 10 goals for the USSR national football team, and played in the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

wn.com/Ramaz_Shengelia
Ramón Encinas
Ramón Encinas (born 19 May, 1893 in Pontevedra-died 21 March, 1967 in Madrid) was a Spanish soccer manager. He coached Real Madrid from September 1943 to May 1945.

wn.com/Ramón_Encinas
Ray Hudson
Ray Hudson (born 24 March 1955 in Gateshead, England), is a retired professional football player and former coach who currently works as an English-language football commentator on Gol TV and NBC Sports.
Hudson signed with Newcastle United in 1973 at the age of 17, from local team Whickham Juniors. He made over 40 appearances for Newcastle and fans there nicknamed him "Rocky." After four years in the Football League First Division, Hudson moved to the United States, playing for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 and was named an All-Star five times. He played the winter season of 1983-84 in Germany with Union Solingen, making 10 appearances without scoring. Hudson also played for the Strikers following their move to Minnesota in 1984, which proved to be the NASL's final year. During his stint there, Hudson scored 44 goals in 197 matches with 99 assists.
He followed this with a season playing for Edmonton Brickmen before joining the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the American Soccer League. He continued to play for the Strikers through the 1991 season by which time the team was playing in the American Professional Soccer League. He was released by the Strikers when the club was mired in a four-match scoreless streak to begin the season.

wn.com/Ray_Hudson
Raymond Kopa
Raymond Kopa (born Kopaszewski, on October 13, 1931 in Nœux-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais), is a former French football offensive midfielder, integral to the French national team of the 1950s.
Often considered one of leading players of his generation, Kopa was a free-role playmaker who was quick, agile and known for his love of dribbling. He was also a renowned playmaker, as well as a prolific scorer.
Born into a family of Polish immigrants, Kopa began his professional career at the age of 17 with SCO Angers in France's second level, and was transferred two years later to Stade de Reims, with whom he won French championships in 1953 and 1955. He helped Reims reach the first European Cup final in 1956, which the team lost to Alfredo Di Stéfano's Real Madrid, 4-3.
Kopa was transferred to Real Madrid the subsequent season, where he was soon joined by Ferenc Puskás. At Real Madrid, Kopa won the Spanish league in 1957 and 1958. Kopa also became the first French player to win the European Cup when Madrid defeated Fiorentina 2-0 in the 1957 final. He would go on to be European champion again in 1958 and 1959, the last against former side Stade de Reims, where Just Fontaine played.

wn.com/Raymond_Kopa
René van de Kerkhof
Reinier "René" Lambertus van de Kerkhof (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɛi̯.nir rəˈneː lɑm.ˈbɛr.tʏs vɐn də ˈkɛrk.ɦɔf]) (born 16 September 1951) is a former Dutch football player, who played for FC Twente and PSV Eindhoven.
van de Kerkhof and his twin brother Willy were squad members of the Dutch national team that made the World Cup final in 1974 and became key players in the team that made the 1978 final. Overall, van de Kerkhof appeared 47 times for his country, scoring five goals.
He is well remembered due to the incident before the 1978 World Cup final, when the opponent Argentinians objected to the cast he wore on his injured forearm since it could have injured an Argentinian player. Despite the bandage having been passed by FIFA and worn in previous matches, the referee, Italian Sergio Gonella vacillated, while the Dutch players threatened to walk off the field. Finally an extra layer of padding was applied to the bandage as a solution, and the match could start.
1978 was his most successful year anyway, besides becoming runners-up at the FIFA 1978 World Cup tournament, he also won the UEFA Cup, the Dutch championship and the Dutch Cup with PSV that year: "we had won everything possible – the title, the Dutch Cup and the UEFA Cup, and we had five or six players who had been runners-up at the FIFA World Cup in Argentina with the Netherlands. It was a beautiful period under coach Kees Rijvers", Van de Kerkhof later would tell to Berend Scholten.

wn.com/René_van_de_Kerkhof
Rezső Somlai
Rezső Somlai-Stolzparth (born 1911, date of death unknown) was a Hungarian footballer, who was in Hungary squad at the 1934 FIFA World Cup.
He played for Ferencvárosi TC, OGC Nice, Kispesti FC, Olympique Alès and Red Star.
He managed Bulgary and Levski Sofia.

wn.com/Rezső_Somlai
Ricardo Zamora
Ricard Zamora i Martínez (21 January 1901 — 8 September 1978) was a Spanish footballer and manager. He played as a goalkeeper for, among others, RCD Espanyol, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. As an international he played for both the Catalan XI and Spain. As a manager he won two La Liga titles with Atlético Aviación and briefly managed Spain.
Zamora, nicknamed El Divino, was noted for wearing a cloth cap and a white polo-neck jumper on the field, a look later copied by several of his contemporaries. He claimed it was to protect him from both the sun and his opponents. He was also noted for his bravery. In 1929 while playing for Spain against England, he carried on playing despite breaking his sternum. Spain won the game 4-3, becoming the first team from outside of the British Isles to defeat England. Zamora is also remembered for a spectacular last minute save he made in the 1936 Copa de España final while playing for Real Madrid against FC Barcelona. The award for the best goalkeeper in La Liga, the Ricardo Zamora Trophy, is named in his honour and he was voted one of the greatest players of the 20th century by World Soccer magazine. He was also Spain's most capped player for 45 years until being surpassed by José Ángel Iribar.

wn.com/Ricardo_Zamora
Rinat Dasayev
Rinat Fayzrakhmanovich Dasayev (Russian: Ринат Файзрахманович Дасаев, Tatar: Rinat Faizrahman uly Dasaev; born June 13, 1957 in Astrakhan, Russian SFSR) is a Russian former football goalkeeper of Tatar ethnicity, who played in three World Cups with the Soviet national team. He is considered the second best Russian goalkeeper ever behind Lev Yashin, and one of the best in the world in the 1980s. He was awarded the title of the World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year award in 1988 by the IFFHS. In 2004, he was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.
Dasayev, nicknamed “The Iron Curtain” and "The Cat", was a goalkeeper for the Russian football club Spartak Moscow during most of the 1980s. He won the Soviet championship in 1979 and 1987 and was named Best Soviet Goalkeeper by Ogonyok (Огонëк) magazine in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988. In 1982 he was named Soviet Footballer of the Year. Dasayev played for the Soviet national team at the 1980 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal. He appeared in the 1982, 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups, as well as the Euro 88 (where the Soviet Union lost the final and Dasayev was powerless to stop Marco van Basten's legendary volley). In total, he was capped 91 times from 1979 to 1990, being the second-most capped player ever for the Soviet Union.

wn.com/Rinat_Dasayev
Rivaldo
Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (born 19 April 1972), commonly known as Rivaldo (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁiˈvawdu]), is a Brazilian professional footballer for Kabuscorp. He plays as an attacking midfielder and sometimes as a supporting striker.
He most notably played five years with Spanish club FC Barcelona, with whom he won the 1998 and 1999 Spanish La Liga championship and the 1998 Copa del Rey. Between 1993 and 2003, Rivaldo played 74 matches and scored 34 goals for the Brazil national football team and was an integral part of the 2002 FIFA World Cup winning Brazilian team.
In 1999, Rivaldo was honoured as FIFA World Player of the Year, Ballon d'Or winner and European Footballer of the Year. He was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004. He is also the president of Mogi Mirim Esporte Clube in his native Brazil.
Born in Paulista, Pernambuco, Brazil, Rivaldo had an extremely poor upbringing in the favelas of the port town of Recife. His physical appearance still marks the poverty he experienced in his childhood: malnourishment-caused bowleggedness and the loss of several teeth. Rivaldo began his professional career at the age of 16, when he signed with Paulistano, from Pernambuco, in 1989, despite the Paulistano coaches believing him too physically weak to succeed. Rivaldo's father Romildo was killed in a road accident in 1989, but Rivaldo went on to his first professional contract later that year.

wn.com/Rivaldo
Rob Rensenbrink
Pieter Robert ("Rob") Rensenbrink (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpi.tər ˈroʊ̯.bərt (ˈrɔp) ˈrɛn.sə(m).ˌbrɪŋk], born July 3, 1947 in Amsterdam) is a former Dutch football player and member of the Dutch national football team that reached two World Cup finals in 1974 and 1978. A creative left winger of considerable talent, he became a legend in Belgium whilst playing in the great Anderlecht side of the 1970s. A talented dribbler as well as a cool finisher, he only ever missed two penalties in his entire career, and often enjoyed telling the keeper beforehand where he was going to place the ball, and then still beating him there. He was also the first winner of the Onze d'Or
Born in Amsterdam, Rensenbrink started his career at DWS, an Amsterdam amateur club, before moving to Belgian side Club Brugge in 1969. Between 1971 and 1980 he played for Anderlecht where he enjoyed his greatest club successes. In total when in Belgium he twice won the Belgian Championships, the Belgian Cup five times and at European club level the European Cup Winners' Cup twice (in 1976 and 1978 as well as being runner-up in 1977). Among his team mates was Dutch internationalist compatriot, Arie Haan.

wn.com/Rob_Rensenbrink
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard "Robbie" Fowler (born 9 April 1975) is an English professional footballer and manager who plays as a striker and is currently without a club
He is best remembered for his playing days at Liverpool and is the fourth-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. Fowler scored 183 goals in total for Liverpool, 128 of which were scored in the Premier League (162 Premier League goals in total). He subsequently played for Leeds United and Manchester City, before returning to Liverpool in January 2006.
He moved clubs 18 months later to sign for Cardiff City. He refused a one year "pay as you play" contract extension and signed with Blackburn Rovers on a three-month "pay as you play" deal instead. In December 2008, he departed Blackburn and forged a career in Australia with North Queensland Fury and Perth Glory. In 2011 he joined Thai side Muangthong United as a player, but later was appointed player/manager where he remained until 2012. He has been capped for England twenty-six times, scoring seven goals.

wn.com/Robbie_Fowler
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès (born 29 October 1973 in Reims) is a French international footballer who is currently a free agent. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04. A former France international, Pirès earned 79 caps between 1996 and 2004 for his country, including winning both the 1998 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000.
Pirès has played the majority of his career as a left winger, but can also play all across the midfield or in a position to support the striker(s).
Pirès was born in Reims to a Portuguese father and Spanish mother. Pirès, the elder of two boys, spent most of his childhood dressed in two football shirts that reflected his divided loyalty. One was a Portugal shirt (his father was a Benfica fan) and the other was a Real Madrid shirt. Pirès confessed he had difficulty in school because his French was not good due to the fact his parents only spoke Spanish and Portuguese. His passion for football was inherited from his father, António, who played with Les Corpo, a local team, and every Saturday night Pirès would watch him play. At the age of 15, Pirès left school and began his dream of a career in football with a two-year sports degree course in Reims. At the insistence of his mother, Pirès continued with Reims and eventually was called up four years later.

wn.com/Robert_Pirès
Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto ˈbaddʒo]; born 18 February 1967) is a retired Italian footballer. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of all time (4th in the Fifa internet poll; member of the Fifa World Cup Dream Team), Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He is also one of the top 5 all-time goalscorers for Italy. Baggio is known as Il Divin Codino (The Divine Ponytail), for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career and his Buddhist background.
Baggio was born in Caldogno, Veneto, son of Matilde and Fiorindo Baggio. He has 7 brothers and sisters. As a youngster, he always had a keen interest in the sport of football and played for a local youth club over a period of nine years. After scoring 6 goals in one game, Baggio was persuaded by scout Antonio Mora to join Vicenza. Roberto Baggio is the 6th of 8 siblings. His younger brother, Eddy Baggio, was also a footballer who played 86 games in Serie B. After his serious career threatening injury in 1985, Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, converted to Buddhism. He married his girlfriend Andreina Fabbi in 1989, in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony however. They have a daughter, Valentina, and two sons, Mattia and Leonardo.

wn.com/Roberto_Baggio
Roberto Rivelino
Roberto Rivellino (born 1 January 1946 in São Paulo) is a former Brazilian footballer.
The son of Italian immigrants from Macchiagodena (Isernia), he was famous for his large moustache, thunderous long-range free kicks, excellent long passes, quick thinking and distinct way of controlling the ball. He also invented a football move called the "flip flap", famously copied by Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent years. He is widely regarded as one of the most graceful football players ever, and among the very best midfielders of his generation.
Rivellino started as a futsal player at Clube Atletico Barcelona. After that, he tried his luck with Barcelona's biggest rival in futsal, Corinthians, where he moved on to professional football and quickly became a favourite of the fans—and was therefore nicknamed "O Rei do Parque" (King of the Park) (after the club's home ground, Parque São Jorge). However, the late 60s and early 70s were one of the most troubled periods in the history of the club, which did not win a single São Paulo state league title from 1954 to 1977.

wn.com/Roberto_Rivelino
Rodion Cămătaru
Rodion Gorun Cămătaru (born 22 June 1958) is a retired Romanian footballer, who played as a striker.
He was born in Strehaia and debuted in Divizia A with Universitatea Craiova in 1974. He spent twelve seasons with Universitatea, winning the league titles in 1980 and 1981. In 1986, he was transferred to Dinamo Bucureşti, where he became the Divizia A top goalscorer the first season with 44 goals in 33 games. He retired in 1993, having played in Belgium and the Netherlands since 1989. Cămătaru scored his last ever goal as a professional in the Dutch cup final, playing for Heerenveen, on 20 May 1993. The match was won by Ajax.
He controversially won the European Golden Boot as Europe's best goal scorer in 1987, after scoring 20 of his 44 goals in the last 6 games of the season. It is widely believed that this was due to manipulation, and so 20 years later, the second placed Toni Polster was also granted a Golden Boot.
Cămătaru got 75 caps and scored 22 goals for the Romanian national team, and represented his country at Euro 1984 and the 1990 World Cup.

wn.com/Rodion_Cămătaru
Roger Claessen
Roger Claessen (27 September 1941 – 3 October 1982) was a Belgian football player who finished as the top scorer of the Belgian League with 20 goals (along with Paul Van Himst) in 1968 while playing for Standard Liège. He played 17 times with the Belgian national team between 1961 and 1968. Claessen made his international debut on 20 May 1961 in a 2–1 defeat to Switzerland and he scored. He was a strong header.
Due to lifestyle, the rest of his career was marred, and he was nicknamed "Roger-La honte" (Roger-the shame). He played for other teams, like Alemannia Aachen Beerschot and Crossing Schaarbeek before retiring from football in 1974.
He was voted Standard de Liège player of the century by supporters.

wn.com/Roger_Claessen
Roger Milla
Roger Milla (born Albert Roger Mooh Miller, 20 May 1952) is a retired Cameroonian footballer who played as a striker. He was one of the first African players to be a major star on the international stage. He played in three World Cups for the Cameroon national team.
He achieved international stardom at 38 years old, an age at which most forward-playing footballers have retired, by scoring four goals at the 1990 World Cup, the most memorable of which came in the match against Colombia when he dispossessed the showboating Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita 35 yards from goal, going on to score in the empty net with Higuita stranded. He helped the Cameroon team reach the quarter-finals.
He is also remembered for his trademark goal celebration of running to the corner flag and performing a dance. In the years that have followed, he has been recognised as a pioneer of the many unconventional and imaginative goal celebrations seen since then. He was named one of the 125 greatest living football players in 2004 by the legendary Brazilian football player Pelé.

wn.com/Roger_Milla
Romário
Romário de Souza Faria (born January 29, 1966 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), better known simply as Romário (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁoˈmaɾiu]), is a former footballer who played striker, manager and current politician. He helped the Brazil national team win the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was one of the most prolific strikers in the world.
He was selected the FIFA World Player of the Year and won the World Cup Golden Ball in 1994, chosen as forward on FIFA Dream Team and named as one of the Top 125 greatest living footballers as part of FIFA's 100th anniversary celebration. He is also known as one of very few strikers to surpass the mark of 1,000 goals.
From very humble origins, Romário was spotted in childhood when playing for Olaria, a small club from the Rio de Janeiro suburb. He was taken to the junior team of Vasco da Gama where he won two state leagues (1987/88) and earned his first call-ups to the national team. Romário came to international attention when he became the top scorer at the 1988 Olympic football tournament.

wn.com/Romário
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980 in Porto Alegre), commonly known as Ronaldinho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu]) or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who is currently a free agent and plays for the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year. He won the award in both 2004 and 2005.
"Ronaldinho," the diminutive and term of endearment for "Ronaldo," is accompanied in Brazilian usage by the nickname "Gaúcho," in order to distinguish him from fellow footballer and countryman Ronaldo, who was known as "Ronaldinho" in Brazil beforehand. Ronaldo simply went by his first name upon his move to Europe, thereby allowing Ronaldinho to drop the "Gaúcho" and go by the name Ronaldinho abroad.
Prior to his move to Flamengo, he played for Paris Saint-Germain F.C., FC Barcelona and A.C. Milan. With the Spanish club, he won his first Champions League in 2006 and the Ballon d'Or in 2005. He became a Spanish citizen in January 2007.

wn.com/Ronaldinho
Ronaldo
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (Portuguese pronunciation: [χoˈnawdu luˈiz naˈzaɾiu dʒi ˈlimɐ]; born 18 September 1976), commonly known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who last played for Corinthians. He is considered by experts and fans as one of the greatest football players of all time. In 2012, he was voted Goal.com's "Player of the Decades" in an online poll gathering 29.55% of all votes. He won his first Ballon d'Or as the European Footballer of the Year in 1997 (aged only 21) and again won the award in 2002 (26 years old). Additionally, he is one of only three men to have won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times, along with French footballer Zinedine Zidane and Argentine striker Lionel Messi.
Considered by many as the most complete striker in the past 30 years, in 2007, he was named as one of the best starting eleven of all-time by France Football and was named to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest footballers compiled by fellow countryman Pelé. In 2010, he was voted Goal.com's "Player of the Decade" in an online poll, gathering 43.63 percent of all votes and was also included as centre forward in the "Team of the Decade". On 23 February 2010, Ronaldo announced that he would retire after the 2011 season, signing a two-year contract extension with the Corinthians at the same time. Ronaldo has played for Brazil in 98 international matches, scoring 62 goals. He was a part of the Brazilian squad that won the 1994 and 2002 World Cups. During the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo became the highest goalscorer in the history of the World Cup with his fifteenth goal, surpassing Gerd Müller's previous record of 14. He is also the only player to have won the World Cup Golden Ball and Golden Boot in separate tournaments. Having suffered a string of serious injuries throughout his career, Ronaldo retired on 14 February 2011, citing pain and hypothyroidism as the reasons for his premature retirement.

wn.com/Ronaldo
Roque Olsen
Roque Germán Olsen Fontana commonly known as Roque Olsen (9 September 1925 – 15 June 1992) was an Argentine football player and manager.
Olsen started his playing career in the local leagues of Parana, Entre Ríos. In 1949 he was signed by Tigre, the following year he joined champions Racing Club de Avellaneda. After only 15 games for Racing he joined Real Madrid where he went on to become one of the clubs most important goalscorers He played out his career with Córdoba CF in the late 1950s.
Olsen started his managerial career with Córdoba CF leading them to promotion to La Liga in 1962. He then managed Deportivo La Coruña, Real Zaragoza and FC Barcelona. He also managed Elche CF, Sevilla FC and Celta Vigo. His last managerial position before his death in 1992 was as manager of UD Las Palmas.

wn.com/Roque_Olsen
Rosen Kirilov
Rosen Kirilov (Bulgarian: Росен Кирилов) (born 4 January 1973 in Vidin) is a former Bulgarian football player.
Kirilov previously played for PFC Litex Lovech in the A PFG.
Kirilov made 51 appearances for the Bulgaria national football team from 1998 to 2006. He was part of the squads at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2004.

wn.com/Rosen_Kirilov
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers, Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic. Keane was a dominating central-midfielder, noted for his aggressive and highly competitive style of play, an attitude which helped him excel as captain of Manchester United from 1997 until his departure in 2005, having joined the club in 1993. Keane helped United achieve a sustained period of success in more than 12 years at the club. He then signed for Celtic but retired as a player less than a year later.
He played at international level for much of his career, representing the Republic of Ireland over a period of 14 years, most of which he spent as captain. He played in every Republic of Ireland game at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although he was sent home from the 2002 World Cup after an incident with national coach Mick McCarthy.
He was appointed manager of Sunderland shortly after his retirement as a player, and took the club from 23rd position in the Football League Championship in late August to win the division title and gain promotion to the Premier League. Keane's arrival was cited as the catalyst for Sunderland's recovery. He managed to keep Sunderland from relegation in the 2007–08 season, but in his second season as a top-flight manager he left his position with Sunderland in the relegation zone. In April 2009, he was appointed as manager of Ipswich Town, but was sacked by the club in January 2011 with them 19th in the Championship.

wn.com/Roy_Keane
Roy Makaay
Rudolphus "Roy" Antonius Makaay (born 9 March 1975 in Wijchen, Gelderland) is a retired Dutch footballer. While playing for Bayern Munich he picked up the nickname Das Phantom (the Phantom), for his ability to score out of nowhere. A centre-forward, Makaay is known for his goal scoring ability which is a result of his "aerial prowess and quick drives to the net where he can put the ball away with either foot."
Makaay was the European Golden Boot winner for the 2002–03 season for being the top scorer in Europe. He was first recognized as a talented striker while playing for Vitesse in the mid 1990s and honed his skills at the Spanish First Division with Tenerife and later with Deportivo La Coruña where he scored 22 goals in 36 appearances in 1999–00, his most prolific season. His international caps for the Dutch national team have been limited due to players such as Patrick Kluivert, Dennis Bergkamp and Ruud van Nistelrooy. Makaay did, however, play for his country at Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. In the latter tournament, he scored against Latvia in the first round. He played 31 times for the Dutch U-21 national team which equals a record with Arnold Bruggink.

