Христо Стоичков с емоционални слова, президентът Румен Радев го аплодира – haroonabadvital.com
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At the official celebration of the centenary of the Bulgarian Football Association, Hristo Stoichkov – Bulgaria’s only Ballon d’Or winner – appeared on stage. His emotional speech was met with thunderous applause from guests, including President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin.
Stoichkov began gratefully:
“Today is an unforgettable day for me, because I am part of Bulgarian football, but I would like to first thank my teammates, and all the coaches in my previous years as a football player. I want to thank three of those who gave me a chance in the distant year 1987. Here is Hristo Bunev And Nasko Sirakov, thank you for trusting me in those years to be part of this great team.
Stoyshkov recalls the symbolic moment when he wore the national team jersey for the first time and beat Belgium in 1987. But the highlight of his speech was Bulgaria’s legendary success in the 1994 World Cup in the USA:
“The year 1994 will remain memorable for all of us as a nation. In a way, we proved to the whole world that we boarded the last train, the last plane to America, with one goal: to make ourselves worthy of this world championship. We left mobilized and with the goal of at least being first with a victory.” One, but four, thank you to all of you, my colleagues, for the fact that Bulgaria has achieved its biggest and greatest success.
Hristo Stoichkov concluded his speech with words that moved everyone present:
“Bulgaria is proud, not Hristo Stoichkov, Bulgaria is proud to have a Golden Ball and a Golden Boot on display. Thank you once again, dear guests, dear friends, for your respect for this great celebration – 100 years of Bulgarian football.”
His passion and frankness remind once again why he is one of the biggest icons of Bulgarian sport.