Aleksandar Shalamanov
Encyclopedia
Aleksandar Stefanov Shalamanov (born 4 September 1941) is a former football (soccer)
player and professional alpine skier and is known as the only Bulgaria
n who has participated in the Winter Olympics (as alpine skier
in 1960) and in the FIFA World Cup
. The Summer Olympics saw him as reserve player of the volleyball
team in 1964, but he did not play in a match.
Shalamanov began his career as a defender
with CSKA Sofia in 1960-61, but moved to Slavia Sofia in 1961 to remain there until 1974, when he retired after 263 matches in the Bulgarian Championship, three Bulgarian Cup
trophies (1963, 1964 and 1966) and a Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1967. Shalamanov has twice been selected Best Bulgarian Footballer, in 1963 and 1966, and twice Best Bulgarian Sportsman, in 1967 and 1973. He has 42 caps for the Bulgarian national team
, with which he participated in the World Cup 1966 and World Cup 1970.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and professional alpine skier and is known as the only Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n who has participated in the Winter Olympics (as alpine skier
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
in 1960) and in the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. The Summer Olympics saw him as reserve player of the volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team in 1964, but he did not play in a match.
Shalamanov began his career as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
with CSKA Sofia in 1960-61, but moved to Slavia Sofia in 1961 to remain there until 1974, when he retired after 263 matches in the Bulgarian Championship, three Bulgarian Cup
Bulgarian Cup
The Bulgarian Cup is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. It is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank....
trophies (1963, 1964 and 1966) and a Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1967. Shalamanov has twice been selected Best Bulgarian Footballer, in 1963 and 1966, and twice Best Bulgarian Sportsman, in 1967 and 1973. He has 42 caps for the Bulgarian national team
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
, with which he participated in the World Cup 1966 and World Cup 1970.