wn.com/Roy_Makaay
Rudolf Vytlačil
Rudolf Vytlačil (Czech pronunciation: [ˈrudolv ˈvɪtlatʃɪl]]; German: Rudolf "Rudi" Vytlacil) (9 February 1912, Schwechat – 1 June 1977) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak football player and manager.
Born in Schwechat, Vytlačil started his career at the local club Phönix Schwechat. Later he played for SK Slovan Wien, SK Rapid Wien and Favoritner Sportclub in the Austrian Championship and for Slavia Prague in the Czechoslovakian Championship.
He was the coach of the Czechoslovakian national team when they finished as runners-up in the 1962 FIFA World Cup and was in charge of Bulgaria at the 1966 FIFA World Cup.
Vytlačil trained several clubs, including 1947–1948 Radomiak Radom from Poland Levski Sofia, TJ Baník Ostrava OKD, Tatran Teplice (now FK Teplice), TJ Gottwaldov (now FC Zlín) and, from 1966 to 1968, his former club SK Rapid Wien . With Rapid he won the Austrian championship twice and reached the quarterfinal of the European Champions Cup after a victory against Real Madrid.

wn.com/Rudolf_Vytlačil
Rui Costa
Rui Manuel César Costa, OIH (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁuj ˈkɔʃtɐ]; born 29 March 1972) is a former Portuguese football player and current Director of Football for Sport Lisboa e Benfica. An attacking midfielder also capable of playing as a deep-seated defensive midfielder. Renowned for his fine technique and his excellent passing, he's now considered as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100, as one of the 125 greatest living football players.
At the age of five, Costa joined the infant indoor football team of Damaia Ginásio Clube. Rui tried his luck at Benfica. Within ten minutes of training, Portugal legend Eusébio, who was supervising the youngsters, was impressed at Rui's skills. Up until 1990, Rui played for Benfica's youth squads. That season he was loaned to Fafe on a season long deal.
In 1991, after the Under-21 World Cup, which Portugal won after a victorious penalty kick scored by Costa, he returned to Benfica. There, he won the Cup of Portugal in 1993 and the Portuguese First Division title in 1993–94. This would be Benfica's last league title for 11 years.

wn.com/Rui_Costa
Rumen Rumenov
Rumen Ivaylov Rumenov (Bulgarian: Румен Руменов) (born 7 June 1993) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Litex Lovech as a midfielder or forward.
Rumenov made his competitive first team debut for Litex Lovech against Pirin Blagoevgrad on 12 March 2011 as a substitute.

wn.com/Rumen_Rumenov
Rumyana Neykova
Rumyana Neykova (Bulgarian: Румяна Нейкова; born 6 April 1973 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian rower. Neykova competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics, the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Summer Olympics, where she won silver in Single Sculls, the 2004 Summer Olympics, where she won bronze and the 2008 Summer Olympics, where she won gold in the same discipline. Her current coach is her husband Svilen Neykov. In 2002, she set the world best time of 7:07:41 on 21 Sept in Seville ESP and she was named Bulgarian Sportswoman of the Year, as well as FISA Female Rower of the Year.
Neykova has been involved in rowing since 1985, when she began training at CSKA Sofia coached Verka Aleksieva. In 1989, she was vice-world junior champion, winning that title in 1990. After several unsuccessful attempts with women's doubles and quadruples, she switched to Single Sculls and won her first medal at the 1999 world championships in Canada. She has two world titles in that discipline, at Sevilla 2002 and Milan 2003, as well as being world second in 2007 in Gifu.

wn.com/Rumyana_Neykova
Rune Bratseth
Rune Bratseth (born 19 March 1961) is a former Norwegian footballer who played as a sweeper.
Nicknamed Elk due to his long stature, he is best known for his spell with SV Werder Bremen, also having appeared in the 1994 FIFA World Cup with Norway, its first since 1938, at the age of 33.
Born in Trondheim, Bratseth started his career at local club Rosenborg BK. There, he would only be a part-time professional, until he left for Germany's SV Werder Bremen in January 1987, for a mere €93.000. He was immediately cast into the starting XI, making his club debut in a 1–5 loss at 1. FC Nuremberg, on 21 February, after the winter break; he would also win the first of his two national championships in his first full season.
Bratseth's finest moment came when Werder won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1991–92, in a 2–0 victory against AS Monaco FC. During the campaign, he played in eight (out of nine) complete matches, managing to add two goals (in both legs against Romania's FCM Bacău).
After a second league title with Bremen, Bratseth began suffering knee problems, even needing injections to play. After only one match in 1994–95, he called it quits, at 34, having amassed 230 league matches, with 12 goals, in eight and a half professional seasons. In the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, Braseth was on the scoresheet at the incredible 5–3 home win against R.S.C. Anderlecht; the Belgian led 3–0 with 25 minutes to go, and he helped to the final comeback with the 2–3.

wn.com/Rune_Bratseth
Rusi Gochev
Rusi Gochev (born March 9, 1958 in Burgas, Bulgaria) is a retired football striker.
During his club career, Gochev played for Chernomorets Burgas, Levski Sofia and LASK Linz. He also amassed 33 caps for the Bulgaria national team, scoring 3 goals. From July to August 2011 he is the director of Chernomorets Burgas's youth academy.

wn.com/Rusi_Gochev
Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit (help·info) (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈryt ˈɣʏɫɪt], born as Ruud Dil [ˈryt ˈdɪɫ], September 1, 1962 in Amsterdam) OON is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. He was named the European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989. He was a versatile player, playing in numerous positions during his career. Gullit was working to promote the Belgian-Dutch 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup bid.
Gullit was born Ruud Dil in Amsterdam to George Gullit, a Suriname migrant, and Ria Dil, his buitenvrouw, from the Amsterdam Jordaan inner city district. The family lived in one split level room on the top floor of a small apartment building. Gullit's father worked as an economics teacher at a local school, his mother as a custodian at the Rijksmuseum.

wn.com/Ruud_Gullit
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Rutgerus Johannes Martinus "Ruud" van Nistelrooij (Dutch pronunciation: [ryt vɑn ˈnɪstəlroːi̯] ( listen); born 1 July 1976) is a retired Dutch footballer. He is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history with 60 goals. He is a three-time Champions League top scorer, as well as a top scorer in three different European domestic leagues. He was a pure goal scorer known for his shooting ability, calmness in front of goal and positioning.
Van Nistelrooy began his career with Den Bosch, before moving onto Heerenveen, eventually making a name for himself at PSV Eindhoven where he won two Dutch leagues. His goalscoring record at PSV attracted attention from Manchester United; a deal was in place in the summer of 2000, but because of injury problems his move was secured a year later for a then British record fee of £19 million. His time at United was successful, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and FA Community Shield, along with winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year twice. Van Nistelrooy hit 150 goals in just 219 games for United, as well as being their all time European record goalscorer, but fell out of favour towards the end of his tenure. Real Madrid then secured his services in 2006. Although an injury blighted the end of his days with Madrid, he did win La Liga twice and the Supercopa de España before signing for Hamburg during the January transfer window in 2010. After a season-and-a-half with Hamburg, he moved back to Spain with Málaga in the summer of 2011. His retirement from football was announced on 14 May 2012.

wn.com/Ruud_van_Nistelrooy
Rüştü Reçber
Rüştü Reçber (pronounced [ˈɾyʃty ˈɾetʃbeɾ]; born 10 May 1973, Korkuteli) is a Turkish international footballer who currently plays as a goalkeeper for Beşiktaş J.K. in the Turkish Süper Lig, having previously played for Antalyaspor, Fenerbahçe and Barcelona.
He has played a key role in the success of the Turkish national squad, and it was at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where Turkey finished third, that his performances saw him selected for the tournament's all-star team. He is Turkey's record appearance holder, having earned 119 caps. He made his debut against Iceland in 1994 and his final appearance came against Armenia in 2009.
Rüştü was named the best goalkeeper in European competitions in 2002, selected for the 2002 UEFA Team Of The Year by public vote. In 2004, he was selected to FIFA 100 by Pelé as one of the 125 best living footballers in the world. Rüştü retired from international level after UEFA Euro 2008 with 120 international caps to his name but was called to play against Spain on 28 March 2009 and 1 April.

wn.com/Rüştü_Reçber
Safet Sušić

Safet "Pape" Sušić (born 13 April 1955) is a Bosnian former footballer and current manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team. In his playing days, he operated as playmaking attacking midfielder. In 2010, he was voted PSG's best player of all time by French sport magazine France Football 's readers.
Sušić began his career with the football club Krivaja in his hometown Zavidovići. In 1973, he was transferred to FK Sarajevo, where he was to become a legendary figure by the late 1970s. During the 1979–80 season, he was top scorer in the Yugoslavian league with 17 goals. In 1979, he was honoured as the Yugoslav Footballer of the Year, also being selected as the best athlete hailing from the republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In 1982, Sušić signed with French outfit of Paris Saint-Germain, where he became a star on the European stage. Hardly ever injured, he performed at a high level well past his 30s. The Yugoslav international was never injured nor suspended, thus allowing him to score 85 goals and make a record 61 assists for PSG between 1982 and 1991. On 22 September 1984, in a 7–1 home drubbing of Bastia, he assisted on five of the side's goals. At 36, Sušić left the capital for a final year with Red Star Saint-Ouen.

wn.com/Safet_Sušić
Salvatore Schillaci
Salvatore Schillaci (Italian pronunciation: [salvaˈtɔre skilˈlatʃi]; born December 1, 1964), commonly referred to by his nickname Totò is a former Italian football player. During his career, he played for Messina (1982–1989), Juventus (1989–1992), Internazionale (1992–1994) and Júbilo Iwata (1994–1997). He was the Golden Boot winner for the 1990 FIFA World Cup after leading the tournament with six goals.
He made an appearance in a television advert for the Irish beer Smithwick's. The ad was originally created in the mid-90's when his goal that had eliminated Ireland from Italy 90 as well as the Irish win over Italy in 1994 FIFA World Cup were still vivid memories in the beer's home country.
A champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse (see Schillaci) was named after him following his performances at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Born in Palermo, Italy, from a poor family, Schillaci, nicknamed Totò, started to play for an amateur team of his native city, Amat Palermo. He then signed in 1982 for the Sicilian club Messina, where he played till 1989 and showed his goal-scoring abilities. He then joined Juventus of Turin, and debuted in Serie A on August 27, 1989. Juventus, the "Old Lady" of Italian football was at the time suffering from the breakup of the wonder team which dominated Italian football in the 1980s and Schillaci's arrival coincided with a return to form under the direction of former goalkeeper Dino Zoff. He featured prominently, scoring 15 goals, in a very positive year for the Turinese club which ended the season winning both the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Cup. Due to his inventive, aggressive attack style he was then selected by head coach of Italy, Azeglio Vicini, to play in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, to be hosted by Italy itself, despite being a novice in the arena of national team competitions.

wn.com/Salvatore_Schillaci
Sandrinho
Alessandro Correa or simply Sandrinho (born July 5, 1980 in Aimoré, Brazil) is a Brazilian football midfielder.
Sandrinho made his debut at Nacional Futebol Clube, where he played in the seasons 1998–2000. In 2000, he moved to Mexican side Club de Fútbol Monterrey. There he played from 2000 to 2002. In June 2003 Sandrinho returned to Brazil, signing a contract with Esporte Clube Juventude. Due to his performances there, manager Itzhak Shum of Litex Lovech signed him in January 2005. Sandrinho quickly became part of the main team. With Litex he won two times the Bulgarian Cup - in 2008 and in 2009.

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Sepp Maier
Josef Dieter "Sepp" Maier (born 28 February 1944) is a German former professional football goalkeeper. His nickname was "Die Katze von Anzing" ("the cat from Anzing") for his fast reflexes.
Born in Metten, Bavaria, Maier has spent his entire professional career at Bayern Munich. He began playing for Bayern's youth sides in 1958. During the 1970s, he was part of the legendary Bayern team which included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Müller and won three European Cups in a row, a German record. Between 1966 and 1979 he played in 442 consecutive Bundesliga matches, still a German national record.
Maier was selected in the West Germany squad for four consecutive World Cups. In 1966 in England, he was a non-playing deputy to Hans Tilkowski. At the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, he was the undisputed starter and played all games (including the legendary 3–4 semifinal loss to Italy after extra time) except the third-place match.
In the 1974 FIFA World Cup on home soil, at the top of his footballing abilities, he reached the peak of his international career as the Germans went all the way to the final with a legendary team that included the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Berti Vogts, Gerd Müller and Paul Breitner. The greatest triumph came when the hosts defeated a Johan Cruyff-inspired Netherlands team 2–1 in the final in Maier's own hometown Munich.

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Serafim Todorov
Serafim Simeonov Todorov (Bulgarian: Серафим Симеонов Тодоров) or Gogi Todoridze (born July 6, 1969 in Peshtera, Pazardzhik) is a former Bulgarian/Georgian boxer who won the amateur world championship three times. He remains the last boxer to have defeated the highly regarded Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
As an amateur, Todorov won the world championships three times, in 1991 in bantamweight, and in 1993 and 1995 in featherweight. He won a silver medal in bantamweight in 1989 losing to Enrique Carrion from Cuba in the final. He also won the European amateur championships in 1989 and 1991 in bantamweight and in 1993 in featherweight.
Todorov represented Bulgaria on the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In 1992 he lost in the quarter-finals to Li Gwang-Sik from North Korea. In 1996 he qualified to the semi-finals where he met the then 19-year old Floyd Mayweather, Jr. from the United States. Though most observers felt that Mayweather won the fight, the victory was awarded to Todorov by a narrow 10-9 points margin. Even the referee seemed to be somewhat surprised because he initially raised Mayweather's hand at the end of the fight. The United States team protested the result but with no success. Todorov went on to the final where he lost to Somluck Kamsing from Thailand and settled for the silver medal.^{[citation needed]}

wn.com/Serafim_Todorov
Sergei Aleinikov
Sergei Yevgenyevich Aleinikov (Russian: Сергей Евгеньевич Алейников) (born 7 November 1961 in Minsk) is a former football player from Belarus, now coach.
He played for the USSR national football team, making 77 appearances for the USSR, scoring six goals, from 1984–91, when USSR made the final of Euro 88, losing to the Netherlands 0-2. He also earned 4 caps for Belarus after the independence of Belarus.
He joined F.C. Dinamo Minsk in 1981 and won the USSR championship the following season. The midfielder then joined Juventus F.C. in 1989, and won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia in 1990. He signed for U.S. Lecce in 1990, and in 1992 went to Japan to play for Gamba Osaka. He finished his career with Swedish side IK Oddevold in 1996.
In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Belarus by the Football Federation of Belarus as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.
In 2007–08 he served as head coach of amateur Promozione team NK Kras. He currently lives in Lecce.

wn.com/Sergei_Aleinikov
Sergey Kvochkin
Sergey Prokofyevich Kvochkin (October 6, 1938 – December 29, 2007) was a Soviet Kazakhstani footballer. In 2004, he was selected as the best Kazakhstani footballer in the UEFA Jubilee Awards.

wn.com/Sergey_Kvochkin
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈseɾxjo aˈɣweɾo]; born 2 June 1988) is an Argentine professional association football player who plays as a striker for Manchester City in England's Premier League and the Argentine national team. On 5 July 2003, he became the youngest player to debut in the Argentine First Division at 15 years and 35 days, breaking the record previously established by Diego Maradona in 1976. He plays with the shirt name Kun Aguero.
At international level, Agüero represented the Argentina under-20 team at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2005 and in 2007, winning both tournaments. Agüero played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he scored two goals in the 3–0 semi-final win against Brazil as Argentina went on to win the gold medal. Agüero was selected to represent Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2011 Copa América.
In 2006, Agüero moved to Europe to play for La Liga side Atlético Madrid for a fee of €23 million from Independiente. He made a name for himself, attracting attention from Europe's top clubs by scoring 101 goals in 234 appearances while winning the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2010. Agüero moved to Premier League club Manchester City in July 2011 for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £35 million. On the last day of his début season with the club, Agüero scored a 94th-minute winner against Queen's Park Rangers that earned Manchester City their first league title in 44 years.

wn.com/Sergio_Agüero
Sotiris Kaiafas
Sotiris Kaiafas (born December 17, 1949 in Mia Milia, Nicosia) is a retired Cypriot footballer, who played for Omonia and Cyprus. During his career at Omonia, he won the European Golden Boot. He is considered the best footballer that Cyprus has ever produced and also one of the two best Cypriot sportpeople in 20th century.
Kaiafas played for local club mia milia, called Proodos. In 1965, he joined Omonia and in 1967, he debuted for Omonia senior team joining the youth team at the age of 16 because he was clearly a class above the rest in his age group. Soon he established himself as one of the most prolific strikers Omonia had ever employed. But it was not until the early 1970s that he served notice of his talent. In the 1971–72 season, Kaiafas became for first time leading scorer in Cyprus with 12 goals, a tally that helped Omonia to their third domestic title. It was the start of a successful partnership.
Kaiafas, like other Cypriot stars such as Andreas Stylianou, Panicos Efthymiades and Leonidas Leonidou, became a cult hero to the fans. It was a period where there was a close connection between players and watchers, at a time when football was played on gravel, not grass, and its practitioners paid only a pittance by clubs.

wn.com/Sotiris_Kaiafas
Spas Dzhevizov
Spas Dzhevizov (Bulgarian: Спас Джевизов) (born September 27, 1955, in Plovdiv, Bulgaria) is a football former forward. For the Bulgaria national football team Dzhevizov featured in 20 games and scored 3 goals. Between 1976 and 1984 he played in 205 matches and scored 96 goals for CSKA Sofia. Dzhevizov won the top Bulgarian league, the A PFG, four times (all with CSKA), as well as the Bulgarian Cup, two times (all with CSKA). He led the league in scoring during the 1979–80 season with 23 goals.
Following his playing career, Dzhevizov became a manager of clubs in Bulgaria and Cyprus, including CSKA Sofia and Alki Larnaca.

wn.com/Spas_Dzhevizov
Stanimir Stoilov
Stanimir Kolev Stoilov, nickname Murray (Bulgarian: Станимир Стоилов, Мъри) (born February 13, 1967) is a former Bulgarian footballer, former manager of Levski Sofia, Litex Lovech and the Bulgarian national team.
Stoilov began his career at the local FC Haskovo, where he stayed until 1990. In the beg His first spell at Levski Sofia spanned 2 years, between July 1990 and June 1992, when he moved to the Turkish club Fenerbahçe SK and then played shortly for Levski rival PFC CSKA Sofia only to return to Levski Sofia for another year between July 1994 and June 1995. He then spent some time playing in Portugal and for PFC Slavia Sofia before again returning to Levski Sofia for a third spell since July 1998 as a captain and assistant manager since July 2000. In 2004 he became the manager of the team, most notably leading it to the UEFA Cup 2005-06 quarter final stage and becoming the first Bulgarian club to ever reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League during the 2006-07 season. He has also led the team to winning the national cup in 2005 and 2007, Bulgarian Supercup in 2005 and 2007 and the 2005/2006 and 2006/2007 national championship.

wn.com/Stanimir_Stoilov
Stanka Zlateva
Stanka Zlateva Hristova (Bulgarian: Станка Златева Христова; born 1 March 1983 in Krushare, Sliven Province) is a female Bulgarian freestyle wrestler. She competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she won a silver medal. She was named World Female Wrestler of the Year in 2006 and 2007 and Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Zlateva has been engaged in wrestling since 1997, at age 14. Her first coach was Demir Demirev and then she trained with Valeri Raychev in the Kyustendil sports club and in the national team, as well as with Ognyan Raychev in the national team. Since 2006, she has been competing for Levski Sofia, where her coach is former world champion and triple European champion Simeon Shterev.
Zlateva came first in her category at the 2006 and 2007 World Championships (in Baku and Guangzhou respectively), fourth in 2004 (New York), fifth in 2005 (Budapest), seventh in 2001 (Sofia) and eight in 2002 (Chalcis). She's also a triple European champion, winning the 2006, 2007 and 2008 titles (Moscow, Sofia and Tampere respectively), as well as coming third in 2005 (Varna), fourth in 2003 and fifth in 2004.

wn.com/Stanka_Zlateva
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE (1 February 1915 – 23 February 2000) was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. Matthews' nicknames included "The Wizard of the Dribble" and "The Magician".
A near-vegetarian teetotaller, he kept fit enough to play at the top level until he was 50 years old. He was also the oldest player ever to play in England's top football division and the oldest player ever to represent the country. He played his final competitive game in 1985, at the age of 70. Matthews was also an inaugural inductee to the English Football Hall of Fame in 2002 to honour his contribution to the English game.
He spent nineteen years with Stoke City, playing for the "Potters" from 1932 to 1947, and again from 1961 to 1965. He helped Stoke to the Second Division title in 1932–33 and 1962–63. In between his two spells at Stoke he spent fourteen years with Blackpool; where he became an FA Cup winner in 1953 (known as the Matthews Final), after he was on the losing side in the 1948 and 1951 finals. Between 1937 and 1957 he won 54 caps for England, playing in the FIFA World Cup in 1950 and 1954, and winning nine British Home Championship titles.

