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Stoitchkov's six goals earned him the golden boot in 1994. Rick Stewart/Allsport |
A volatile mix of arrogance and charisma, Stoitchkov possessed all the attributes of an Eastern European folk hero. At the 1994 finals in the United States, his goals and inspirational leadership transformed Bulgaria’s ragbag collection of journeymen into World Cup semifinalists.
Having never previously won a game at the finals, Bulgaria started badly by losing to Nigeria, but Stoitchkov scored two penalties in a 4-0 win over Greece and then fired his side to a stunning 2-0 win over an Argentine side still reeling over the loss of Maradona.
In the second round, Mexico was beaten on penalties after Stoitchkov had scored in a 1-1 draw, setting up a quarterfinal with Germany.
What followed were the most memorable 90 minutes in recent Bulgarian history. As expected, the Germans took the lead, but Stoitchkov dragged his side level with a deadly freekick and Yordan Letchkov’s sealed victory with a flying header.
The Bulgarians were rumored to have celebrated their famous win long into the night, and it showed in a lackluster performance against Italy in the semis. Stoitchkov scored his golden boot-winning sixth goal of the tournament from the penalty spot, but by then Roberto Baggio had scored twice. With the magic drained from his boots, the Bulgarians then crashed to a 4-0 defeat to Sweden in the third-place playoff.
