Georgi Asparukhov

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Georgi Asparukhov
Georgi Asparuhov 1969.jpg
Georgi Asparukhov, 1969
Personnel
birthday May 4, 1943
place of birth Sofia ,  Bulgaria
date of death June 30, 1971
size 186 cm
position Center Forward
Men's
Years station Games (goals) 1
1959-1961 Levski Sofia 23 0(7)
1962-1963 Botev Plovdiv 47 (25)
1964-1968 Levski Sofia 109 (77)
1968-1971 Levski-Spartak Sofia 68 (42)
National team
Years selection Games (goals)
1962-1970 Bulgaria 50 (19)
1 Only league games are given.

Georgi Asparukhov ( Bulgarian Георги Аспарухов , English transcription: Georgi Asparuhov ; born May 4, 1943 in Sofia , † June 30, 1971 ) was a Bulgarian football player. He has been declared Bulgaria's 20th century footballer.

Asparukhov, called Gundi by his supporters , was a striker and active for the Levski Sofia club in the 1960/61 season and in the period between 1964 and 1971. In between, he completed two seasons between 1961 and 1963 for Botew Plovdiv . In 245 games he scored 150 goals in the highest Bulgarian league, with numerous top European clubs trying to get his service. In the last 16 game of Levski against Benfica Lisbon in the European Cup of National Champions in the 1965/66 season, Benfica with Eusébio , Coluna , Simões and Torres could only narrowly prevail after two games and Asparuchow gained recognition throughout Europe due to his four goals, as did Levski Sofia as an association. Asparukhov was also the first player to score twice at the Benfica stadium. Benfica was then ready to finance Asparukhov and include it in its team, but this could not be implemented during the Cold War . Also, the AC Milan wanted to sign Asparuchow, there was when he and his wife during an away match in Italy. Gundi did not accept the offer out of fear for his relatives in Bulgaria and responded with one of the most famous quotes in Bulgaria today. “Има една страна, България. Там има един отбор Левски, може да не сте чували за него. Но аз в него съм се родил, в него и ще умра! ” (Translation: "There is a country, Bulgaria. And there is an association called Levski. You may not have heard of this one, but I was born there, and there I will die too!")

Asparukhov scored 19 goals in 50 games for the Bulgarian national football team and was the only Bulgarian to score against England at Wembley . In addition, he scored the only goal in each of Bulgaria's first two World Cup appearances in Chile in 1962 and in England in 1966 . He also took part in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico .

Asparukhov died in a car accident in 1971. He was one of the most famous athletes in Bulgaria at the time and his funeral in Sofia was attended by an estimated 200,000 people. Together with Asparukhov, another Bulgarian international player, Nikola Kotkow, had an accident .

Achievements and honors

  • Bulgarian champion: 1965, 1968, 1970
  • Soviet Army Cup winners : 1962, 1967, 1970, 1971 (1971: posthumous )
  • Top scorer in Bulgaria: 1965 (27 goals)
  • Bulgarian Sportsman of the Year: 1965
  • Fair Play Award: 1999 (posthumous)
  • 8th place in the Ballon d'Or election: 1965
  • Bulgarian footballer of the decade
  • Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century
  • 40th place in the vote for the best European player of all time

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Asparukhov, Georgi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gundi
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bulgarian soccer player
DATE OF BIRTH May 4, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Sofia , Bulgaria
DATE OF DEATH June 30, 1971