wn.com/Stanley_Matthews
Stefan Botev
Stefan Khristov Botev (Bulgarian: Стефан Христов Ботев, born February 14, 1968 in Harmanli) was an Olympic weightlifter for Bulgaria and later for Australia. He was coached by Ivan Abajiev.
In 2007 he was elected member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.

wn.com/Stefan_Botev
Stefan Bozhkov
Stefan Bozhilov Stefanov (Bulgarian: Стефан Божилов Стефанов, born September 20, 1923) is a former Bulgarian football (soccer) player and coach.
During his club career he played for PFC CSKA Sofia. Bozhkov won the top Bulgarian league, the A PFG, a ten times (all with CSKA), as well as the Bulgarian Cup, three times (all with CSKA). He earned 53 caps and scored 4 goals for the Bulgaria national football team from 1946 to 1958, and won a bronze medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He later coached the national team in the 1970 FIFA World Cup and won a silver medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics.

wn.com/Stefan_Bozhkov
Stefka Kostadinova
Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgarian: Стефка Костадинова) (born March 25, 1965 in Plovdiv) is a Bulgarian retired athlete and the current women's world record holder in the high jump. She is the current president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee.
Kostadinova is the reigning world record holder in the women's high jump at 2.09 m, which she jumped during the 1987 World Championships in Rome. Her world record is one of the oldest in modern athletics. Altogether Kostadinova set seven world records - three outdoors and four indoors. She also holds the women's world record for having jumped over 2.00 m 197 times.
Kostadinova won the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, setting an Olympic record of 2.05 m. She also won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Kostadinova won the outdoor World Championships in 1987 and 1995. She won the World Indoor Championship five times between 1985 and 1997. Kostadinova also won gold in all European Championships in Athletics which she competed. She was a European outdoor champion in Stuttgart in 1986 and a four-time European indoor champion in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1994.

wn.com/Stefka_Kostadinova
Stiliyan Petrov
Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov (sometimes transliterated 'Stilian'; Bulgarian: Стилиян Альошев Петров; born 5 July 1979) is a professional footballer who plays for Aston Villa in the Premier League and the Bulgaria national team. He won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award in 2003 when he was playing for Celtic. Petrov has become known for his solid performances in midfield for both Celtic and Aston Villa and also for Bulgaria. He captained the national team at Euro 2004 where he was sent off during a match against Denmark. He has appeared over a hundred times for his country.
In 2003, Stiliyan Petrov was chosen as Bulgarian Footballer of the Year. He placed second in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2011, and third in 2002 and 2006.
In 2005, Petrov wrote his autobiography with the assistance of Sunday Mail sports journalist Mark Guidi entitled You Can Call Me Stan, in reference to his nickname "Stan", a shortened form of his given name. In the book, he describes how "Stiliyan" is the correct spelling, rather than "Stilian", as it is sometimes spelled in the press.

wn.com/Stiliyan_Petrov
Stoyan Ormandzhiev
Stoyan Ormandzhiev (Bulgarian: Стоян Орманджиев), (10 January 1920 - 10 October 2006) was an Bulgarian footballer and manager, who managed two European clubs and the Bulgaria national team during his career.
He made his professional debut at the age of 16 while he played for the local Radetski Varna(now PFC Spartak Varna). Later he played three years for Vladislav Varna(now PFC Cherno More Varna). The most successful period in his career cames when he joins Lokomotiv Sofia. During his stay at Lokomotiv he won the Bulgarian Championship in 1945 and Bulgarian Cup twice - in 1945 and 1948. He has played 20 games for the Bulgarian national football team, as in 5 of them he is the team captain. In 1948 he won 2nd place in the poll for Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award. Because of health issues at the age of 29 he decided to retire from football. He is one of the legends of Lokomotiv Sofia.
In 1948 he obtained coaching qualification in USSR. When he returns in Bulgaria in 1950, he was appointed as national team manager. He managed the team nearly a decade, under his charge in 1956 the team won the Bronze medals in the Summer Olympics in Melbourne. He holds the record of 76 games in charge of the team.

wn.com/Stoyan_Ormandzhiev
Stoycho Mladenov
Stoycho Mladenov (Bulgarian: Стойчо Младенов) (born 12 April 1957 in Ploski, Blagoevgrad Province) is a Bulgarian former football player and as of recently the manager of CSKA Sofia.
Mladenov started from small teams like Dimitrovgrad and gradually moved to bigger teams like CSKA Sofia. From there he went all around the world, however best moments of winning were in Portugal and also with his National Team. His best years were spent as a striker for CSKA Sofia. He also served the club as a manager and head coach. Mladenov's nickname is "Liverpool's Executor" in honor of his winning goals against the European champion Liverpool FC in UEFA European Champions Cup 1/4 finals in season 81/82. Mladenov's finest game as a player was on 17 March 1982, when he scored both of CSKA's goals as they beat Liverpool 2-0 in Sofia to knock the English giants out of the European Cup quarter-finals. He was honoured as Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 1983. He played also in Portugal in several clubs like V.Setúbal, GD Estoril-Praia, Olhanense, but was in C.F. Os Belenenses where he achieved one third place in Portuguese football league and won a Portuguese Cup beatting Benfica in the final, after winning in the prior stages teams like FC Porto and Sporting CP. He was also responsible for the victory that Belenenses had over Barcelona in the UEFA Cup of 1988, when he stole the ball from Barcelona's defender Shuster and made a perfect assistance for Mapuata's goal. Nowadays he trains the most successful Bulgarian team CSKA Sofia. Financial problems at his favourite club CSKA Sofia pushed him away after a series of compromises he had done during his time there. He was recently fired as manager of Al-Ettifaq FC after the team failed to win in 4 consecutive games. His son Alexandar Mladenov is a professional footballer. In March 2012, he replaced Dimitar Penev as head coach of CSKA Sofia.

wn.com/Stoycho_Mladenov
Stoycho Stoilov
Stoycho Stoilov (Bulgarian: Стойчо Стоилов) (born October 15, 1971 in Blagoevgrad) is a retired Bulgarian football midfielder. He is currently employed as the technical director of Litex Lovech.
In his career Stoilov played for Pirin Blagoevgrad, CSKA Sofia, Dobrudzha Dobrich and Litex Lovech. Stoilov also had a spell with 1. FC Nuremberg in the German Fußball-Bundesliga.
He was in the Bulgarian squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, although he did not play in any games.
On 14 November 2002, Stoilov (who was at the time the captain of Litex Lovech and was suffering from a broken foot, sustained after a challenge in a game against CSKA Sofia) was seriously wounded after being shot by former army serviceman Simeon Mechev, following a traffic dispute. Stoilov managed to recover after extensive treatment, but the incident effectively spelt the end of his playing career. The culprit was originally to spend 10 years in prison, but his sentence was eventually reduced to 6 years.

wn.com/Stoycho_Stoilov
Strahil Popov
Strahil Venkov Popov (Bulgarian: Страхил Попов) (born on 31 August 1990 in Blagoevgrad) is a Bulgarian footballer currently playing for Litex Lovech. He is a right midfielder. Popov played for Bulgaria U19.
Strahil Popov started his career in senior football when he was 16.^{[citation needed]} He played in Bulgarian South-West V AFG for FC Pirin 2001. After two seasons Litex Lovech bought him and the young talent made his first big step in his professional career. He moves to Litex in the summer of 2008, where he would make three A PFG appearances. In July 2009 Popov is loaned for one year to Lokomotiv Mezdra. He made his team début on 10 July, scoring once in an 1-2 friendly loss against Sivasspor.

wn.com/Strahil_Popov
Stéphane Chapuisat
Stéphane Chapuisat (born 28 June 1969 in Lausanne) is a retired Swiss footballer who played as a striker.
A prolific goalscorer for both club and country (for which he appeared more than 100 times), he played most of his career with Germany's Borussia Dortmund.
Chapuisat started his professional career with hometown Lausanne Sports, moving in January 1991 to Bundesliga's Bayer Uerdingen, switching to powerhouse Borussia Dortmund in that summer.
In his first season at Dortmund, Chapuisat netted 20 league goals, two short of Torjäger Fritz Walter, of eventual champions VfB Stuttgart. He stayed with Borussia until 1999, conquering back-to-back titles (although he played sparingly in 1995–96 due to injuries) and adding the following season's UEFA Champions League, where he scored three in 10 games during the victorious campaign.
Chapuisat then transferred to Grasshopper Club Zürich, playing there for three years. In 2002, he moved to another Swiss first division club, BSC Young Boys, before rejoining Lausanne, now in the second level, retiring at 37, with namely 106 goals in 228 Bundesliga games to his credit. He was also voted Swiss Footballer of the Year four times (1992, 1993, 1994 and 2001).

wn.com/Stéphane_Chapuisat
Svetla Otsetova
Svetla Otsetova (Bulgarian: Светла Оцетова, born November 23, 1950) is a Bulgarian rower.
She won a gold medal with Zdravka Yordanova in women's double sculls rowing in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. She is the third woman in history to serve in the International Olympic Committee.^{[citation needed]}

wn.com/Svetla_Otsetova
Svetoslav Todorov
Svetoslav Todorov (Bulgarian: Светослав Тодоров; born August 30, 1978 in Dobrich, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian International footballer.
Todorov began his career at Bulgarian First Division club Dobrudzha Dobrich in 1996–97, scoring twice in twelve appearances. He then joined Second Division champions Litex Lovech where he scored 34 goals in 70 league games over four seasons. His form attracted attention from English clubs and after trials with Preston North End and West Ham United, he joined West Ham in January 2001. During his time in Bulgaria, he was sent off only once (on 13 May 2000, in a 0–1 away loss against Spartak Varna in an A PFG match).
Todorov joined West Ham for a fee of £500,000 rising to £2 million depending on appearances. He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat at Liverpool and scored his first goal for the club in his third game, a 3–2 FA Cup defeat at home to Tottenham, and then scored his first league goal for the club against Middlesbrough. However, following manager Harry Redknapp's departure from the club in May 2001, Todorov found himself out of favour and he played just eight games under new manager Glenn Roeder in the 2001–02 season.

wn.com/Svetoslav_Todorov
Sándor Kocsis
Sándor Kocsis Péter (21 September 1929 – 22 July 1979) was a Hungarian footballer who played for Ferencváros TC, Budapest Honvéd, Young Fellows Zürich, FC Barcelona and Hungary. During the 1950s, along with Ferenc Puskás, Zoltán Czibor, József Bozsik and Nándor Hidegkuti, he was a member of the Mighty Magyars. After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution he moved to Spain where he became a member of the FC Barcelona team of the late 1950s.
Kocsis was a prolific goalscorer for both Budapest Honvéd and Hungary. While playing for Honvéd, he was the top goal scorer in any European league in both 1952 and 1954. He also scored 75 goals in 68 appearances for Hungary - a 1.10 goal/game average at the game's highest level. Kocsis was the top goal scorer in the 1954 World Cup with 11 goals, being the first player to score two hat tricks in a World Cup. His record 2.2 goal/game average in a single World Cup finals competition is still unbeaten as of 2010, and only Just Fontaine has scored more goals in a single World Cup.

wn.com/Sándor_Kocsis
Sócrates
Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, MD (19 February 1954 – 4 December 2011), simply Sócrates, was a Brazilian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He was also a qualified doctor.
He played for Botafogo-SP before joining Corinthians in 1978. He then moved to Italy to play for Fiorentina, returning to Brazil in 1985 to end his career.
Sócrates was a technical playmaker, known for great through passes and his vision on the field, as well as his physical strength. He was also a two-footed player and a prolific goal scorer. His ability to read the game was highly valued, and his signature move was the blind heel pass. He was considered to be one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game. Easily recognizable for his beard and headband, he became the "symbol of cool for a whole generation of football supporters".
Sócrates played for Brazil during seven years, scoring more than 20 goals and representing the nation in two World Cups, captaining the team in the 1982 edition; he also appeared in the 1979 and 1983 Copa América tournaments, and was named South American Footballer of the Year in 1983, being selected to Pelé's FIFA 100 list in 2004.

wn.com/Sócrates
Tanju Çolak
Tanju Çolak (born 10 November 1963 in Samsun) is a retired Turkish footballer, who played as a striker.
He made his debut for Samsun Yolspor. From there he was transferred to Samsunspor in 1981 where he was the top scorer in both the 1985–86 and 1986–87 seasons. Çolak then moved to Galatasaray in the end of 1986–87 season. He was the top scorer in Europe with 39 goals in the 1987–88 season. At the same time, he was awarded the European Golden Boot given by France Football. He is the only Turkish footballer to date to win this award. Çolak became the top scorer again in the 1991–92 season, and transferred to rivals Fenerbahçe at the end of the season.
He had a lifetime total of 240 goals and took over the title of top goal scorer in the Turkish Super League by breaking the legendary record of Metin Oktay. He had scored the most goal with 240 goals at only 9 seasons, which were 1982–83 and between the 1985–93 seasons. His record was broken by Hakan Şükür in 2007–08 season at 17 seasons. Çolak, dubbed "Bay Gol" (Mr. Goal), finished his career at İstanbulspor with a legacy as a good striker who had his career damaged by criminal scandals.

wn.com/Tanju_Çolak
Tanya Dangalakova
Tanya Bogomilova Dangalakova (Bulgarian: Таня Богомилова Дангалакова) (born June 30, 1964) is a former breaststroke swimmer from Bulgaria, who won the gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
At the 1985 European Aquatics Championships she prevented East Germany from sweeping all women's events for the third European Championships in a row, by winning the 200 meter breaststroke by 0.45 seconds.

wn.com/Tanya_Dangalakova
Tereza Marinova
Tereza Moncheva Marinova (Bulgarian: Тереза Мончева Маринова; born September 5, 1977 in Pleven) is a Bulgarian athlete who competed in long jump and triple jump.
In her younger days she became both European Junior and World Junior champion, and she still holds the world junior record at triple jump. At the 2000 Summer Olympics she won the gold medal with a personal best jump of 15.20 metres.
In long jump her personal best is 6.46 m. She did not compete internationally after the 2004 World Indoor Championships until 2006. She finished sixth at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
Her father Moncho was a prominent 800 metres runner who once set a Bulgarian record and still holds the Bulgarian one mile record, and her brother Tsvetomir was a talented 400 metres runner.
Marinova retired from the sport shortly before the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics. She has stated that she would like to work as an athletics instructor.
Marinova gave birth to her first child, a girl named Darina, on 17 February 2011.

wn.com/Tereza_Marinova
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga (born 8 March 1949) is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50. He is one of only two players to have scored five goals in two different FIFA World Cups.
Nicknamed El Nene (The Kid), he was part of the Peru national team that won the 1975 Copa América. He helped Peru reach the quarter finals at the 1970 FIFA World Cup and again at the 1978 World Cup and was elected the South American Footballer of the Year in 1972.
He is the all-time leading scorer for his country, with 26 goals in 81 matches.In 2004 Pelé selected Cubillas as one of the FIFA 100, a list of 125 footballing greats. In February 2008, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Brazilian World Cup victory, he was selected in the All-Star First Team of South America of the past 50 years.
Nicknamed "Nene" (the babe) for his boyish looks, Cubillas began his career with Alianza Lima at the age of 16 in 1966. Whilst at Alianza he was top scorer in the Peruvian Primera División in 1966 and 1970.

wn.com/Teófilo_Cubillas
Thiago Miracema
Thiago de Sousa Bezerra (born 8 December 1987 in Miracema do Tocantins), commonly known as Thiago Miracema, is a Brazilian footballer, who plays as a winger for Litex Lovech on loan from Sampaio Corrêa.
In the winter of 2011, Miracema signed for São José on a four-month's loan. He made his Campeonato Gaúcho debut on 16 January, in a 2–2 away draw against Internacional.
On 8 June 2011, Miracema transferred to Litex Lovech together with his Sampaio Corrêa team mate Célio Codó on a season-long loan.
As of June 1, 2011

wn.com/Thiago_Miracema
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi ɑ̃ʁi]; born 17 August 1977) is a French footballer who plays as a striker for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.
Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne (a suburb of Paris) where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and signed instantly, making his professional debut in 1994. Good form led to an international call-up in 1998, after which he signed for the Serie A defending champions Juventus. He had a disappointing season playing on the wing, before joining Arsenal for £11 million in 1999.
It was at Arsenal that Henry made his name as a world-class footballer. Despite initially struggling in the Premier League, he emerged as Arsenal's top goal-scorer for almost every season of his tenure there. Under long-time mentor and coach Arsène Wenger, Henry became a prolific striker and Arsenal's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals in all competitions. The Frenchman won two league titles and three FA Cups with the Gunners; he was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year twice, was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, and the FWA Footballer of the Year three times. Henry spent his final two seasons with Arsenal as club captain, leading them to the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final.

wn.com/Thierry_Henry
Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller (German pronunciation: [ˈtʰoː.mas ˈmʏ.lɐ]; born 13 September 1989) is a German footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and the German national team. Müller plays as a midfielder or forward, and has been deployed in a variety of attacking roles—as an attacking midfielder, second striker, and on either wing. He has been praised for his pace, technique and composure, and has shown consistency in scoring and creating goals. A product of Bayern's youth system, he made his first-team breakthrough in the 2009–10 season after Louis van Gaal was appointed as the main coach; he played almost every game as the club won the league and cup double and reached the Champions League final. This accomplishment earned him an international call-up, and at the end of the season he was named in Germany's squad for the 2010 World Cup, where he scored five goals in six appearances as the team finished in third place. He was named as the Best Young Player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, with five goals and three assists.

wn.com/Thomas_Müller
Todor Diev
Todor Nedyalkov Diev (Bulgarian: Тодор Диев) (28 September 1934 - 6 January 1995) is a former Bulgarian football player.
Diev was Born in Plovdiv. He played 308 games for Spartak Plovdiv and scored 146 goals. He was also capped 55 times for the Bulgaria national team and scored 16 goals.

wn.com/Todor_Diev
Todor Pramatarov
Todor Pramatarov (Bulgarian: Тодор Праматаров) (born 26 April 1962) is a former Bulgarian football (soccer) player. He was the top scorer of the 1997 championship (with 26 goals for Slavia Sofia).
A native of Sofia, Pramatarov played as a forward for FC Lyulin, PFC Montana, Lokomotiv Sofia, CSKA Sofia, Slavia Sofia, PFC Shumen, Litex Lovech, Greek AO Kavala, Velbazhd Kyustendil, Pirin Blagoevgrad, Vihren Sandanski and in Cypriot Aris Limassol.
In his career Pramatarov played in 440 matches and scored 223 goals.

wn.com/Todor_Pramatarov
Toni Polster
Anton "Toni" Polster (born 10 March 1964 in Vienna) is a retired Austrian footballer. He is the all-time leading goalscorer for Austria and the singer of the Austrian band Achtung Liebe.
Polster came through the Austria Wien youth system to make his professional league debut in August 1982, at 18 years of age. He scored his first Bundesliga goal three weeks later and went on to win three league titles and a domestic cup before moving abroad to play a season for Serie A mid-table side Torino. He then spent the five following years at Spanish teams Sevilla, Logroñés and Rayo Vallecano, ending up with these teams in mid-table as well. In 1990, he finished runner-up in the Spanish goalscoring chart. In 1993, he moved to Germany to spend 5 years at Köln, again ending up in mid-table every season except for the last one in which he experienced relegation. That made him join Borussia Mönchengladbach next year but they got also relegated at the end of the season and Polster returned to Austria to play a final season at Austria Salzburg.

wn.com/Toni_Polster
Totka Petrova
Totka Nikolaeva Petrova (Bulgarian: Тотка Петрова, born 17 December 1956) is a retired female middle distance runner who represented Bulgaria in the 1970s and the early 1980s. She specialized in the 800 and 1500 metres, and won numerous international medals. She is still the Bulgarian 1500 metres record holder.
She was born in Yambol, and represented the club Tundzha Yambol. She won silver medals at the 1977 and 1978 European Indoor Championships. In 1977 she was only 0.05 seconds behind the gold medallist Jane Colebrook. Also, she continued a strong tradition of Bulgarian 800 metres runners, who had taken medals at the previous European Indoor Championships in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976. Other than Petrova, these medals were taken by Svetla Zlateva, Stefka Yordanova, Rositsa Pekhlivanova, Nikolina Shtereva and Lilyana Tomova.
In 1977 she also won the gold medal at the 1977 World Cup, and at the 1977 Summer Universiade she won gold medals in both 800 and 1500 metres. In 1978 she participated at the European Championships, finishing fourth in the 800 metres and winning the bronze medal in the 1500 metres.

wn.com/Totka_Petrova
Trifon Ivanov
Trifon Marinov Ivanov (Bulgarian: Трифон Маринов Иванов) (born 27 July 1965 in Veliko Tarnovo) is a former Bulgarian international football player.
Sometimes known by his nickname "The Bulgarian Wolf" due to his unshaven appearance and mullet hairstyle, Ivanov started his career with the team Etar of Veliko Tarnovo. Later moves included spells at CSKA Sofia during 1994-95 and 1997-98 as well as at the Austrian teams Austria Vienna and Rapid Vienna and the Spanish club Real Betis.
Ivanov's international distinctions include being a member of the Bulgaria national football team that reached the fourth place in the World Cup United States 1994. He also participated in the European Football Championship in England in 1996. Ivanov's goal against Russia on 10 September 1997, in the qualifiers for the World Cup in France in 1998, was the one that clinched Bulgarian qualification. Ivanov scored 6 goals in 77 caps in 10 years with the national side.
Ivanov is famous for his long-range shots and free-kicks at goal. In Euro 96 particularly, he had a number of 40-45 yards shots at goal narrowly missing the target.

