Yordan Letchkov
Encyclopedia
Yordan Letchkov (born July 9, 1967 in Sliven
) is a former Bulgaria
n 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 striker or on the left side of midfield, he was easily recognizable for his baldness. However, his career was often dictated by his moody nature and the numerous arguments and fall-outs with fellow players and managers.
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 1992–93 season to 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. His next stop took him to Turkey with Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey, from 1997–98 season) after a two year period away from the game he finished his career in 2001–02 season back with CSKA Sofia.
Lechkov is often referred to as being part of the "Golden Generation" of Bulgarian football, who along with Stoichkov, Kostadinov and Balakov led the national side to the semifinals of the 1994 World Cup.
; However his international career was limited by a series of disagreements with coaches and the Bulgarian Football Federation.
He is perhaps best remembered for scoring the winner against Germany in the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup
, as Bulgaria reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by Italy
.
Lechkov went on to shine in the 1996 European Championships in England despite the failure of Bulgaria to reach the quarter finals producing a man-of-the-match performance against a strong French side. He went on to contribute greatly to his nation's successful qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup championships. However his chance to play in the tournament was blocked by FIFA due to a little publicised contractual dispute with Besiktas.
Since 2005 he has also been vice president of the Bulgarian Football Union. In April 2010 he was removed from the mayorship by the Sliven district court after he was charged with official misconduct
, but the Burgas appellate court restored him to his position on 28 June 2010.
He took part in a TV series called Golden Foots in 1998 with various other footballers.
Sliven
Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
) is a former 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 footballer
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...
and the current mayor of Sliven
Sliven
Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
. 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 striker or on the left side of midfield, he was easily recognizable for his baldness. However, his career was often dictated by his moody nature and the numerous arguments and fall-outs with fellow players and managers.
Club
He began his career as a youngster with SlivenOFC Sliven 2000
OFC Sliven 2000 is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Sliven, currently playing in the East B PFG, the second division of Bulgarian football. The club's home ground is the Hadzhi Dimitar Stadium in Sliven with a capacity of 15,000...
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
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
(Germany, from 1992–93 season to 1995–96 season). After that he secured a move to Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille
Olympique de Marseille is a French association football club based in Marseille. Founded in 1899, the club plays in Ligue 1 and have spent most of its history in the top tier of French football. Marseille have been French champions nine times and have won the Coupe de France a record ten times. In...
(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. His next stop took him to Turkey with Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey, from 1997–98 season) after a two year period away from the game he finished his career in 2001–02 season back with CSKA Sofia.
Lechkov is often referred to as being part of the "Golden Generation" of Bulgarian football, who along with Stoichkov, Kostadinov and Balakov led the national side to the semifinals of the 1994 World Cup.
International
Lechkov played 45 matches and scored 5 goals for the Bulgaria national football teamBulgaria 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...
; However his international career was limited by a series of disagreements with coaches and the Bulgarian Football Federation.
He is perhaps best remembered for scoring the winner against Germany in the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
, as Bulgaria reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
.
Lechkov went on to shine in the 1996 European Championships in England despite the failure of Bulgaria to reach the quarter finals producing a man-of-the-match performance against a strong French side. He went on to contribute greatly to his nation's successful qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup championships. However his chance to play in the tournament was blocked by FIFA due to a little publicised contractual dispute with Besiktas.
Post Football
After his retirement from football he has successfully started a career as a businessman (owning luxury hotels and a football academy) and politician. He was elected Mayor of his home town, Sliven, in 2003 and reelected in 2007.Since 2005 he has also been vice president of the Bulgarian Football Union. In April 2010 he was removed from the mayorship by the Sliven district court after he was charged with official misconduct
Malfeasance in office
Malfeasance in office, or official misconduct, is the commission of an unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasance in office is often grounds for a for cause removal of an elected official by statute or recall election.An exact...
, but the Burgas appellate court restored him to his position on 28 June 2010.
He took part in a TV series called Golden Foots in 1998 with various other footballers.
Honours
- CSKA Sofia
- Bulgarian Championship: 1992
- SlivenSlivenSliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
- Bulgarian CupBulgarian CupThe 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....
1991
- Bulgarian Cup
- BesiktasBesiktasBeşiktaş is a municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and on the east by the Bosphorus...
- Turkish Cup: 1998