What happened to Hristo Stoichkov, the 1994 Ballon d'Or?

Former Bulgarian football star Hristo Stoichkov has been included in the top 100 best footballers in history, as compiled by the Daily Mail's chief sports writer Oliver Holt. Stoichkov ranked 43rd, yet another reminder of what a brilliant player he once was.

Stoichkov is widely regarded as the best Bulgarian footballer of all time. 'The Dagger', as his nickname was, had a golden left foot with which he scored countless goals, mainly for FC Barcelona. Let's look back at Stoichkov's career and what he did next.

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Stoichkov was born in Plovdiv on 8 February 1966.

He started his pro career in 1982 in his native Bulgaria with Hebros, but was signed by CSKA Sofia two years later.

However, his adventure in the Bulgarian capital started off on a bad note, as he received a lifetime ban after his involvement in a fight in the 1985 cup final. Fortunately for Stoichkov, this was later reduced to one year.

Stoichkov then focused on what he did best: football. He helped CSKA win several titles and even won the European Golden Boot in 1990 after scoring 38 goals.

That same year, he signed with Spanish giants FC Barcelona, where his story started unhappily again.

The Bulgarian received a two-month ban for stomping on a referee's foot in a game against Real Madrid.

Still, he managed to have a good first season at Camp Nou, scoring 22 goals in all competitions (Transfermarkt) and claiming the league title.

At Barcelona, Stoichkov was part of Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team', which dominated Spanish and European football.

Under Cruyff's leadership, Stoichkov and Barça won four consecutive league titles from 1991 to 1994.

However, Stoichkov's greatest triumph in a Barça shirt was winning the European Cup in 1991/92, after a legendary goal by Ronald Koeman from a free kick against Sampdoria.

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At the time, Stoichkov was considered one of the best players in the world, which he showed at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the US. He led Bulgaria to a historic fourth place finish and was joint top scorer with six goals.

His impressive performances with Barça and Bulgaria in 1994 earned him the Ballon d'Or, one of the greatest individual awards for a footballer.

In 1995, Stoichkov signed for Italian AC Parma, where he scored a total of seven goals in 30 appearances (Transfermarkt).

A year later, he would return to Barça, where he would win several other trophies, including the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and another Spanish title.

In January 1998, his Barcelona adventure came to a definite end and Stoichkov returned to CSKA Sofia.

That same year, Stoichkov signed for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. He played just two games to help them win the Asian Cup Winners' Cup and was generously reimbursed. According to The Sun, Stoichkov collected no less than £165,000 to feature in the semi-final and the final.

After his Saudi stint, Stoichkov played for Japan's Kashiwa Reysol and in the MLS for Chicago Fire and D.C. United, where he was a player-coach. He eventually hung up his boots late 2003.

Soon after, he joined Barcelona as a forward coach.

In July 2004, he served his country again, this time as manager of the national team, a role he held until April 2007.

He was also the manager of Celta de Vigo, Mamelodi Sundowns FC and Litex Lovech. He also worked briefly at Russian club Rostov as an adviser to the then-president.

Later, Stoichkov returned to CSKA Sofia once again, as manager and president, roles he left shortly after he was appointed and then became a shareholder of the club.

In 2018, he launched his autobiography, 'Hristo Stoichkov. The Story'.

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Stoichkov was not without controversy during his career, but let his feet do the talking when he stepped onto the football pitch. That is why he is still remembered by many as the great player he was.