wn.com/Trifon_Ivanov
Tsanko Tsvetanov
Tsanko Nikolaev Tsvetanov (Bulgarian: Цанко Цветанов) (born 6 January 1970 in Bulgarsko slivovo) was a Bulgarian football player, left-back and currently assistant coach in the Bulgarian national team.
He made 40 appearances for the Bulgaria national football team, and was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup and also played at Euro 96. During his career he played for Etar Veliko Tarnovo, Levski Sofia. He signed for Aberdeen F.C. in the summer of 1996.

wn.com/Tsanko_Tsvetanov
Tsvetan Genkov
Tsvetan Valentinov Genkov (Bulgarian: Цветан Валентинов Генков) (born 8 February 1984 in Mezdra) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a striker for Wisła Kraków.
Born in Mezdra, Genkov began his career in the local Lokomotiv, previously having been an athlete. He made his debut during the 2001–02 season on 14 October 2001 in a 0–2 away loss against Sitomir Nikopol in the campaign of V AFG. On 12 May 2002, Genkov scored his first goal in a 2–2 home draw against Olimpik Teteven. As of the 2002–03 season he became first-choice forward scoring 14 goals. After 24 goals in the next season he transferred to Lokomotiv Sofia.
He made his debut for Lokomotiv Sofia on 6 August 2004, in a 0-2 away loss against Litex Lovech. In Sofia, Genkov established himself in one of the leading A PFG clubs and helped his team to reach the fourth place in 2005-06 and secure a place in the UEFA Cup 2006-07. During the qualification rounds, Genkov scored four goals in six matches. In Bulgaria's A PFG, he became the top goalscorer of 2006–07 with 27 goals, leading Lokomotiv to the third position and UEFA Cup 2007-08 qualification.

wn.com/Tsvetan_Genkov
Ulf Kirsten
Ulf Kirsten (born 4 December 1965 in Riesa, East Germany) is a former German football striker, the first player in history to reach a total 100 caps playing with two different national teams. His biggest success was the win of the 1992–93 DFB-Pokal. His nickname was der Schwatte.
On the club level, Kirsten played for only two teams: from 1983 to 1990 he was with Dynamo Dresden. In the East German Oberliga he made 154 matches and scored 57 goals for Dynamo Dresden.
Kirsten had an unusual build, measuring only 172 cm (5'8"), but weighing 81 kg (179 lbs). He had an unusually low centre of gravity which enabled him to protect the ball in the box against much bigger defenders and turn around quickly for close-range shots. This playing style was often compared to Gerd Müller. In addition, despite his small height, Kirsten was also a feared header.
He was one of the first East German footballers to enter the Bundesliga after the German reunification. In the German Bundesliga he played 350 matches for Bayer Leverkusen and scored 182 goals (ranked # 5 in the All-Time-Scorer-List). Kirsten established himself as one of the most dangerous strikers in the Bundesliga, but Bayer regularly ended as runner-up to either Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund. He stayed there until his retirement in 2003. He also played in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final. In the 1999–2000 season, Kirsten won the EFFIFU award for being the most efficient striker in the league.

wn.com/Ulf_Kirsten
Uli Stielike
Ulrich "Uli" Stielike (born 15 November 1954 in Ketsch, West Germany) is a German football manager and former player.
Stielike was a West Germany youth international for hometown club SpVgg Ketsch when he got signed by UEFA Cup runner-up Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1973, first coming to action as a full back for the then two times German Bundesliga champion. Playing in defending midfield for his club, afterwards, he was part of the Mönchengladbach team that won the Bundesliga titles in 1975, 1976 and 1977, the UEFA Cup in 1975 and gained a runner-up medal in the European Cup in 1977 following a 1–3 against Liverpool F.C. in Rome.
Ahead of the 1977–78 season, Stielike moved on to join Real Madrid to become a reliable fan-favourite in his eight years with Los merengues. His first three seasons at Santiago Bernabéu all ended in Real winning La Liga. In 1980 and 1982, he was part of the side winning Copa del Rey, in 1985 he added the Copa de la Liga, and finished off his Madrid years with the UEFA Cup triumph of the same summer.

wn.com/Uli_Stielike
Uwe Seeler
Uwe Seeler (born 5 November 1936 in Hamburg) is a former German football official and retired football player. He played for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West German national team.
Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player for Hamburger SV, making his first team debut in 1954 in a German Cup match, aged just under 18, scoring four goals (8–2 vs. Holstein Kiel). In later years, despite tempting offers from Italian and Spanish clubs he remained loyal to Hamburg, working on a second career as a merchant besides playing football, as in those days football stars in Germany did not earn the huge salaries seen now.
Seeler was a gifted striker who, among other things, was renowned for his overhead kick. He scored 137 times in 239 Bundesliga games, 43 times in 72 international games for the German national team, and 21 times in 29 European club tournament games. He was captain of both his club team and the national team for many years. He and his club won the German championship in 1960 and the DFB-Pokal (German FA Cup) in 1963. He was top scorer of the first Bundesliga season 1963–64 and German Footballer of the Year in 1960, 1964 and 1970.

wn.com/Uwe_Seeler
Valery Gazzaev
Valery Georgievich Gazzaev (Russian: Валерий Георгиевич Газзаев; Ossetic: Гæззаты Георгийы фырт Валери) is a Russian football manager and former footballer who is currently the president of FC Alania Vladikavkaz. As a Soviet footballer he played the position of a striker enjoying successes with his team FC Dynamo Moscow as well as the USSR national football team in the Olympics.
Valery Gazzaev became a coach in 1989. He was most successful when he was in charge in CSKA Moscow from 2004 to 2008. There Gazzaev won every possible Russian title three times each, as well as the 2005 UEFA Cup. He is considered one of the best football coaches to have emerged from the former Soviet Union because of these achievements.
Gazzaev was born 7 August 1954 in Ordzhonikidze, USSR, now Vladikavkaz, Russia. He started his playing career as a forward for his native Spartak Ordzhonikidze in the Soviet First League. In 1974, he moved to SKA Rostov-on-Don, which got promoted from the Soviet First League to the Soviet Top League after a second-place finish at the end of the season. However, Gazzaev was left behind in the first league in Spartak Ordzhonikidze, as he wasn't one of the main players of the SKA Rostov-on-Don.

wn.com/Valery_Gazzaev
Vanya Voynova
Vanya Voynova (Bulgarian: Ваня Войнова; December 27, 1934 in Sofia, Bulgaria – March 9, 1993 in Sofia, Bulgaria) was a Bulgarian basketball player. She has played for Slavia Sofia from 1950 to 1968, winning the European Champions' Cup in 1959 and 1963 and Bulgarian league 12 times from 1953 to 1965. With the Bulgaria women's national basketball team, she has won silver in the 1959 World Championship, bronze in the 1964 World Championship, gold in the 1958 European Championship, silver in the 1960 European Championship and 1964 European Championship and bronze in the 1954 European Championship and 1962 European Championship. She has been inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007.

wn.com/Vanya_Voynova
Vasil Bozhikov
Vasil Georgiev Bozhikov (Bulgarian: Васил Божиков) (born 2 June 1988 in Gotse Delchev) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays for Litex Lovech. He normally plays as a defender in a left back position, but can also play on the right side of defense.
Bozhikov joined Minyor in February 2009 and made his league debut on March 16, 2009 in a 0–0 home draw against Litex Lovech. At the end of July 2011, Bozhikov spent a week on trial with Belgian side Genk, playing in a pre-season match against Bayer 04 Leverkusen, but he did not sign for Genk. During his spell at Pernik, Bozhikov made a total of 65 appearances for the club.
On December 1, 2011, Minyor Pernik announced on their official website, that they have reached an agreement with Litex for the transfer of Bozhikov, with the player joining the Lovech side on January 1, 2012.He make him debut on April 22, 2012 in a 1–1 home draw against Ludogorets Razgrad.

wn.com/Vasil_Bozhikov
Vasil Etropolski
Vasil Etropolski (born 18 March 1959) is a Bulgarian fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1980 and 1988 Summer Olympics. He is the twin brother of Khristo Etropolski, who also fenced for Bulgaria at the Olympics.

wn.com/Vasil_Etropolski
Vasil Spasov
Vasil Spasov (sometimes spelled Spassov; Bulgarian: Васил Спасов; born February 17, 1971) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. Spasov won the 1989 World Junior Chess Championship. Spasov has been Bulgarian Champion several times: 1990, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2008.
On the September 2010 FIDE list his Elo rating is 2621.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spasov, Vasilgay

wn.com/Vasil_Spasov
Vasilis Hatzipanagis
Vasilis Hatzipanagis (Greek: Βασίλης Χατζηπαναγής) (born 26 October 1954 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan) is a retired football (soccer) attacking midfield. He played for Iraklis FC in Greek Alpha Ethniki and Pakhtakor Tashkent in the Soviet Top League. He also played for Greece and USSR.
Born to Greek political immigrants to the USSR in October 1954, he was spotted by Pakhtakor, a club in Tashkent (a city of the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan). They wanted to invest in this raw yet refined player, but the law was strict: he had to apply for Soviet citizenship to be eligible for the Soviet top flight. Hatzipanagis made his professional debut at the age of 17.
Hatzipanagis signed for the Thessaloniki club Iraklis, and such was his reputation that he filled the stadium for his first match in December 1975. The Iraklis fans would be one of the reasons this exceptional talent never joined another team, the other being his contract with Iraklis was heavily favored towards the club making it almost impossible for him to leave in spite of his desire to test himself in a better league. Despite interest from S.S. Lazio, Arsenal, FC Porto and VfB Stuttgart, the club's board feared the consequences of selling the crowd favourite. So Hatzipanagis stayed at Iraklis until 1990 and made a farewell appearance in a UEFA game against Valencia CF in October 1991 – on his 37th birthday.

wn.com/Vasilis_Hatzipanagis
Vavá
Vavá, real name Edvaldo Izídio Neto, (born 12 November 1934 in Recife, Brazil; died 19 January 2002 in Rio de Janeiro) was an association footballer who is widely considered one of the best strikers of his generation. His nickname was "Peito de Aço" (Steel Chest). He played as a full striker (center forward) whose only role was to score goals, which he did for Sport Club do Recife, C.R. Vasco da Gama, S.E. Palmeiras and the Brazilian national team.
Vava earned 20 caps with the Brazilian national team, scoring a total of 15 goals. He was on the side that won both the 1958 and 1962 World Cup, in which he scored 5 and 4 goals, respectively. Furthermore, he was a joint recipient of the 1962 World Cup Golden Shoe award.
Vavá scored in the final of both 1958 (twice) and 1962 (once), thus becoming the first player to score in the final of two different world cups. To this day, only four players achieved this feat, the other three being Pelé, Paul Breitner and Zinedine Zidane.

wn.com/Vavá
Velko Yotov
Velko Nikolaev Yotov (or Iotov)(Bulgarian: Велко Йотов) (born 26 August 1970) was a Bulgarian football player. He was part of the Bulgarian national team that reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup. After coming through the ranks in Levski Sofia he moved to Botev Plovdiv and then sold to Espanyol and helped them win Segunda Division with his 13 goals in 1993–94 season. In 1995 he moved to Argentina and spent four seasons with Newell's Old Boys before finishing his career in the USA-League with Charleston Battery and Atlanta Silverbacks.
Bulgarian champion with Levski in 1993. Bulgarian Cup Holder with Levski in 1991 and 1992.

wn.com/Velko_Yotov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (pronounced [vɛsɛˈlin toˈpɑlof]; Bulgarian: Веселин Александров Топалов; born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster.
Topalov became the FIDE World Chess Champion by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. He lost his title in the World Chess Championship 2006 match against Vladimir Kramnik. He won the 2005 Chess Oscar.
He has been ranked number one a total of 27 months in his career, fourth all-time since the inception of the FIDE ranking lists in 1971 behind only Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, and Bobby Fischer. He was ranked No. 1 in the world from April 2006 to January 2007, during which his Elo rating was 2813, which had been surpassed only by Garry Kasparov, and subsequently by Magnus Carlsen, Anand and Levon Aronian. He regained the world No. 1 ranking again in October 2008, and officially remained No. 1 until January 2010, when he fell to No. 2 behind Carlsen. He currently has the 12th highest rating in the world.
In the World Chess Championship 2010, he was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand, losing the match 6½–5½.

wn.com/Veselin_Topalov
Viktor Hrachov
Viktor Oleksandrovych Hrachov (Russian: Виктор Александрович Грачёв) (born 17 September 1956 in Dzerzhynsk) is a retired Soviet and Ukrainian football player and currently a manager.
Hrachov played his only game for USSR on 15 May 1984 in a friendly against Finland.

wn.com/Viktor_Hrachov
Vladimir Manchev
Vladimir Manchev (Bulgarian: Владимир Манчев) (born October 6, 1977) is a Bulgarian football player, who currently plays for Lokomotiv Sofia.
He has also played for Bulgarian teams of Spartak Pleven, Yantra and Hebar, French side Lille OSC and Spanish teams Levante UD, Valladolid and Celta Vigo. He was the top goalscorer of the Bulgarian "A" Professional Football Group in 2001-2002 season with 21 goals netted for CSKA Sofia. He won the Bulgarian Cup in 1999 with CSKA. In the last match for the autumn period of the 2008-09 season against Lokomotiv Mezdra he received an injury in his knee ligaments, which prevented him from playing football for about 9 months. He was expected to be back in play for the next season. On 30 August 2009, Manchev scored the third goal in the 4:0 home win against Lokomotiv Mezdra in his first game back from injury after coming on as a substitute for Rui Miguel. Manchev is a CSKA Sofia's fans' favourite. Although he was injured most of the season 2008-09, in which he played only 4 matches, he scored 4 goals and made a few assists, so on 16 June 2009 it was said that in the next few days he would sign a new contract, which would make him a CSKA player for the next two years. After all he signed a new one year contract on 24.07.2009. In the summer 2010 Manchev was transferred to Akademik Sofia, but did not make any appearances in official matches for the team. In February 2012, Manchev signed a contract with Loko Sofia. He scored two goals in his return debut to help his team to a 2:0 win over Loko Plovdiv on 5 March 2012.

wn.com/Vladimir_Manchev
Václav Mašek
Václav Mašek (born 21 March 1941 in Prague) is a Czech football player. He was a member of the Czechoslovakia national football team, for which he played 16 matches and scored 5 goals.
In Czechoslovakia, he played 313 league matches and scored 127 goals for Sparta Prague.
He was a participant in the 1962 FIFA World Cup, where his country were runners up, losing to Brazil in the final. In a match against Mexico, he became famous for scoring a goal after only 16 seconds of play, the fastest goal in World Cup history until forty years later, when his record was beaten by Hakan Şükür of Turkey, by scoring after 11 seconds in the 3rd place match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

wn.com/Václav_Mašek
Víctor Fernández
For the footballer, see Víctor Fernández Maza.
Víctor Fernández, (born in Zaragoza, Spain; November 28, 1960) is a Spanish football coach. In 1995, he achieved a Cup Winners' Cup victory with Real Zaragoza as well as a more recent Intercontinental Cup victory with FC Porto, on December 12, 2004.
He was dismissed from FC Porto in late January 2005 for bad results (the team was placed 3rd in the table). José Couceiro replaced him.
In June 2007, he returned to hometown club Real Zaragoza. After getting off to a dismal 2007 campaign, Víctor Fernández was sacked after a 2-2 draw with Real Mallorca.

wn.com/Víctor_Fernández
Wikipedia Persondata
wn.com/Wikipedia_Persondata
Wilfried Niflore
Wilfried Niflore (born 29 April 1981) is a French footballer who currently plays for Nîmes Olympique as a forward.
Born in Toulouse, Niflore began his career at local club Toulouse FC, making his professional debuts in 2001–02. He earned 23 appearances for the club, scored three goals, before moved to AS Cannes in the summer of 2002. In his country Niflore also played for Tours FC and FC Gueugnon, before in January 2008 relocated to Bulgaria.
On 10 January 2008 Wilfried Niflore signed a two-a-half years contract with Litex Lovech. He made his competitive debut for Litex on 1 March 2008 against CSKA Sofia. A few days later, on 8 March Niflore scored his first goal for the club against Vihren Sandanski.
In the 2008-09 season, Niflore's form blossomed as he became first-choice striker due to the departure of Emil Angelov to Denizlispor. In this season, Niflore earned 31 appearances for the club and scored 10 goals.
Wilfried started excellently 2009-10 season, scoring his first goals of the season in the first round of A PFG on 8 August 2009 in a 5–0 victory over Lokomotiv Mezdra. He scored twice. This season proved to be one of remarkable personal achievements for Niflore. He completed the season as the A PFG's top goal-scorer with 19 goals.

wn.com/Wilfried_Niflore
Willibald Stejskal
Willibald "Willy" Stejskal was an Austrian football (soccer) player in defender role and manager.
He played for Rapid Vienna.
He coached Slavia Sofia,FC Metz,Gent, Cercle Brugge and AFC Ajax.

wn.com/Willibald_Stejskal
Willy van de Kerkhof
Wilhelmus "Willy" Antonius van de Kerkhof (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋɪl.ɦɛl.mʏs ˈwɪli ɑn.ˈtoː.niʏs vɐn də ˈkɛrk.ɦɔf]) (born 16 September 1951) is a former Dutch footballer.
van de Kerkhof and his twin brother René were squad members of the Dutch national team that made the World Cup final in 1974 and became key players in the team that made the 1978 final. He also played for the Netherlands at the Euro 1980. Overall, van de Kerkhof appeared 63 times for his country, scoring five goals.
He was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004.

wn.com/Willy_van_de_Kerkhof
Wim Kieft
Willem "Wim" Cornelis Nicolaas Kieft (born 12 November 1962) is a retired Dutch footballer who played as a centre forward.
A prolific goal-scorer whose main asset resided in his heading ability, he played in his country for two of the most important clubs, Ajax Amsterdam and PSV Eindhoven, with equal team and individual success. He also played abroad in Italy and France.
For the Dutch national team, Kieft scored in double digits in more than one decade of play, being a very valuable member of the squad that won Euro 1988. He also represented the nation at the 1990 World Cup.
Born in Amsterdam, Kieft started his professional career with local giants AFC Ajax, making his first team debuts on 4 May 1980, at not yet 18. Amongst his youth teammates were Frank Rijkaard, John van 't Schip, Marco van Basten and Gerald Vanenburg, as in his first two full seasons he scored at an astonishing rate, especially in 1981–82, when he netted 32 goals in as many games, being crucial as the side lifted the Eredivisie title, and receiving the European Golden Boot award.

wn.com/Wim_Kieft
Włodzimierz Lubański
Włodzimierz 'Włodek' Leonard Lubański (born 28 February 1947 in Gliwice-Sośnica) is a former Polish football striker, the all-time goal scorer for the Polish national team. He was considered the best Polish striker ever. He currently holds the position of vice-chairman at Polonia Warszawa.
For his national team, Lubański amassed 65 caps between 1963 and 1980, scoring 44 goals (if Olympic matches are considered, the numbers become 80 caps and 50 goals). He scored five hat-tricks in his international career, including the rare feat of five goals in one game against Luxembourg in 1969. Lubański made his international debut at the age of 16 years and 188 days, becoming the youngest player ever to appear for Poland. He led his country to the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He missed the 1974 FIFA World Cup after a Roy McFarland tackle during the Poland v England WC qualifier damaged his cruciate ligament and put him out of football for two years. Lubański returned to play in the 1978 FIFA World Cup, but never quite reached his previous levels of footballing prowess.

wn.com/Włodzimierz_Lubański
Yanko Rusev
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Yanko Rusev (Bulgarian: Янко Русев, born December 1, 1958) was an Olympic weightlifter for Bulgaria.
In 1993 he was elected member of the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.

wn.com/Yanko_Rusev
Yordan Bikov
Yordan Bikov (Bulgarian: Йордан Биков) (born 17 October 1950) is a former Bulgarian weightlifter. He became Olympic Champion in 1972 in the middleweight class.

wn.com/Yordan_Bikov
Yordan Letchkov
Yordan Letchkov (also transliterated Jordan, Iordan, Lechkov) (Bulgarian: Йордан Лечков) (born 9 July 1967 in Sliven) is a former Bulgarian footballer and the current mayor of Sliven. He is generally regarded as one of the best players to come out of Bulgaria and was a key member of the squad which reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup Finals. Known to many as "The Magician", Letchkov was a gifted player who could play as a central midfielder or on the left side of midfield, he was easily recognizable for his baldness. Best known for his dribbling ability however, his career was often dictated by his moody nature and the numerous arguments and fall-outs with fellow players and managers.
He began his career as a youngster with Sliven football club (Bulgaria), after breaking into the first team at a young age he secured a transfer to Bulgaria's top side CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria, 1991–92 season) and soon after he made the move to Germany with Hamburger SV (Germany, from the 1992–93 season to the 1995–96 season). After that he secured a move to Olympique de Marseille (France, 1996–97 season), at this point one of the top clubs in Europe. However a difficult relationship with the clubs management led to his departure after one season.

wn.com/Yordan_Letchkov
Yordan Yovchev
Yordan Yovchev Yovchev (Bulgarian: Йордан Йовчев Йовчев) (born February 24, 1973), is a Bulgarian gymnast.
Yovchev was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He won silver in the men's rings at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens with a score of 9.850. In the same Olympic Games, Yovchev won bronze in the men's floor exercise with a score of 9.775. In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he won the bronze on both floor exercise and still rings with 9.787 and 9.762 respectively. He also won two World Championship Bronze medals in the all around (1999, 2001).
Yovchev made his fifth Olympic team for the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and qualified again for the Rings exercise. He qualified second with a score of 16.275 under the new scoring system, but missed a handstand and finished the final in last place with a score of 15.525.
He has competed in many SASUKE tournaments, reaching the final stage in the 8th competition; he did not pass the spider climb in the first 15 seconds, so the walls spread apart and he fell. He is the only competitor to not pass the spider climb in this version of the final stage, other than Shingo Yamamoto who did not complete it due to injury, but his early failure could be attributed to the heavy rain during the entire competition. Since then he has not passed the third stage.

wn.com/Yordan_Yovchev
Yordanka Donkova
Yordanka Donkova (Bulgarian: Йорданка Донкова) (born 28 September 1961) is a former hurdling athlete notable for winning an Olympic gold medal and bronze medal as well as 9 medals at European indoor and outdoor championships. She still holds the CR (championship record) for the European Championships with 12.38 s. Donkova set four world records in 1986. Her fifth, a time of 12.21 set in 1988, is still the current world record.
Personal Life
She suffered a childhood accident which resulted in her losing two fingers on her right hand. In 1989 she had a miscarriage in June when expecting her first child. She is a mother to three children, In 1991 she gave birth to her first child, a son called Zhivko and twin girls Desia and Daniela in 1996.

wn.com/Yordanka_Donkova
Yoto Yotov
Yoto Vasilev Yotov (Bulgarian: Йото Василев Йотов, born May 22, 1969) is a Bulgarian/Croatian weightlifter.
It can be said that Yotov has a great love for the sport, as he was still competing as recently as October 2006. He represented Croatia in the Men's 85 kg class. He placed 17th with a snatch of 150 kg and jerk of 190 kg for a total of 340 kg.[1]

wn.com/Yoto_Yotov
Zbigniew Boniek
Zbigniew "Zibì" Kazimierz Boniek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈzbiɡɲɛv ˈbɔɲɛk]; born 3 March 1956 in Bydgoszcz) is a former Polish footballer and coach. He first played at Zawisza Bydgoszcz and later at Widzew Łódź. Boniek was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers and by FIFA as one of the 100 best-ever players. On 12 October 2009 he received a Golden Foot career award.
Boniek was transferred to Italian football giants Juventus in 1982. That same year he won a bronze medal (third place) as part of the Polish team at the 1982 FIFA World Cup. With Juventus he won the Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup in 1984 (scoring in the final of the former) and the European Cup in 1985.
Boniek represented Poland in 80 internationals and scored 24 goals. After finishing his professional career at A.S. Roma in 1988 he had a successful business career.
As a player, Boniek was known for his blistering pace and acceleration. He was one of the best dribblers of his time and also displayed superb technique.

wn.com/Zbigniew_Boniek
Zdravka Yordanova
Zdravka Yordanova (Bulgarian: Здравка Йорданова, born December 9, 1950) is a Bulgarian rower and Olympic champion.
She became Olympic champion in 1976 in the double sculls class, together with Svetlana Otsetova.

wn.com/Zdravka_Yordanova
Zdravko Zdravkov
Zdravko Zdravkov (Bulgarian: Здравко Здравков) (born October 4, 1970 in Sofia) is a former Bulgarian football goalkeeper. He ended his career at the end of 2006–07 season.
On the club level, Zdravkov has played for Levski Sofia (1989–1995), Istanbulspor (1997–1999 and 2000–2002), Adanaspor (1999–2000), Cherno More (2002–2003), Litex Lovech (2003–2004) and Çaykur Rizespor (2004–2007). For Bulgaria, Zdravkov has been capped 70 times. He was the starting goalkeeper for his country at the Euro 1996, 1998 World Cup and Euro 2004.
Halfway through the France World Cup in 1998, with Bulgaria having played two games (0–0 against Paraguay and a 0–1 loss to Nigeria), Zdravkov was ranked as the 2nd best goalkeeper in form. Although he went on to concede 6 goals in Bulgaria's unforunate loss to Spain in the next game, Zdravkov was an exceptional performer at the World Cup.
December 2002 until January 2003, Zdravkov spent a trial period with Arsenal F.C., but did not eventually sign with the then-reigning FA Premier League champions.

wn.com/Zdravko_Zdravkov
Zico
Arthur Antunes Coimbra (Portuguese pronunciation: [aʁˈtuʁ ɐ̃ˈtũnis koˈĩbɾɐ], born 3 March 1953 in Rio de Janeiro), better known as Zico ([ˈziku]), is a Brazilian coach and former footballer. He is the current head coach of the Iraq national football team. Often called the "White Pelé", he is commonly considered one of the most skilled finishers and one of the best passers ever and possibly the world's best player of the early 80's. He was also known as one of history's greatest free kick specialists, able to bend the ball with pace. The gifted midfielder was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. Also according to Pelé, generally considered the best footballer ever, "throughout the years, the one player that came closest to me was Zico".
Zico scored 52 goals in 72 international matches for Brazil, and represented them in the 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cups. They did not win any of those tournaments, even though the 1982 squad is considered one of the greatest Brazilian national squads ever. Zico is often considered one of the best players in football history not to have been on a World Cup winning squad. He was chosen 1981 and 1983 Player of the Year.

wn.com/Zico
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane (French pronunciation: [zinedin zidan]) (born 23 June 1972) is a retired French footballer. Zidane was the leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship. After a brief international retirement, he returned to the national team in 2005 and captained France to the 2006 World Cup Final where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's most outstanding player.
In club level Zidane won the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, two Serie A league championships with Juventus and an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup each with both aforementioned sides. He is one of only four players to have been FIFA World Player of the Year three or more times (Brazilian forward Marta is a five time winner (female award), while Brazilian striker Ronaldo (male award) and German striker Birgit Prinz (female award) have won three each). He also won the Ballon d'Or in 1998. He retired from professional football after the 2006 World Cup.

wn.com/Zinedine_Zidane
Zlatko Yankov
Zlatko Yankov (Bulgarian: Златко Янков) (born 7 June 1966 in Burgas) is a retired Bulgarian football midfielder.
He was capped 80 times and scored 4 goals for the Bulgarian national team between 1989 and 1999. He played eight games at the World Cups in 1994 and 1998, and he was also in the Bulgarian Euro 1996 squad. Currently working as a sport-technical director in PFC Chernomorets Burgas

wn.com/Zlatko_Yankov
Zviad Endeladze
Zviad Endeladze Vitalovich (born 7 April 1966 in Adigeni) is a retired Georgian footballer. He has played for clubs such as Guria Lanchkhuti and Margveti, scoring 40 goals during the 1995–96 season, which made him the top scorer in European domestic competitions and would have won the European Golden Boot had it not been suspended in 1991. The award was reinstated a season after Endeladze's feat under new rules that would count goals scored in the Georgian Top League as one point while goals scored in Europe's top leagues are counted double. He retired from football in 2006.

wn.com/Zviad_Endeladze
Ásgeir Sigurvinsson
Ásgeir "Sigi" Sigurvinsson (born 8 May 1955 in Vestmannaeyjar) is an Icelandic football coach and a former player.
The attacking midfielder was one of the first, and certainly one of the most celebrated, Icelandic professional football players. He went from Iceland to Belgium but spent the latter half of his career in Germany.
Ásgeir moved to Belgian club Standard Liège in 1973, and stayed there for eight seasons, amassing more than 300 appearances overall, and helping the club to the 1981 Belgian Cup. Immediately after, he was bought by European powerhouse FC Bayern Munich, but was used mainly as a substitute and lasted only one year on the bench.
Ásgeir then joined fellow Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart, where he figured prominently until his retirement, at 35. In his second year, he netted a career-best – in Germany – 12 goals, being instrumental in a league conquest after a 32-year wait. During his penultimate season, Ásgeir scored thrice in 28 matches as the club finished fifth, still adding all 12 matches (10 complete) in Stuttgart's UEFA Cup runner-up run. In total, he played 211 German first division matches, scoring 39 goals, and more than 500 overall as a professional.

wn.com/Ásgeir_Sigurvinsson
Čedomir Đoinčević
Čedomir Đoinčević (Serbian Cyrillic: Чедомир Ђоинчевић) (born May 5, 1961) is a Serbian football coach and former player.

wn.com/Čedomir_Đoinčević

The Immortals - Hristo Stoichkov

The Immortals - Hristo Stoichkov...

published: 27 Oct 2007

author: Casey1307

hristo stoichkov

the best...

published: 28 Feb 2007

author: diwina

100 Golden goals of Hristo Stoichkov for Barcelona part 1 *HD*

www.youtube.com - part 2...

published: 13 Jul 2011

author: bghdvideos

top 10 gols Hristo Stoichkov

Veja os 10 maiores gols desse grande jogador Búlgaro...

published: 19 Dec 2011

author: Marcos VINÍCIUS

100 Golden goals of Hristo Stoichkov for Barcelona part 2 *HD*

www.youtube.com - part 1...

published: 13 Jul 2011

author: bghdvideos

H.Stoichkov gives "ENGLISH" Lessons

hristo stoichkov gives an interview for African TV....

published: 26 Nov 2009

author: Atanas Velikov

HRISTO STOICHKOV..... "Un Culé de LEYENDA."

Visita nuestra Web, regístrate, sé un@ más de esta gran FAMILIA. ¡¡ Te sorprenderá !! soyc...

published: 07 Feb 2012

author: ANTIMADRIDISTA44

Duelos de Oro - Hristo Stoichkov (1/3)

Hristo Stoichkov vs. "King Kev" Kevin Keegan Ganadores del Balón de Oro en 1994 con el FC ...

published: 10 Mar 2008

author: Juanmag84

Mexico Vs Bulgaria Usa '94 Hristo Stoichkov's Goal

The first goal of the match scoring by hristo stoichkov Please Comment and rate it Visita ...

published: 09 Jun 2010

author: Mr99mx

My Favorite Player is...Hristo Stoichkov

In 1989 he won the European Golden Boot. In the 90's he won La Liga five times with FC Bar...

published: 18 May 2012

author: mls

An Interview With Hristo Stoichkov By Caught Offside, Part 1

A Special Interview for Caught OffSide Website with Hristo Stoichkov, Which Being Held In ...

published: 25 Oct 2010

author: Dagan Wald

Hristo Stoichkov, Chicago Fire Comertial

Hristo Stoichkov, Chicago Fire Comertial...

published: 25 Nov 2006

author: vyordanov

Duelos de Oro - Hristo Stoichkov (2/3)

Hristo Stoichkov vs. "King Kev" Kevin Keegan Ganadores del Balón de Oro en 1994 con el FC ...

published: 10 Mar 2008

author: Juanmag84

Marcha de Stoichkov

Hristo deixa o banquillo celeste...

published: 10 Oct 2007

author: javicelta

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photo: US Navy / HMC Josh Ives

U.S. Army Spc. Jacob Bobbe, security force team member for Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Farah, maintains security on the street during a key leader engagement in the Lash-e Juwayn district of Farah province, Afghanistan, Dec. 11 2012.

Imperial Lockstep

CounterPunch

27 Dec 2012

Imperial adventures are nothing new in the Middle East. Neither is their glorification, as Peter O’Toole’s pained Lawrence of Arabia eternally reminds us. But for a decade or so now, things have been heating up, as if to coincide with climate change and fears of declining petroleum reserves ... The Belly for Belligerence? ... The question loomed over beltway intelligentsia like an ephemeral Gordian knot ... We’re All Hawks Now ... While George W ... ....(size: 9.3Kb)

photo: AP / Ben Curtis

In this Sunday, April 29, 2012 file photo, troops from the Central African Republic stand guard at a building used for joint meetings between them and U.S. Army special forces, in Obo, Central African Republic, where U.S. special forces have paired up with local troops and Ugandan soldiers to seek out Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).

CAR seeks foreign help against rebels

Al Jazeera

28 Dec 2012

The president of Central African Republic (CAR) has urgently called on France and other foreign powers to help his government fend off rebels who are quickly seizing territory and approaching the capital. Speaking to crowds in Bangui, a city of some 600,000, Francois Bozize on Thursday pleaded with foreign powers to do what they could. He pointed in particular to France, Central African Republic's former colonial ruler ... 516 Share ... News ... ....(size: 19.5Kb)

photo: WN / Janice Sabnal

Six dead as winter snowstorms pound US

Zeenews

27 Dec 2012

Washington. Six people, including two young children, were left dead in weather-related accidents, as winter snowstorms complicated travel for many Americans in the Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday. Snow totals in parts of Indiana ranged from 6 to 12 inches, CNN reported. About 350 snowploughs were clearing roads throughout the city. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told residents they should avoid nonessential travel ... IANS ... ....(size: 2.2Kb)

photo: AP / K.M.Chaudary

Supporters of Pakistan's slain leader Benazir Bhutto, stand beside her portrait after lighting earth lamps at a ceremony to mark the second anniversary of her death

Pakistan marks fifth anniversary of Benazir Bhutto murder

BBC News

27 Dec 2012

Large crowds of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) supporters are gathering to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Ms Bhutto died in a gun and bomb attack during her 2007 election campaign. Hundreds of thousands of people have set up camp near the Bhutto family's ancestral home in Sindh province ... He cannot contest an election until his 25th birthday. Show of strength ... ....(size: 2.4Kb)

photo: AP

Free Syrian Army soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint in the northern town of Ariha, on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, Sunday, June 10, 2012.

Syria military police chief defects to rebels

The Guardian

26 Dec 2012

News of defection comes as activists say 20 people, including eight children, have been killed by shelling in north of country. Assad’s forces are hitting back at a string of rebel advances across the country. Photograph. Abdalghne Karoof/REUTERS. The head of Syria's military police has defected from the army and declared allegiance to the uprising against the president, Bashar al-Assad, according to a video and a Syrian security source....(size: 3.4Kb)

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Milanov named Bulgaria's best footballer of 2012

Newstrack India

28 Dec 2012

Tweet ... Litex's head coach Hristo Stoichkov, a former Barcelona football star and Golden Ball winner, was also named the best player in the country's "A" Football Group ... Post comments.. ) .. ).. Comments.. HOME . . . . . . .. . . .. ....(size: 1.9Kb)

Milanov becomes Bulgaria's youngest Footballer of Year

The Guardian

27 Dec 2012

"First of all, I would like to thank my idol and my coach (at Litex) Hristo Stoichkov." (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov, editing by Mark Meadows). Football. Last 24 hours....(size: 8.8Kb)

Sam Wallace: It is incredible that South American clubs aren't swept off the global stage

The Independent

09 Dec 2012

When the Corinthians squad left Sao Paulo a week ago today for the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan, 20,000 supporters came to see them off ... The pictures of it are extraordinary ... The competition's record going back the last 20 years is 13-7 in European clubs' favour ... Twenty years ago, Sao Paulo under Tele Santana beat Johan Cruyff's Barcelona team of Pep Guardiola, Michael Laudrup and Hristo Stoichkov in the Inter-Continental Cup final ... ....(size: 7.0Kb)

Ludogorets maintain lead ahead of break in Bulgaria

The Guardian

08 Dec 2012

Slovak defender Lubomir Guldan opened the scoring after 33 minutes, Bulgaria international Ivan Stoyanov made it 2-0, converting a penalty just before the interval, and Mihail Alexandrov completed the rout five minutes from time ... Litex, coached by former Bulgaria great Hristo Stoichkov, moved up to third with 29 points after a laboured 1-0 win over 10-man Chernomorets Burgas ... Football....(size: 10.8Kb)

Neeskens talked himself out of Sundowns job by insulting media

Business Day

05 Dec 2012

Related articles. I’D ALWAYS imagined that nobody could pull off a perfect scowl and deliver gruff-voiced one-liners as effectively as ageing Hollywood macho man Sylvester Stallone ... The Sundowns supporters nearly passed out from the excitement of it all when this was pointed out ... Even hotheads such as former Kaizer Chiefs coach Vladimir Vermezovic and volatile Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov would not hold a candle to the Dutchman ... ....(size: 4.5Kb)

Legendary goals: Hristo Stoichkov (FCB - Fútbol Club Barcelona)

noodls

28 Nov 2012

Hristo Stoichkov was born in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) in 1966 ... Hristo Stoichkov was one of the stars of the Dream Team and one of the fans' most popular players of the 1990s, both for his football and his extraordinary fighting spirit ... Stoichkov All details. distributed by ... (noodl. 16761001) ....(size: 1.8Kb)

No real security in soccer coaches’ fleeting careers

Business Day

28 Nov 2012

Such is the volatility of the profession that the old suitcases are packed in close proximity to the front door and long-term career planning is a myth, like the Easter bunny ... That furiously revolving door at Chloorkop has already seen the back of Luis Oscar Fullone, Khabo Zondo, Angel Cappa, Neil Tovey, Paul Dolezar, Miguel Gamondi, Gordon Igesund, Trott Moloto, Henri Michel, Hristo Stoichkov, Antonio Lopez Habas and Ian Gorowa ... ....(size: 3.5Kb)

Nasty Neeskens does much harm to Downs’ brand

Business Day

14 Nov 2012

The Dutchman has a chip on his shoulder ... "They are dancing ... Geez! ... His conduct reminds me of volatile Bulgarian Hristo Stoichkov, who ran Sundowns like a prison camp and thrived on using intimidation as his psychological weapon of choice before his inevitable dismissal two years ago. Neeskens seems to be following the Stoichkov combustible handbook with aggressive dedication and is seemingly unaware that the ending is always the same ... ....(size: 4.4Kb)

Keeping Neeskens shows Downs boss Motsepe has gone soft, say officials

Sowetan Live

12 Nov 2012

PATRICE Motsepe has gone soft, according to some officials at Mamelodi Sundowns who believe if the club president was his trigger-happy old self, coach Johan Neeskens would have been sacked long ago ... None of the previous coaches were ever afforded this much leeway to make amends ... Hristo Stoichkov and Antonio Lopez Habas resigned but Motsepe has often maintained that he would have kept them if they had not "volunteered" to leave ... ....(size: 2.1Kb)

photo: AP / Manu Fernandez

Stoichkov: I admire Mourinho but I have to hate him

Goal

03 Nov 2012

Former Barcelona player Hristo Stoichkov has told of his great admiration for Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho but has also admitted to hating the 'Special One' too ......(size: 1.1Kb)

First Time With Oscar Garcia (Maccabi Tel-Aviv)

noodls

31 Oct 2012

31/10/2012 ... "He is a coach that preceded his time by about a decade in terms of his vision. I was the only one of my age group to go on to the senior team and I met players like Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Hristo Stoichkov, Pep Guardiola and Andoni Zubizarreta. In my first season on the senior team (1992/3), we won the Spanish championship and after that I contributed to 3 more championships" ... distributed by....(size: 3.3Kb)

Ronaldo, Barça’s other Golden Boot winner (FCB - Fútbol Club Barcelona)

noodls

29 Oct 2012

Leo Messi and Ronaldo Luiz Názario are still the only players to have been crowned top goalscorer in Europe while playing for FC Barcelona. The 25 year old Argentinian scored an astounding 50 goals in the 2011/12 Liga, having already collected the honour two years earlier for getting 34 goals ... Charismatic players ... There was a similar story with Hristo Stoichkov 12 years later ... And then there was the great Thierry Henry ... distributed by....(size: 2.8Kb)

Top Ten group games

Sky Sports

23 Oct 2012

English clubs have been involved in some memorable games during the group phase of the UEFA Champions League over the past 20 years. Below, Matt Stanger picks out 10 matches that stirred the soul and provided plenty of goals, drama and entertainment. Manchester United 6 Fenerbahce 2 (2004/05) ... Hristo Stoichkov grabbed a brace, while Romario and former Chelsea defender Albert Ferrer also got in on the act ... ....(size: 8.9Kb)

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Hristo Stoichkov
Христо Стоичков
Personal information

Full name	Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov
Date of birth	(1966-02-08) 8 February 1966 (age 46)
Place of birth	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position	Striker, winger
Youth career
1976–1982	Maritsa Plovdiv
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1981–1982	Zavod "Yuri Gagarin"	16	(3)
1982–1984	Hebros	32	(14)
1984–1990	CSKA Sofia	119	(81)
1990–1995	Barcelona	151	(76)
1995–1996	Parma	23	(5)
1996–1998	Barcelona	26	(7)
1998	CSKA Sofia	4	(1)
1998	Al-Nassr	2	(1)
1998–1999	Kashiwa Reysol	28	(13)
2000–2002	Chicago Fire	51	(17)
2003	D.C. United	21	(5)
Total		473	(225)
National team
1987–1999	Bulgaria	83	(37)
Teams managed
2004–2007	Bulgaria
2007	Celta Vigo
2009–2010	Mamelodi Sundowns
2012-	Litex Lovech
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Hristo Stoichkov Stoichkov (Bulgarian: Христо Стоичков Стоичков), sometimes Stoitchkov; born 8 February 1966 in Plovdiv) is a retired Bulgarian footballer. He is regarded as one of the best footballers of his generation^[1] and the greatest Bulgarian footballer of all time.^[2]^[3] Nicknamed The Dagger (Камата), The Dog (Кучето), The Modern Left (Модерния ляв). At Barcelona he earned the Spanish nickname 'El Pistolero' which translates to 'the gunslinger'. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team that finished fourth at the 1994 World Cup. Apart from his footballing talent, he was notable for his on-pitch temper. He was honoured as European Footballer of the Year in 1994. He was named by Pelé as one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at a FIFA Awards Ceremony in 2004.

1 Club career
2 International career
3 Style of play
4 Coaching career
5 Career statistics
6 Honours
7 References
8 External links

Club career [link]

Dr.H.C.Hr.Stoichkov began his career in his hometown, moving to Hebros in 1984. The next year he went to CSKA Sofia. There, he was involved in a fight during the final of the 1985 Bulgarian Cup which resulted in an original lifelong ban, which was eventually reduced to a month suspension.^[4] After he was brought back to football, he managed to win the European Golden Boot with CSKA by scoring 38 goals in 30 games. He then moved on to FC Barcelona, where he was part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team', Stoichkov helped Barcelona to one of the most successful eras of the club, winning the Primera Division four years in a row between 1991 and 1994 and the European Cup after defeating Sampdoria in 1992. During his stay in Barcelona, he had become an idol for the club's fans, and was Barça's most popular player at the time, having earned a place in the supporters' hearts much like Johan Neeskens and Diego Maradona in the past. In Barcelona Stoichkov played in tandem with Romário.

In his first season with the club Stoichkov was suspended for two months for stomping on a referee's foot,^[5] but he still netted 14 league goals and six more in the Cup Winners' Cup. Stoichkov then had short spells with Parma, Al-Nassr, and finally finishing his career in Japan with Kashiwa Reysol and the United States with the Chicago Fire and D.C. United.

In 1994, he was named European Footballer of the Year after leading his national side to the 1994 World Cup semi-finals.

International career [link]

At the 1994 World Cup, Stoichkov was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot as the joint top goal scorer of the tournament (with Oleg Salenko), with six goals, as well as earning the Bronze Ball award. He led Bulgaria past Germany to the semi-finals, where they lost 2–1 to Italy. They subsequently lost the third place play-off to Sweden, 4–0.

Bulgaria finished second in the qualifying group for Euro 1996 after the first place was taken by the eventual winners, Germany. Stoichkov scored 10 goals for his team during the qualifiers, as Bulgaria qualified as one of the best 6 runners-up. In the first match against Germany in Sofia, Bulgaria were 2–0 down at half-time. Stoichkov equalized with two goals from penalties and Emil Kostadinov also scored for a 3–2 win. Bulgaria lost the second match in Germany 3–1.

During the finals, Bulgaria lost 3–1 in the decisive group match against a very strong France side (the future World Champions); at the same time, in the other match, Spain won 2–1 late on against Romania and so the Bulgarians went out. In that tournament, Stoichkov scored 3 goals in 3 matches, and another goal against Spain was disallowed for offside, though action replays show that he was actually on-side. Stoitchkov was the only player to score from a free kick (against France) in this tournament.

He was also part of the squad that was eliminated in the first round of the 1998 World Cup. Bulgaria was not nearly as strong as in previous years, earning only one point in a 0–0 draw against Paraguay and scoring only one goal through Kostadinov in a 6–1 defeat by Spain in the so-called "Group of Death".

Stoichkov retired from internationals in 1999 with 37 goals in 83 appearances. Subsequently he was the coach of the Bulgarian national team from 2004 to April 2007.

Style of play [link]

The Golden Ball won by Stoichkov in 1994

Stoichkov played as a left winger who was known for his explosive acceleration and speed dribbling, and for taking unpredictable shots on goal. He was also notable at taking free kicks and penalties as well as being among the best crossers in the world at his prime. He gained infamy because of his aggressive temper on the pitch. He could often be seen arguing with the referee, or with his opponents. In 2006, he was sued by a former American University college student whose leg he broke in a violent tackle during a match against D.C. United in 2003. The case was settled out of court in 2007 for undisclosed financial terms.^[6] The student's coach called Stoichkov's challenge "criminal". Ray Hudson, who coached D.C. United for whom Stoichkov played at the time, called it a "rash tackle". Following an investigation by MLS, Stoichkov was suspended two games and fined $2,000.^[7]

Coaching career [link]

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.

Stoichkov's coaching career got off to a bad start with him failing to qualify the Bulgarian national team for the 2006 World Cup. He brought his bad temper from his career as a player to the coaching bench. A couple of proven players quit the team due to personal differences with Stoichkov. The most notable scandal was on 5 September 2003, in a game against Sweden, where he was sent-off for insulting the referee.

The biggest blow to Stoichkov as a coach of the national team of Bulgaria came on 12 October 2006, when Stiliyan Petrov, the captain of the team, announced he would not play for Bulgaria as long as Stoichkov was manager.^[8] Petrov is the third player and the second captain in two years to leave the team because of differences with Stoichkov. However, on 17 March 2007, Stiliyan Petrov announced that he had a private conversation with Stoichkov, in which they were able to work their differences out. As a result, Petrov would return to the team.^[9]

On 10 April 2007, the Bulgarian Football Union announced they had accepted the resignation of Stoichkov from the post of national coach. That was as a result of the poor performance of the team at the ongoing Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, followed by widely spread criticism and debate over the qualities of the coach. The specific game, which led to increased pressure on Stoichkov, was the 0–0 home draw with Albania.(despite the fact that the Bulgarians generally controlled the game and hit the post twice). He had a short disappointing stint as manager at Celta Vigo, for which he was sacked following the team's slump that took them to the lower reaches of the Spanish Second Division. On 8 October 2007, he was replaced by ex-Real Madrid manager Juan Ramón López Caro. On 12 March 2009, Stoichkov visited the Manchester City training ground after requesting a visit.^[10]

On 14 May 2009, Iranian club Abu Moslem reported the signing of Stoichkov as coach.^[11] However Stoichkov then changed his mind due to the tense political situation in Iran, instead opting to move to Mamelodi Sundowns, where he replaced Henri Michel on 29 June 2009.^[12] On 16 March 2010 he quit Mamelodi Sundowns, with the former South African national team manager Trott Moloto named caretaker until a full-time replacement is found.^[13]

In 2011, Vietnam Football Federation invited him to become the first Bulgarian head coach of Vietnam national football team.

As of the 2011–12 season he works as an advisor at Russian team FC Rostov.

In March 2012, we was appointed as coach of Bulgarian side Litex Lovech replacing the manager who left to become head coach of the Bulgarian National Team.

Career statistics [link]

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bulgaria			League		Bulgarian Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1982–83	Hebros		11	4
1983–84	Hebros		21	10
1984–85	CSKA Sofia	A PFG	11	0							11	0
1985–86			19	2							19	2
1986–87			25	16	2	0	-		7	1	34	17
1987–88			27	20	4	4	-		7	5	38	29
1988–89			26	28	7	3	-		8	8	41	39
1989–90			30	38	5	7	-		3	2	38	47
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Copa de la Liga		Europe		Total
1990–91	FC Barcelona	La Liga	24	14	6	2	-		8	5	38	21
1991–92			32	17	2	1	-		9	4	43	22
1992–93			33	20	6	2	-		6	2	45	24
1993–94			34	16	6	1	-		8	7	48	24
1994–95			26	10	4	5	-		8	3	38	18
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
1995–96	Parma	Serie A	23	5	2	0	-		5	2	30	7
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Copa de la Liga		Europe		Total
1996–97	FC Barcelona	La Liga	22	7	6	1	-		6	0	34	8
1997–98	FC Barcelona	La Liga	4	0	1	0	-		3	1	8	1
Bulgaria			League		Bulgarian Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1997–98	CSKA Sofia	A PFG	4	1							4	1
Saudi Arabia			League		Crown Prince Cup		League Cup		Asia		Total
1997–98	Al-Nassr		2	1							2	1
Japan			League		Emperor's Cup		League Cup		Asia		Total
1998	Kashiwa Reysol	J. League Division 1	16	8	1	0	0	0	-		17	8
1999	Kashiwa Reysol	J. League Division 1	11	4	-		1	1	-		12	5
USA			League		Open Cup		League Cup		North America		Total
2000	Chicago Fire	Major League Soccer	18	9	3	1					21	10
2001			17	6	3	2					20	8
2002			16	2	0	0					16	2
2003	D.C. United		21	5	3	1					24	6
Total	Bulgaria		174	119	18	14	-		25	16	218	149
	Spain		175	83	31	12	-		48	22	254	117
	Italy		23	5	2	0		-	5	2	30	7
	Saudi Arabia		2	1							2	1
	Japan		27	12	1	0	1	1	-		29	13
	USA		72	22	9	4					81	26
Career total			473	268	61	30	1	1	78	49	594	313

^[14]

Bulgaria national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1987	3	0
1988	12	4
1989	8	1
1990	4	0
1991	3	2
1992	5	2
1993	6	4
1994	11	9
1995	7	7
1996	5	5
1997	4	1
1998	10	1
1999	5	1
Total	83	37

Honours [link]

CSKA Sofia

Bulgarian League: 3

1987, 1989, 1990

Bulgarian Cup: 4

1985, 1987, 1988, 1989

Bulgarian Supercup: 1

1989

Barcelona

Spanish League: 5

1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98

Spanish Super Cup: 3

1992, 1994, 1996

European Cup (now called: Champions League): 1

1991–92, Runner-Up 1993–94

European Super Cup: 2

1992, 1997

Copa del Rey: 1

1996–97

European Cup Winners' Cup: 1

1996–97

Al-Nassr

Asian Cup Winners Cup: 1

1998

Chicago Fire

U.S. Open Cup: 1

2000

Individual

Bulgarian League: 2

Top Scorer 1989, 1990

European Golden Boot

1989

Cup Winners' Cup Top Scorer

1989

Onze d'Or

1992

European Footballer of the Year

1994

World Cup Golden Shoe – Top scorer

1994

IFFHS World's Top Goal Scorer of the Year
- 1994
World Cup All-Star Team

1994

Don Balón Award for Best Foreign Player in La Liga

1994

UEFA Euro All-Star Team

1996

Golden Foot "All time" legends award

1999

World Soccer's 100 Greatest Players of the 20th Century

2007

FIFA 100

In November 2003, to celebrate UEFA's Jubilee, he was selected as the Golden Player of Bulgaria by the Bulgarian Football Union as their most outstanding player of the past 50 years.^[15]

Mamelodi Sundowns

Premier Soccer League: 1

Coach of the Month: December 2009^[16]

References [link]

^ http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_de_llegenda/stoichkov.html
^ [1]
^ [2]
^ http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/968067/first-xi:-a-burning-hatred?cc=5901
^ The singular genius of the mad boy Hristo
^ Goff, Steven. "AU Player Settles With Club, MLS, Stoitchkov". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/09/AR2007100902282_pf.html. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
^ Goff, Steven (February 27, 2007). "Player Hurt in United Scrimmage in '03 Seeks Damages". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/26/AR2007022601339_pf.html.
^ Petrov steps back from Bulgaria
^ Petrov returns to Bulgaria fold
^ Report: Celta Vigo fires coach Hristo Stoitchkov – International Herald Tribune
^ Hristo Stoichkov to coach Iranian club Abu Moslem
^ "Stoichkov named coach of South Africa's Sundowns". The Guardian (London). 21 April 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/feedarticle/8582985.
^ Hristo Stoitchkov not to renew contract
^ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/stoichkov-intlg.html
^ Golden Players take centre stage
^ "Hristo Stoichkov and Katlego Mphela were awarded PSL Coach and Player of the month". 2009-10-09. http://goal.com/en/news/1659/south-africa/2010/01/15/1745621/mamelodi-sundowns-hristo-stoichkov-and-katlego-mphela-win. Retrieved 2010-01-15.

External links [link]

Official website
Hristo Stoichkov on BarcaMania.com
Autobiography
Stoichkov Profile, stats and news
A photo album dedicated to Hristo Stoichkov
UEFA.com – Golden Player of Bulgaria

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Lyuboslav Penev	Bulgarian Footballer of the Year 1989–1992	Succeeded by Emil Kostadinov
Preceded by Dorin Mateuţ	European Golden Boot alongside Hugo Sánchez 1989–1990	Succeeded by Darko Pančev
Preceded by Emil Kostadinov	Bulgarian Footballer of the Year 1994	Succeeded by Krasimir Balakov
Preceded by Roberto Baggio	European Footballer of the Year 1994	Succeeded by George Weah
Preceded by Salvatore Schillaci	FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe 1994 Shared with: Oleg Salenko	Succeeded by Davor Šuker
Preceded by Diego Maradona	FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball 1994	Succeeded by Lilian Thuram
Sporting positions
Preceded by Trifon Ivanov	Bulgaria Captain 1998–1999	Succeeded by Krassimir Balakov
Preceded by Plamen Markov	Bulgaria national football team manager 2004–2007	Succeeded by Stanimir Stoilov

Chicago Fire Soccer Club

Bridgeview, Illinois

The Club

Stadiums

Development System

Reserves: Chicago Fire Reserves
Developmental: Chicago Fire Premier; Chicago Fire NPSL
Academy: Chicago Fire Academy
Youth: Chicago Fire Juniors

Culture

Ring of Fire
Section 8 Chicago ISA (and affiliate groups)
CSN Chicago
My 50
670 The Score
97.5 ESPN Deportes

Rivalries

Brimstone Cup
Chicago-NE Revs rivalry

Key Personnel

Owner: Andell Holdings
Chairman: Andrew Hauptman
President: Julian Posada
Technical Dir.: (vacant)
Manager: Frank Klopas

Major Honors (6)

MLS Cup (1)	1998

Supporters' Shield (1)	2003

U.S. Open Cup (4)	1998 2000 2003 2006

Major League Soccer

Seasons (15)	1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Website: chicago-fire.com

Hristo Stoichkov – Awards and achievements

Bulgarian Sportsperson of the Year

1958: Vanya Voynova
1959: Lyutvi Ahmedov
1960: Dimitar Dobrev
1961: Dimitar Khlebarov
1962: Enyo Valchev
1963: Prodan Gardzhev
1964: Boyan Radev
1965: Georgi Asparuhov
1966: Prodan Gardzhev
1967: Boyan Radev
1968: Boyan Radev
1969: Mikhail Zhelev
1970: Petar Kirov
1971: Petar Kirov
1972: Yordan Bikov
1973: Nedelcho Kolev
1974: Lilyana Tomova
1975: Valentin Khristov
1976: Ivanka Khristova
1977: Totka Petrova
1978: Zdravka Yordanova and Svetla Otsetova
1979: Aleksandar Tomov
1980: Lyubomir Lyubenov
1981: Yanko Rusev
1982: Blagoy Blagoev
1983: Vasil Etropolski
1984: Lyudmila Andonova
1985: Stefka Kostadinova
1986: Yordanka Donkova and Asen Zlatev
1987: Stefka Kostadinova and Khristo Markov
1988: Tanya Dangalakova and Khristo Markov
1989: Vesela Lecheva and Valentin Jordanov
1990: Stefan Botev
1991: Serafim Todorov
1992: Nikolay Bukhalov
1993: Serafim Todorov
1994: Hristo Stoichkov
1995: Stefka Kostadinova
1996: Stefka Kostadinova
1997: Yoto Yotov
1998: Ekaterina Dafovska
1999: Galabin Boevski
2000: Tereza Marinova
2001: Yordan Yovchev
2002: Rumyana Neykova
2003: Yordan Yovchev
2004: Mariya Grozdeva
2005: Veselin Topalov
2006: Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski
2007: Stanka Zlateva
2008: Rumyana Neykova
2009: Detelin Dalakliev

v t e FIFA 100

UEFA	Baggio Ballack Banks Baresi Beckenbauer Beckham Bergkamp Bergomi Best Boniek Boniperti Breitner Buffon Butragueño Cantona Ceulemans Charlton Cruyff Dalglish Dasayev Davids Del Piero Desailly Deschamps Emre Eusébio Facchetti Figo Fontaine Gullit Hagi Henry Kahn Keane Keegan Klinsmann Kluivert Kopa B. Laudrup M. Laudrup Lineker Luis Enrique Maier Maldini Masopust Matthäus Müller Nedvěd Neeskens Nesta Owen Papin Pfaff Pirès Platini Puskás Raúl Rensenbrink Rijkaard Rivera Rossi Rui Costa Rummenigge Rüştü Schmeichel Seedorf Seeler Shearer Shevchenko Stoichkov Šuker Thuram Totti Trésor Trezeguet van Basten R. van de Kerkhof W. van de Kerkhof Van der Elst van Nistelrooy Vieira Vieri Zidane Zoff

CONMEBOL	Carlos Alberto Batistuta Cafu Crespo Cubillas Di Stéfano Falcão Figueroa Francescoli Júnior Kempes Maradona Passarella Pelé Rivaldo Rivelino Roberto Carlos Romário Romerito Ronaldinho Ronaldo Djalma Santos Nílton Santos Saviola Sívori Sócrates Valderrama Verón Zamorano Zanetti Zico

CAF	Diouf Milla Okocha Abédi Pelé Weah

CONCACAF	Akers Hamm Sánchez

AFC	Hong Nakata

Ballon d'Or

1956: Matthews
1957: Di Stéfano
1958: Kopa
1959: Di Stéfano
1960: Suárez
1961: Sívori
1962: Masopust
1963: Yashin
1964: Law
1965: Eusébio
1966: Charlton
1967: Albert
1968: Best
1969: Rivera
1970: Müller
1971: Cruyff
1972: Beckenbauer
1973: Cruyff
1974: Cruyff
1975: Blokhin
1976: Beckenbauer
1977: Simonsen
1978: Keegan
1979: Keegan
1980: Rummenigge
1981: Rummenigge
1982: Rossi
1983: Platini
1984: Platini
1985: Platini
1986: Belanov
1987: Gullit
1988: Van Basten
1989: Van Basten
1990: Matthäus
1991: Papin
1992: Van Basten
1993: Baggio
1994: Stoichkov
1995: Weah
1996: Sammer
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Zidane
1999: Rivaldo
2000: Figo
2001: Owen
2002: Ronaldo
2003: Nedvěd
2004: Shevchenko
2005: Ronaldinho
2006: Cannavaro
2007: Kaká
2008: C. Ronaldo
2009: Messi

European Golden Shoe

1968: Eusébio
1969: Zhekov
1970: Müller
1971: Skoblar
1972: Müller
1973: Eusébio
1974: Yazalde
1975: Georgescu
1976: Kaiafas
1977: Georgescu
1978: Krankl
1979: Kist
1980: Vandenbergh
1981: Slavkov
1982: Kieft
1983: Gomes
1984: Rush
1985: Gomes
1986: Van Basten
1987: Cămătaru / Polster
1988: Çolak
1989: Mateuţ
1990: Sánchez / Stoichkov
1991: Pančev
1992: McCoist
1993: McCoist
1994: Taylor
1995: Avetisyan
1996: Endeladze
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Machlas
1999: Jardel
2000: Phillips
2001: Larsson
2002: Jardel
2003: Makaay
2004: Henry
2005: Henry / Forlán
2006: Toni
2007: Totti
2008: C. Ronaldo
2009: Forlán
2010: Messi
2011: C. Ronaldo
2012: Messi

v t e FIFA World Cup · Golden Boot

Top Scorer	1930: Stábile (8) 1934: Nejedlý (5) 1938: Leônidas (7) 1950: Ademir (9) 1954: Kocsis (11) 1958: Fontaine (13) 1962: Albert / Garrincha / Ivanov / Jerković / Sánchez / Vavá (4)

Golden Shoe	1966: Eusébio (9) 1970: G. Müller (10) 1974: Lato (7) 1978: Kempes (6) 1982: Rossi (6) 1986: Lineker (6) 1990: Schillaci (6) 1994: Salenko / Stoichkov (6) 1998: Šuker (6) 2002: Ronaldo (8) 2006: Klose (5)

Golden Boot	2010: T. Müller (5)

Golden Boot was first awarded in 1966.

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorers

1961: Hamrin
1962: Göröcs
1963: Asparuhov & Greaves
1964: Mascarenhas
1965: Kerkhoffs & Mašek & Mráz
1966: Emmerich
1967: Claessen
1968: Seeler
1969: Rühl
1970: Lubański
1971: Lubański
1972: Osgood
1973: Chiarugi
1974: Heynckes
1975: van der Kuijlen
1976: Rensenbrink
1977: Milanov
1978: Gritter & Keller & Van der Elst
1979: Altobelli
1980: Kempes
1981: Cross
1982: Shengelia & Voordeckers
1983: Santillana
1984: Hrachov & McGhee & Morozov
1985: Gazzaev & Gray & Panenka
1986: Belanov & Blokhin & Lippmann & Zavarov
1987: Bosman
1988: Cascavel
1989: Stoichkov
1990: Vialli
1991: Baggio
1992: Lipcsei
1993: Czerniatynski
1994: Andonov & Jess & Kirsten & Mizrahi
1995: Wright
1996: Samec
1997: Fowler
1998: Luiso
1999: Mizrahi

La Liga Foreign Player of the Year - Don Balón Award

1976: Neeskens
1977: Cruyff
1978: Cruyff
1979: Stielike
1980: Stielike
1981: Stielike
1982: Stielike
1983: Barbas
1984: Barbas
1985: Schuster
1986: Valdano
1987: Sánchez
1988: Alemão
1989: Ruggeri
1990: Sánchez
1991: Schuster
1992: Laudrup
1993: Đukić
1994: Stoichkov
1995: Zamorano
1996: Mijatović
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Rivaldo
1999: Figo
2000: Figo
2001: Figo
2002: Zidane
2003: Nihat
2004: Ronaldinho
2005: Riquelme
2006: Ronaldinho
2007: Messi
2008: Agüero
2009: Messi
2010: Messi

UEFA Jubilee Awards

Pano (Albania)
Koldo (Andorra)
Oganesian (Armenia)
Prohaska (Austria)
Banishevskiy (Azerbaijan)
Aleinikov (Belarus)
Van Himst (Belgium)
Sušić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
Šuker (Croatia)
Kaiafas (Cyprus)
Masopust (Czech Republic)
Laudrup (Denmark)
Moore (England)
Poom (Estonia)
Løkin (Faroe Islands)
Litmanen (Finland)
Fontaine (France)
Khurtsilava (Georgia)
Walter (Germany)
Hatzipanagis (Greece)
Puskás (Hungary)
Sigurvinsson (Iceland)
Giles (Republic of Ireland)
Spiegler (Israel)
Zoff (Italy)
Kvochkin (Kazakhstan)
Starkovs (Latvia)
Hasler (Liechtenstein)
Narbekovas (Lithuania)
Pilot (Luxembourg)
Pančev (Macedonia)
Busuttil (Malta)
Cebanu (Moldova)
Cruyff (Netherlands)
Best (Northern Ireland)
Bratseth (Norway)
Lubański (Poland)
Eusébio (Portugal)
Hagi (Romania)
Yashin (Russia)
Bonini (San Marino)
Law (Scotland)
Džajić (Serbia and Montenegro)
Popluhár (Slovakia)
Oblak (Slovenia)
Di Stéfano (Spain)
Larsson (Sweden)
Chapuisat (Switzerland)
Şükür (Turkey)
Blokhin (Ukraine)
Charles (Wales)

Bulgarian A Professional Football Group Top Scorers

1938 Milev
1939 Pachedzhiev
1940: Stoyanov/Nikolaev
1949: Milanov/Nedev
1950: Hranov
1951: Milanov
1952: Isakov/Tashkov
1953: Minchev
1954: Tashkov
1955: Diev
1956: Vladimirov
1957: Iliev/Milanov
1958: Tashkov/Arnaudov
1959: Vasilev
1960: Yordanov/Kostov
1961: Sotirov
1962: Yordanov/Diev
1963: Diev
1964: Tsanev
1965: Asparuhov
1966: Spasov
1967: Zhekov
1968: Zhekov
1969: Zhekov
1970: Zhekov
1971: Yakimov
1972: Zhekov
1973: Zhekov
1974: Petkov
1975: Pritargov
1976: Petkov
1977: Panov
1978: Mladenov
1979: Gochev
1980: Dzhevizov
1981: Slavkov
1982: Valchev
1983: Pehlivanov
1984: Eranosyan
1985: Getov
1986: Pashev
1987: Sirakov
1988: Sirakov
1989: Stoichkov
1990: Stoichkov
1991: Yordanov
1992: Sirakov
1993: Getov
1994: Sirakov
1995: Mihtarski
1996: Georgiev
1997: Pramatarov
1998: Spasov / Genchev
1999: Belyakov
2000: Mihaylov
2001: Ivanov
2002: Manchev
2003: Chilikov
2004: Kamburov
2005: Kamburov
2006: Novakovič / Furtado
2007: Genkov
2008: Hristov
2009: Kamburov
2010: Niflore
2011: Dembélé
2012: Moraes / Stoyanov

Hristo Stoichkov – International tournaments

v t e Bulgaria squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup Fourth Place

1 Mihaylov (c) 2 Kremenliev 3 Ivanov 4 Tsvetanov 5 Houbchev 6 Yankov 7 Kostadinov 8 Stoichkov 9 Letchkov 10 Sirakov 11 Borimirov 12 Nikolov 13 Yordanov 14 Genchev 15 Iliev 16 Kiriakov 17 Mihtarski 18 Aleksandrov 19 Georgiev 20 Balakov 21 Yotov 22 Andonov Coach: Penev

v t e Bulgaria squad – UEFA Euro 1996

1 Mihaylov (c) 2 Kishishev 3 Ivanov 4 Kiriakov 5 Houbchev 6 Yankov 7 Kostadinov 8 Stoichkov 9 L. Penev 10 Balakov 11 Letchkov 12 Popov 13 Genchev 14 Sirakov 15 Yordanov 16 Borimirov 17 Kremenliev 18 Tsvetanov 19 Ginchev 20 Donkov 21 Georgiev 22 Zdravkov Coach: Dimitar Penev

v t e Bulgaria squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup

1 Zdravkov 2 Kishishev 3 T. Ivanov (c) 4 I. Petkov 5 Yordanov 6 Yankov 7 Kostadinov 8 Stoichkov 9 Penev 10 Balakov 11 Iliev 12 Mihaylov 13 Ginchev 14 Hristov 15 Zafirov 16 Nankov 17 Stoilov 18 Borimirov 19 Bachev 20 G. Ivanov 21 Kirilov 22 M. Petkov Coach: Bonev

Hristo Stoichkov – Managerial positions

Bulgaria national football team – managers

Nitsch (1924)
Stejskal (1925)
Grozdanov (1927–30)
Nemes (1930)
Feist (1931)
Grozdanov (1932–33)
Fogl (1934–35)
Kalkandzhiev (1935)
Batandzhiev (1936)
Mateev (1936)
Toms (1937–38)
Maznikov (1938)
Radoev (1939)
Koler (1940–41)
Radoev (1942)
Batandzhiev (1943)
Konov (1946)
Manov (1947)
Somlai & Radoev (1947)
Radoev (1947)
Angelov (1948)
Haidu (1948–49)
Radoev (1950)
Angelov (1950)
Haidu (1950)
Angelov (1953)
Ormandzhiev (1950–53)
Ormandzhiev & Milev (1954–60)
Pachedzhiev (1960–62)
Ormandzhiev (1963)
Volentik (1963–64)
Vytlačil (1965–66)
Tashkov (1966)
Bozhkov (1967–70)
Spasov (1970–72)
Mladenov (1972–74)
Ormandzhiev (1974–77)
Ilchev (1978–80)
Purzhelov (1980–82)
Vutsov (1982–86)
Mladenov (1986–87)
Angelov (1988–89)
Vutsov (1989–91)
Borisov (1991)
Penev (1991–96)
Bonev (1996–98)
Dimitrov (1998–99)
Mladenov (2000–01)
Markov (2002–04)
Stoichkov (2004–07)
Stoilov (2007)
Penev (2007)
Markov (2008)
Stoilov (2009–10)
Matthäus (2010–11)
Penev (2011–)

Celta de Vigo – managers

Cuggy (1923–26)
Balsa (1926–27)
Cowan (1927–28)
Encinas (1928–31)
Planas (1931–32)
Peña (1932–35)
Comesaña (1935–36)
Comesaña (1939–40)
Cárdenes (1940–41)
Albéniz (1941–1944)
Plattkó (1944–46)
Armando (1946)
Zamora (1946–48)
Pasarín (1948–51)
Ozores (1951–52)
Bravo (1952–53)
Armando (1953)
Iraragorri (1953–54)
Zamora (1954–55)
Urquiri (1955–56)
Scopelli (1956–57)
Pasarín (1957–59)
Miró (1959)
Lúpiz (1959–XX)
Albéniz (19XX–XX)
Yayo (19XX–XX)
Zamora (19XX–60)
Yayo (1960–61)
Hon (1961)
Aretio (1961–62)
Eizaguirre (1962–63)
Joseíto (1963–65)
Rafa (1965–66)
César (1966–67)
Villar (1967)
Eizaguirre (1967–69)
Olsen (1969–70)
Arza (1970–72)
Dellacha (1972–73)
Aretio (1973)
Arza (1973–74)
Moreno (1974–75)
Villar (1975)
Cedrún (1975–77)
Cuervo (1977)
Villar (1977)
Maguregui (1977–78)
Ruiz (1978–79)
Pedrito (1979)
Cedrún (1979–80)
Arza (1980)
Pavić (1980–83)
Carriega (1983)
Carnero (1984–85)
Traid (1985–86)
Villar (1986)
Addison (1986–87)
Maguregui (1987–88)
Villar (1988)
Novoa (1988–90)
Maguregui (1990–91)
Rojo (1991–94)
Aimar (1994–95)
Castro Santos (1995–97)
Irureta (1997–98)
Fernández (1998–2002)
Lotina (2002–04)
Antić (2004)
Carnero (2004)
Vázquez (2004–07)
Stoichkov (2007)
López Caro (2007–08)
López Habas (2008)
Menéndez (2008)
Murcia (2008–09)
Sacristán (2009–10)
Herrera (2010–)

PFC Litex Lovech – managers

Angelov (1992–93)
Zdravkov (1993–94)
Denev (1994–96)
Spasov (1996–97)
Bekvalac (1997)
Dimitrov (1997–98)
Dimitrov (1999)
Đoinčević (1999–00)
Stoichiţă (2000)
Ferario Spasov (2000–03)
Simonović (2003–04)
Petrović (2004)
Mladenov (2004–05)
Shum (2005)
Petrović (2005–07)
Spasov (2007)
Ješić (2007–08)
Stoilov (2008–09)
Chervenkov (2009–10)
Petkov (2010)
Penev (2010–11)
Dzhambazki (2011–12)
Stoichkov (2012–)

v t e PFC Litex Lovech – current squad

1 Pirgov 2 Dinchev 3 Zanev 4 Bozhikov 5 Itoua 6 Josse 7 Yanev 8 Kolev 9 Todorov 10 Sandrinho 11 Miracema 14 Vajushi 15 Kostadinov 16 Popov 17 G. Milanov 18 I. Milanov 19 Rumenov 21 Tsvetkov 22 Nikolov 23 Jelenković 24 Zdravchev 27 Tsvetanov 30 Aleksandrov 33 Bodurov 77 Ivanov 99 Nicácio Manager: Stoichkov

Persondata
Name	Stoichkov, Hristo
Alternative names
Short description	Bulgarian footballer
Date of birth	8 February 1966
Place of birth	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Date of death
Place of death

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Hugo Sánchez Márquez
Personal information

Full name	Hugo Sánchez Márquez
Date of birth	(1958-07-11) July 11, 1958 (age 53)
Place of birth	Mexico City, Mexico
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1972–1975	Pumas de UNAM
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1976–1981	Pumas de UNAM	183	(99)
1979–1980	→ San Diego Sockers (loan)	19	(13)
1981–1985	Atlético Madrid	111	(54)
1985–1992	Real Madrid	207	(164)
1992–1993	América	25	(9)
1993–1994	Rayo Vallecano	29	(16)
1994–1995	Atlante	32	(13)
1995–1996	FC Linz	20	(6)
1996	Dallas Burn	23	(6)
1997	Club Celaya	12	(2)
Total		639	(403)
National team
1977–1994	Mexico	58^[1]	(29)
Teams managed
2000–2005	UNAM
2006	Necaxa
2006–2008	Mexico
2009–2010	Almería
2012–	Pachuca
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is Márquez.

Hugo Sánchez Márquez (born July 11, 1958), popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid. He was also a member of the Mexico national team, and participated in three World Cups. He is currently manager of Pachuca of the Primera División de México.

As a coach, he won two championships as head coach of the club Pumas de la UNAM and briefly with Club Necaxa, both teams in the Mexican Primera División. He also had a sixteen-month stint with the Mexican national team, but was fired on March 31, 2008.^[2] Hugo Sanchez has signed up to start coaching again, now in Europe, for UD Almería [1] from the Spanish First Division starting December 29, in an attempt to save the team from descending to the 2nd Division by the Summer. He has succeeded in keeping UD Almeria free from relegation from La Liga for the 2009–2010 season.

In 1999, the IFFHS voted him the 26th best footballer of the 20th century, and the best footballer from the CONCACAF region.^[3]

Early career [link]

As a teenager, Sanchez played for the Mexico national football team in the 1976 Summer Olympics. Having already played in over 80 international games, Sánchez signed as a youth player at the age of 18 for UNAM Pumas, a professional team representing Mexico's National University, where he completed a degree in Dentistry while keeping up his football career. That year, UNAM managed to get its first championship in the Mexican Football League. Two years later, he became top-scorer in the league with 26 goals. In 1979, UNAM agreed to exchange players during the off-seasons with the San Diego Sockers of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The NASL played during the summer and the Mexican League played during the fall, winter and spring. UNAM loaned Sánchez to the Sockers in both 1979 and 1980 where he became a dominant striker for the Sockers, averaging nearly a goal a game.

Sánchez' five seasons with UNAM were the team's golden years. In his last season with the team, Hugo and UNAM won its second championship and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Career [link]

After five successful seasons in Mexico, with 99 goals to his name, Sánchez drew the attention of several Spanish sides, and signed with Atlético Madrid in 1981. He turned down an offer to play for Arsenal FC.^{[citation needed]} It took him a while to find his feet in La Liga, but by the 1984-85 season he was scoring regularly with a team that won the Copa del Rey, finished in second place in the Spanish League and won the Spanish Super Copa. That year Hugo also won his first Pichichi trophy for being the most prolific scorer in the league.

At the high-point of his career, he signed for Real Madrid in 1985 and played with players such as Camacho, Butragueño, Gordillo, Schuster, Valdano and Míchel. This team won five consecutive league titles (from 1985-86 to 1989-90), the Copa del Rey in 1989, and the UEFA Cup in 1986. During those five years, Sánchez won four consecutive Pichichi trophies (the only player in Spain's football history to achieve this without sharing the trophy in any season), scoring 207 goals in 283 games. He scored 27 or more goals in four consecutive seasons between 1986 and 1990, including 38 goals in the 1989-90 season, tying the single-season record set in 1951 by Telmo Zarra and earning the European Golden Boot award to the best scorer in Europe. Remarkably, all 38 of these goals were scored with only a single touch. Overall, he scored 47 goals in 45 European Cup games, though he failed to win the trophy.

In 1992, Sánchez returned to his native Mexico for a season, before playing for a variety of clubs in Spain, Austria and the USA (he played for the Dallas Burn in the inaugural year of Major League Soccer, becoming one of two people, along with Roy Wegerle, to play outdoor football in both the NASL and MLS). He finished his career playing for Atlético Celaya with Butragueño and Míchel, his old colleagues from Real Madrid.

International career [link]

In comparison to his "domestic" club success, Sánchez did not have a successful international career with the Mexican national team. He played 60 matches and scored 29 goals for the Mexican national team, but his years as a Mexican international coincided with a difficult period for the nation's football. Mexico did not participate in the World Cup of 1982 and 1990, in which Sánchez would have most likely been part of the Mexican squad. He scored one goal in eight appearances in the three World Cups in which he competed and was never selected for the "Best XI" World Cup squads. Sánchez's brash personality is often cited as the reason he did not play many games at the 1994 World Cup, purportedly as a result of internecine frictions between Hugo and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF).^{[citation needed]}

International goals [link]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	October 9, 1977	Mexico City, Mexico	Haiti	4–1	Win	1977 CONCACAF Championship
2.	October 15, 1977	Monterrey, Mexico	Suriname	8–1	Win	1977 CONCACAF Championship
3.	October 15, 1977	Monterrey, Mexico	Suriname	8–1	Win	1977 CONCACAF Championship
4.	October 22, 1977	Monterrey, Mexico	Canada	3–1	Win	1977 CONCACAF Championship
5.	February 5, 1978	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	5–1	Win	Friendly
6.	February 5, 1978	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	5–1	Win	Friendly
7.	February 5, 1978	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	5–1	Win	Friendly
8.	May 3, 1978	Helsinki, Finland	Finland	1–0	Win	Friendly
9.	January 6, 1979	Monterrey, Mexico	Soviet Union	1–0	Win	Friendly
10	December 4, 1979	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2–0	Win	Friendly
11.	December 4, 1979	San Salvador, El Salvador	El Salvador	2–0	Win	Friendly
12.	December 18, 1979	Texcoco, Mexico	El Salvador	1–1	Draw	Friendly
13.	April 8, 1980	Toluca, Mexico	Honduras	5–1	Win	Friendly
14.	April 8, 1980	Toluca, Mexico	Honduras	5–1	Win	Friendly
15.	April 15, 1980	Guatemala City, Guatemala	Guatemala	4–2	Win	Friendly
16.	April 29, 1980	Toluca, Mexico	Guatemala	2–2	Draw	Friendly
17.	November 9, 1980	Mexico City, Mexico	United States	5–1	Win	1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification
18.	November 16, 1980	Mexico City, Mexico	Canada	1–1	Draw	1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification
19.	November 23, 1980	Fort Lauderdale, United States	United States	1–2	Loss	1981 CONCACAF Championship qualification
20.	January 20, 1981	Mexico City, Mexico	Bulgaria	1–1	Draw	Friendly
21.	June 23, 1981	Mexico City, Mexico	Spain	1–3	Loss	Friendly
22.	November 1, 1981	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Cuba	4–0	Win	1981 CONCACAF Championship
23.	November 1, 1981	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Cuba	4–0	Win	1981 CONCACAF Championship
24.	November 11, 1981	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	Haiti	1–1	Draw	1981 CONCACAF Championship
25.	August 25, 1985	Los Angeles, United States	Chile	2–1	Win	Friendly
26.	June 3, 1986	Mexico City, Mexico	Belgium	2–1	Win	1986 FIFA World Cup
27.	April 11, 1993	Mexico City, Mexico	Honduras	3–0	Win	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
28.	May 9, 1993	Toronto, Canada	Canada	2–1	Win	1994 FIFA World Cup qualification
29.	June 30, 1993	Quito, Ecuador	Ecuador	2–0	Win	1993 Copa América

Retirement [link]

Sánchez retired from Spanish football on May 29, 1997, playing with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium—the stadium that witnessed most of his glory throughout his career. His last official game was in the 1998 World Cup preliminaries where he just touched the ball as a symbol of his retirement.

Legacy [link]

His trademark was to perform a celebratory somersault after each goal he scored, honoring his sister, who was a gymnast and participated in the Montreal Olympics.^[4] He is also known for acrobatic goals, some involving his trademark windmill kick, a product of his own early training in gymnastics.^{[citation needed]} To date, he has been the most successful Mexican football player by far to have played anywhere, in terms of years played, goalscoring, and achievements.

Career statistics [link]

Club	Season	League		Cup		Continental		Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
UNAM	1976/77	19	5	-	-	-	-	19	5
	1977/78	34	13	-	-	-	-	34	13
	1978/79	38	26	-	-	-	-	38	26
	1979/80	44	30	-	-	4	3	48	33
	1980/81	44	22	-	-	-	-	44	22
	Total	179	96	-	-	4	3	183	99
San Diego Sockers	1979	17	12	-	-	-	-	17	12
	1980	15	14	-	-	-	-	15	14
	Total	32	26	-	-	-	-	32	26
Atlético Madrid	1981/82	10	8	5	4	2	0	17	12
	1982/83	34	15	2	1	-	-	36	16
	1983/84	34	12	2	0	2	0	38	12
	1984/85	33	19	8	6	2	0	43	25
	Total	111	54	17	11	6	0	134	65
Real Madrid	1985/86	33	22	5	2	11	5	49	29
	1986/87	41	34	6	4	7	3	54	41
	1987/88	36	29	7	3	7	3	50	35
	1988/89	35	27	8	5	7	5	50	37
	1989/90	35	38	7	3	3	1	45	42
	1990/91	19	12	3	3	3	5	25	20
	1991/92	8	2	1	0	1	1	10	3
	Total	207	164	37	20	39	23	283	207
Club América	1992/93	29	11	-	-	6	4	35	15
Club América	Всего	29	11	-	-	6	4	35	15
Rayo Vallecano	1993/94	29	16	-	-	-	-	29	16
Rayo Vallecano	Всего	29	16	-	-	-	-	29	16
Atlante F.C.	1994/95	31	13	-	-	-	-	31	13
Atlante F.C.	Total	31	13	-	-	-	-	31	13
Linz	1995/96	20	6	-	-	-	-	20	6
Linz	Total	20	6	-	-	-	-	20	6
Dallas	1996	25	11	-	-	-	-	25	11
Dallas	Total	25	11	-	-	-	-	25	11
Club Celaya	1996/97	12	2	-	-	-	-	12	2
Club Celaya	Total	12	2	-	-	-	-	12	2
Career totals		682	400	37	20	55	30	756	450

International career statistics [link]

Mexico national team

Year	Apps	Goals
1977
1978
1979
1980	10	7
1981	6	5
1982	0	0
1983	0	0
1984	0	0
1985	2	1
1986	4	1
1987	0	0
1988	0	0
1989	0	0
1990	1	0
1991	0	0
1992	0	0
1993	14	3
1994	2	0
1995	0	0
1996	0	0
1997	0	0
1998	1	0
Total	40	19

Coach [link]

Club [link]

In the year 2000, UNAM Pumas was having a terrible championship. A new manager was needed, someone who could take the lead of one of the most important clubs in Mexico. The designated manager was Hugo Sánchez, idol and figure for UNAM's followers. So, in March, he signed for a 2 years contract with his most "beloved team". Although the very good campaign made by the team for that tournament, many differences became evident with the president of the club Javier Jiménez Espriú, which resulted in his distitution in August of the same year. "I'll be back when Jimenez Espriu is out. I know I'm right and I know I'll be back", were his words as he left the team.

One year passed and Jimenez Espriu resigned as the club's president. The new president, Luis Regueiro, knew exactly who was going to be the next coach for the team, so in November 2001, Sánchez was again signed as head coach of all UNAM's teams and given all the confidence of the new broad.

His labor was long and well planned, as for two years he forged a very competitive team. In 2003, the results were evident, and the Pumas were one of the best teams in the league, but the championship was still missing. Falling twice in semifinals all was set to the New Age Golden Year, 2004.

Sánchez Pumas won everything they played in 2004: Clausura 2004, Apertura 2004, Champion of Champions 2004 and Santiago Bernabeu's Cup. Also he is the only manager in the history to lead a Mexican team to two championships in a row in the Mexican first division in the new "short tournament" format (South American format).

However, by the end of 2004 things weren't as good as it might seem. The Clausura 2004 tournament was won taking advantage of the competition format, as they only made the minimum points during the league to qualify to the playoffs. For the next tournament Pumas was the worst team of the tournament and in Winter 2005 Pumas was having the worst year of its history. The club needed a change and Sánchez decided to resign in November 2005.

There are many speculations about why he resigned. The best known was that the future didn't seem too optimistic. He stated "If you think I'm the problem, I leave now that there is time, before the team is in danger of descending".

After this turns of events, Sánchez took some vacations and went to Spain to offer his services. Getafe almost signed him but economic differences got in the way. In 2006, Club Necaxa, another Mexican team, signed him as a head coach, but this was very quickly finished as he was called as Mexican National Team coach.

He was the coach of La Liga's UD Almería, but after accomplishing the goal of avoiding relegation from La Liga, and despite on 2 June 2009 the Almeria chairman Alfonso García announcing the renewal of his contract,^[5] he was released on 20 December 2009.^[6]

Mexican national team [link]

After briefly managing Club Necaxa, Sánchez was named head coach of the Mexico national team, with the commitment of leading Mexico through the qualification process for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

During his coaching career especially, Sánchez has been known for his volatile temperament and willingness to speak candidly, often expressing strong emotions and opinions, a trait that engenders equally emotional and strong responses from those he criticizes. He has a long-standing feud between with former Mexican National Coach, Ricardo La Volpe.

Sánchez's first match as Mexico coach was a 2-0 loss to the United States in Phoenix, Arizona before Mexican fans in February, 2007. Sánchez recorded his first coaching victory against Venezuela (3-1) in front of 67,000 "Tri" fans in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium. Hugo's first game in Mexico took place against Paraguay in Monterrey, Mexico on March 25, 2007, which Mexico won 2-1. A few days later on March 28, 2007, Mexico defeated Ecuador 4-2 in Oakland, California at McAfee Coliseum.

In June, 2007 Sánchez coached Mexico in the 2007 edition of the Gold Cup, his first official competition. After struggling in the first stages of the tournament, México reached the final June 24, 2007 and lost it against the US (2-1).

On June 27, 2007, in the opening game of the Copa América 2007 held in Venezuela, Sánchez led the Mexican National Team to a stunning 3-1 win over 5-time world champions, Brazil Hugo's first major victory as a coach. After glancing through the first round of the tournament, Hugo led the team to reach the semi-finals and battle against the Argentine squad, losing with a solid 3-0. Finally Mexico ended 3rd place of the competition by beating Uruguay 2-0.

In August 2007, Sánchez announced that Mexico would permanently, or at least in his time coaching the team, drop their famous green home kit, replacing it with their white away kit, meaning that their new away kit would be red. For this decision, Sánchez was subject of a lot of criticism. The two main arguments against him were that the decision was breaking a long-standing Mexican tradition, yet the strongest critics suggested that he should devote more time to the strategy and training of the Mexican team rather than entertaining himself with superfluous features of the sport.

In March 2008, Sánchez had some very upsetting results, including draws with Australia and Finland^{[citation needed]}, and a loss at home in Querétaro against Ecuador's U-23 team. The bad results continued in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualification, with a tie with Canada and a loss with Guatemala. Finally, his only victory coming against Haiti with a 5-1 score. However due to goal difference Mexico was eliminated from the Pre Olympic qualifying tournament. The elimination was a hard beat against the soccer in his country, particularly to the owners of the Mexican soccer clubs, who had supported him both economically and sportily by providing the resources and allowing the players to be separated from their teams for nearly a month, while the Mexican season was up.

Many analysts claim that Sánchez's first year as the national coach has resulted in a Mexican team with poor soccer variants, null collective game, tactic stiffness, and lack of strategy. A significant proportion of the press agree that this situation has reached a point of no return with the U-23 elimination from the Pre Olympic tournament. Hugo also made the decision to change the jersey color of the Mexican National team from green to white, due to his feelings on green being a color that blends into the grass. On March 31, Hugo Sanchez was fired from the Mexican team via a 16-2 vote from the main leaders of the sixteen First Division Club Owners.

Managerial stats [link]

Last updated 25 May 2011 00:05

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
Team	Nat	From	To	G	W	L	D	Win %	GF	GA	+/-
UNAM^{1, 2}		2000	2005	202	89	63	50	44.06%	328	295	+33
Club Necaxa		2006	2006	7	2	4	1	28.57%	8	11	-3
Mexico³		2006	2008	26	13	9	4	50%	45	32	+13
Almeria		2009	2009	17	6	4	7	35.29%	5	6	-1
Career				252	110	80	62	43.65%	386	344	+42

¹Includes results from Copa Libertadores 2003
²Includes results from CONCACAF Champions' Cup 2005
³Includes results from 2000 U.S. Cup

Honours as a player [link]

National championships [link]

2 Primera División de México (UNAM, as player, seasons 1976-77 and 1980–81).
5 La Liga (Real Madrid, seasons 1985-86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 and 1989–90).
2 Copas del Rey (Atlético Madrid 1985; Real Madrid 1989).
4 Supercopas de España (Atlético Madrid 1985; Real Madrid 1988, 1989 and 1990).

International cups [link]

1 UEFA Cup (Real Madrid, season 1985-86).
2 CONCACAF Champions' Cup (UNAM 1980, Club América 1992).
1 Copa Interamericana (UNAM 1981).
1 CONCACAF Gold Cup (Mexico national football team 1977).
1 Pan American Games Gold Medal (Mexico Amateur national team, 1975)

Individual honours [link]

1 European Golden Boot (season 1989-90).
5 Pichichis (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990 with Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid).
Top scorer of the Mexican League (1979).
2 times Don Balon Award, for being the best foreign player in the Spanish League (1987 and 1990).
Best Sportist of Mexico of the 20th century.
Best footballer of Mexico of the 20th century according to IFFHS.
Best footballer of North America and Central America of the 20th century by IFFHS.
Only Mexican who appeared in Pelé's 125 Top Living Football Players List in March 2004.
La Liga Best Replacement Manager 2008-2009.

Honours as a Coach [link]

2 Primera División de México (UNAM Clausura 2004 and Apertura 2004).
1 Trofeo Santiago Bernabéu (UNAM).

Personal life [link]

Sánchez is the son of Héctor Sánchez, who played for Asturias and Atlante. Hugo Sánchez is married to Isabel Martín and has two children, a son and an older daughter from his previous marriage. His son, Hugo Sánchez Portugal was a football player and has played in UNAM Pumas like him.

Sánchez was appointed as the official FIFA/SOS Ambassador for Mexico, joining Wayne Rooney (Ambassador for England), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), and fifty others in fund raising for the official 2006 FIFA World Cup Charity.^[7]

On September 1, 2007 Hugo Sanchez inaugurated a street with his name in Puebla, central Mexico, before a thousand of the locals around there.^[8]

In FIFA (video game series), he is the member of legendary team squad, Classic XI.

Footnotes [link]

^ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/mex-recintlp.html
^ "Hugo Sanchez fired as coach of Mexico". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/31/sports/SOC-Mexico-Sanchez-Fired.php. Retrieved 2008-03-31
^ Stokkermans, Karel. "IFFHS' Century Elections". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/iffhs-century.html#cnpoy. Retrieved 2006-12-17.
^ Andaló, Paula. "Hugo Sánchez, con alas en los pies" (in Spanish). Univision. http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=719108. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
^ Hugo Sanchez To Stay On As Almeria Coach - Reports
^ Almeria trennt sich von Trainer Sanchez
^ "Hugo Sánchez to attend 6 villages for 2006 opening in Morelia". SOS Children's Villages. http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/news-and-media/news/pages/sanchez-calls-on-football-fans-to-support-sos-childrens-villages.aspx. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
^ "Inaugurada en México la calle Hugo Sánchez". El Pais. http://www.elpais.com/articulo/deportes/Inaugurada/Mexico/calle/Hugo/Sanchez/elpepudep/20070901elpepudep_1/Tes. Retrieved 2007-09-01.

External links [link]

Awards

European Golden Shoe

1968: Eusébio
1969: Zhekov
1970: Müller
1971: Skoblar
1972: Müller
1973: Eusébio
1974: Yazalde
1975: Georgescu
1976: Kaiafas
1977: Georgescu
1978: Krankl
1979: Kist
1980: Vandenbergh
1981: Slavkov
1982: Kieft
1983: Gomes
1984: Rush
1985: Gomes
1986: Van Basten
1987: Cămătaru / Polster
1988: Çolak
1989: Mateuţ
1990: Sánchez / Stoichkov
1991: Pančev
1992: McCoist
1993: McCoist
1994: Taylor
1995: Avetisyan
1996: Endeladze
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Machlas
1999: Jardel
2000: Phillips
2001: Larsson
2002: Jardel
2003: Makaay
2004: Henry
2005: Henry / Forlán
2006: Toni
2007: Totti
2008: C. Ronaldo
2009: Forlán
2010: Messi
2011: C. Ronaldo
2012: Messi

Primera División de México top scorers

1944: Lángara
1945: Aballay
1946: Lángara
1947: López
1948: López
1949: López
1950: Ayllón
1951: Casarín
1952: López
1953: Quiñones
1954: Guerra/López/Palacio
1955: Palacio
1956: H. Hernández
1957: Gutiérrez
1958: Lara
1959: González
1960: Rolando
1961: Lara/Reyes
1963: Epaminondas
1964: Etcheverry
1965: Epaminondas
1966: Zague
1967: Epaminondas
1968: B. Hernández
1969: Estrada
1970: Pereda
México '70: Anaya
1971: Borja
1972: Borja
1973: Borja
1974: Castro
1975: Salgado
1976: Cabinho
1977: Cabinho
1978: Cabinho
1979: Cabinho/Sánchez
1980: Cabinho
1981: Cabinho
1982: Cabinho
1983: Outes
1984: Outes
1985: Cabinho
PRODE 85: Lira
México 1986: Cruz
1987: Zalazar
1988: Flores
1989: Lira
1990: Comas
1991: García
1992: García
1993: Basay
1994: Hermosillo
1995: Hermosillo
1996: Hermosillo
Invierno 1996: Muñoz
Verano 1997: Caballero/Sáez
Invierno 1997: García
Verano 1998: Cardozo
Invierno 1998: Blanco
Verano 1999: Cardozo
Invierno 1999: Olalde
Verano 2000: Bejines/Delgado/Abreu
Invierno 2000: Borgetti
Verano 2001: Borgetti
Invierno 2001: Rodríguez
Verano 2002: Abreu
Apertura 2002: Cardozo
Clausura 2003: Cardozo
Apertura 2003: Rey
Clausura 2004: Marioni/Silvera
Apertura 2004: Franco
Clausura 2005: Vuoso
Apertura 2005: Abreu/Gaitán/Kléber/Vuoso
Clausura 2006: Abreu/Cabañas
Apertura 2006: Marioni
Clausura 2007: Bravo
Apertura 2007: Moreno
Clausura 2008: Suazo
Apertura 2008: Mancilla
Clausura 2009: Mancilla
Apertura 2009: Villa
Bicentenario 2010: Fano/Gomez/J. Hernández
Apertura 2010: Benítez
Clausura 2011: Reyna
Apertura 2011: Alonso

La Liga top scorers

1929: Bienzobas
1930: Gorostiza
1931: Bata
1932: Gorostiza
1933: Olivares
1934: Lángara
1935: Lángara
1936 Lángara
1940: Unamuno
1941: Pruden
1942: Suárez
1943: Martín
1944: Suárez
1945: Zarra
1946: Zarra
1947: Zarra
1948: Pahiño
1949: César
1950: Zarra
1951: Zarra
1952: Pahiño
1953: Zarra
1954: Di Stéfano
1955: Arza
1956: Di Stéfano
1957: Di Stéfano
1958: Badenes/Di Stéfano/Ricardo
1959: Di Stéfano
1960: Puskás
1961: Puskás
1962: Seminario
1963: Puskás
1964: Puskás
1965: Ré
1966: Vavá
1967: Waldo
1968: Uriarte
1969: Amancio/Gárate
1970: Amancio/Aragonés/Gárate
1971: Gárate/Rexach
1972: Porta
1973: Marianín
1974: Quini
1975: Carlos
1976: Quini
1977: Kempes
1978: Kempes
1979: Krankl
1980: Quini
1981: Quini
1982: Quini
1983: Rincón
1984: Da Silva/Juanito
1985: Sánchez
1986: Sánchez
1987: Sánchez
1988: Sánchez
1989: Baltazar
1990: Sánchez
1991: Butragueño
1992: Manolo
1993: Bebeto
1994: Romário
1995: Zamorano
1996: Pizzi
1997: Ronaldo
1998: Vieri
1999: Raúl
2000: Salva
2001: Raúl
2002: Tristán
2003: Makaay
2004: Ronaldo
2005: Forlán
2006: Eto'o
2007: van Nistelrooy
2008: Güiza
2009: Forlán
2010: Messi
2011: C. Ronaldo
2012: Messi

Template:Don Balon award:2

v t e FIFA 100

UEFA	Baggio Ballack Banks Baresi Beckenbauer Beckham Bergkamp Bergomi Best Boniek Boniperti Breitner Buffon Butragueño Cantona Ceulemans Charlton Cruyff Dalglish Dasayev Davids Del Piero Desailly Deschamps Emre Eusébio Facchetti Figo Fontaine Gullit Hagi Henry Kahn Keane Keegan Klinsmann Kluivert Kopa B. Laudrup M. Laudrup Lineker Luis Enrique Maier Maldini Masopust Matthäus Müller Nedvěd Neeskens Nesta Owen Papin Pfaff Pirès Platini Puskás Raúl Rensenbrink Rijkaard Rivera Rossi Rui Costa Rummenigge Rüştü Schmeichel Seedorf Seeler Shearer Shevchenko Stoichkov Šuker Thuram Totti Trésor Trezeguet van Basten R. van de Kerkhof W. van de Kerkhof Van der Elst van Nistelrooy Vieira Vieri Zidane Zoff

CONMEBOL	Carlos Alberto Batistuta Cafu Crespo Cubillas Di Stéfano Falcão Figueroa Francescoli Júnior Kempes Maradona Passarella Pelé Rivaldo Rivelino Roberto Carlos Romário Romerito Ronaldinho Ronaldo Djalma Santos Nílton Santos Saviola Sívori Sócrates Valderrama Verón Zamorano Zanetti Zico

CAF	Diouf Milla Okocha Abédi Pelé Weah

CONCACAF	Akers Hamm Sánchez

AFC	Hong Nakata

Mexico squads

v t e Mexico squad – 1978 FIFA World Cup

1 Reyes 2 Nájera 3 Tena 4 Ramos 5 Vázquez (c) 6 Mendizábal 7 de la Torre 8 López 9 Rangel 10 Ortega 11 Sánchez 12 Martínez 13 Cisneros 14 Gómez 15 Flores 16 Cárdenas 17 Cuéllar 18 Lugo 19 Rodríguez 20 Medina 21 Isiordia 22 Soto Coach: Roca

v t e Mexico squad – 1986 FIFA World Cup

1 Larios 2 Trejo 3 Quirarte 4 Manzo 5 Francisco Cruz 6 de los Cobos 7 España 8 Domínguez 9 Sánchez 10 Boy (c) 11 Hermosillo 12 Rodríguez 13 Aguirre 14 Felix Cruz 15 Flores 16 Muñoz 17 Servín 18 Amador 19 Hernández 20 Heredia 21 Ortega 22 Negrete Coach: Milutinović

v t e Mexico squad – Copa América 1993 Runners-up

1 Campos 2 Suárez 3 Ramírez Perales 4 Ambríz 5 Ramírez 6 Herrera 7 Patiño 8 García Aspe 9 Sánchez 10 L. García 11 Zague 12 A. García 13 España 14 Turrubiates 15 Flores 16 Hernández 17 Galindo 18 Muñoz 19 Guzmán 20 Nava 21 Gutiérrez 22 Navarro Coach: Mejía Barón

v t e Mexico squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup

1 Campos 2 Suárez 3 Ramírez Perales 4 Ambríz (c) 5 Ramírez 6 Bernal 7 Hermosillo 8 García Aspe 9 Sánchez 10 García 11 Zague 12 Fernández 13 J. Chávez 14 del Olmo 15 Espinoza 16 Valdéz 17 Galindo 18 Salgado 19 Salvador 20 Rodríguez 21 Gutiérrez 22 A. Chávez Coach: Mejía Barón

v t e Mexico squad – 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup Runners-up

1 O. Sánchez 2 Magallón 3 Salcido 4 Márquez 5 Osorio 6 Torrado 7 Medina 8 Pardo 9 Borgetti 10 Blanco 11 Morales 12 Corona 13 Ochoa 14 Pinto 15 Castro 16 Lozano 17 Fonseca 18 Guardado 19 Bravo 20 Arce 21 Castillo 22 Rodríguez 23 Bautista Coach: H. Sánchez

v t e Mexico squad – Copa América 2007 Third Place

1 O. Sánchez 2 Magallón 3 Pinto 4 Márquez (c) 5 I. Castro 6 Torrado 7 Medina 8 Correa 9 Landín 10 Blanco 11 Morales 12 Cacho 13 Ochoa 14 Pineda 15 J. Castro 16 Lozano 17 Bautista 18 Guardado 19 Bravo 20 Arce 21 Castillo 22 Rodríguez Coach: H. Sánchez

Mexico national football team – managers

Beltrán (1923)
Vega (1928)
Barreau (1930)
Serrallonga (1930)
Gutiérrez (1934)
Crowle (1935)
Gutiérrez (1937–38)
Orth (1947)
Ramírez (1948)
Gutiérrez (1949)
Vial (1950)
López (1952)
Casarín (1953)
López (1953–57)
Trelles (1957)
López (1958)
Marcos (1959)
Trelles (1960–62)
Fekete (1963)
Trelles (1965–68)
Cárdenas (1968)
Trelles (1969)
Cárdenas (1969)
Mercado (1969)
Cárdenas (1970)
Torre (1970–73)
Jáuregui (1974)
Trelles (1975–76)
Roca (1977–78)
Moncebáez (1979)
Peña (1979)
Cárdenas (1979–81)
Milutinović (1983–86)
Velarde (1987–89)
Guerra (1989)
Trelles (1990)
Menotti (1991–1992)
Ferretti (1993)
Mejía Barón (1993–1995)
Milutinović (1995–1997)
Lapuente (1997–2000)
Sánchez (2000)
Meza (2000–01)
Aguirre (2001–02)
La Volpe (2002–06)
Sánchez (2006–08)
Ramírez (2008)
Eriksson (2008–09)
Aguirre (2009–10)
Meza (2010)
Flores (2010)
de la Torre (2010–)

UD Almería – managers

Navarro (1989–90)
Capel (1990)
Belmonte (1990)
Navarro (1990–91)
Oviedo (1991–92)
Cayuela (1992–93)
Buenaventura (1993)
Palomo (1993–94)
Díaz (1994–95)
Cayuela (1995)
Hernández (1995–96)
Cayuela (1996)
Hurtado (1996)
Stielike (1996–97)
Braojos (1997)
Moreno (1997–98)
Navarro (1998)
Alcaraz (1998)
Garrido (1998)
Blanco (1998–99)
Salmerón (1999–2000)
Casuco (2000–04)
Duque (2004)
A. González (2004)
Santos (2004–05)
A. González (2005)
Fabri (2005)
Paco Flores (2005–06)
Emery (2006–08)
Arconada (2008)
Sánchez (2008–09)
Lillo (2009–10)
Oltra (2010–11)
Olabe (2011)
Zubeldía (2011)
Alcaraz (2011–12)
Vigo (2012–)

v t e C.F. Pachuca – current squad

2 López 3 Vidrio 4 Ledesma 5 Cervantes 7 Arreola 9 Esqueda 10 Cejas 11 Borja 12 Rojas 13 Blanco 14 Castillo 16 Rodríguez 18 Torres 19 Brambila 21 Herrera 22 Velázquez 23 Ayoví 24 Hernández 26 Muñoz Mustafá 28 Franco 29 García 30 Cota 84 Bueno Manager: Sánchez

This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Sánchez

This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.

Persondata
Name	Sánchez, Hugo
Alternative names	Hugo Sánchez Márquez
Short description	Footballer
Date of birth	11 July 1958
Place of birth	Mexico City, Mexico
Date of death
Place of death

Stoichkov, Hristo Filmography

Famous quotes by Hristo Stoichkov:

"I am satisfied with the win. We could have scored more goals but I am really happy with my team performance tonight."

"This will be our hardest qualifier this year. I want my lads to concentrate and show Malta from the very first minute that they do not have any chance."

"There are another six games and they'll decide everything. We'll seek a victory against Hungary at any price and will wait for the match against Croatia. We still have a chance to qualify because surprises are possible."

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