Bulgarian footballer
Georgi Asparuhov Rangelov
(
Bulgarian
:
Георги Аспарухов Рангелов
; 4 May 1943 ? 30 June 1971), nicknamed
Gundi
, was a
Bulgarian
footballer
who played as a
striker
.
A prolific forward of his generation, Asparuhov was renowned for his finishing, technique and heading ability. He was voted the best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century
[2]
and Europe's 40th best player of the century,
a position shared with
Paolo Rossi
. Asparuhov was also nominated for the
1965 Ballon d'Or
award, finishing eighth in the final standings.
[4]
In international football, Asparuhov made his Bulgaria debut on 6 May 1962 at the age of 19. He made 49 appearances in total, appearing at three
FIFA World Cup
tournaments, in
1962
,
1966
and
1970
, and scoring 18 goals.
Asparuhov's career was cut short in 1971 at the age of 28 when he died in a vehicle accident. Levski Sofia's
stadium
is named in his honour.
[5]
Career
[
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]
Beginnings at Levski
[
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]
Asparuhov began his senior career at
Levski Sofia
in the end of
1959?60 season
at the age of 17. He made his debut on 5 June 1960 in a 1?0 home loss against
Lokomotiv Sofia
, coming on as a second-half substitute.
[6]
His first senior goal came during the following campaign when he scored in a 1?1 away draw against
Botev Plovdiv
on 28 September 1960.
Botev Plovdiv
[
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]
In January 1962, Asparuhov joined
Botev Plovdiv
where he won
1961?62 Bulgarian Cup
a few months later. On 13 September 1962, he marked his European debut away at
Steaua Bucure?ti
with two goals, but Botev lost the game 3?2 in their preliminary round first leg tie of
1962?63 Cup Winners' Cup
. A week later, in the second leg of Botev's European tie against Steaua, Asparuhov scored his first-ever
hat-trick
in a resounding 5?1 home victory. He also scored in a 4?0 away win over
Shamrock Rovers
on 24 October 1962 and became a top scorer of the tournament with 6 goals.
In October 1963, Asparuhov returned to Levski Sofia.
[7]
Return to Levski
[
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]
Widely regarded as Levski's greatest ever player, Asparuhov played over 230 games for the club, winning three
Bulgarian League titles
and three
Bulgarian Cups
. During his time at the club he won the
Bulgarian footballer of the year
and
Bulgarian sportsperson of the year
in 1965.
Asparuhov is Levski's third all-time leading goal scorer (153). In
1964?65 season
he became the league's top scorer with 27 goals in 29 matches.
Some of the top European clubs at the time sought his services. In the 1965?66
European Cup
, Levski played
Benfica
, with
Eusebio
in the squad of the Portuguese. When Benfica eliminated Levski in a tight tie, and Gundi having netted 3 of Levski's 4 goals across both legs, Europe began to view him with interest. In fact, he was the first foreign player to have scored two goals at Benfica's stadium. Asparuhov was wanted by Benfica themselves, as well as Italian giants
AC Milan
. Regarding the latter's offer, Gundi answered that way:
"Tell them there is a country named Bulgaria. In that country there is a team called Levski, they might not have heard of it. But I was born in this team and I will die there."
[8]
International career
[
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]
Asparuhov made his debut for the
Bulgarian national team
in a friendly match against
Austria
at
Praterstadion
in
Vienna
on 6 May 1962
[9]
and was named in the 22-man Bulgarian squad for the
1962 FIFA World Cup
. He made his World Cup debut in the second group game against
Hungary
at
Estadio Braden Copper Co.
in
Rancagua
on 3 June 1962.
Asparuhov scored his first goals for Bulgaria on 7 November 1962, scoring twice in a 3?1 home victory over
Portugal
in a
1964 European Nations' Cup qualifying
match.
[10]
Then he top scored for Bulgaria in their
1966 World Cup qualifying campaign
with five goals. During the
World Cup
he scored Bulgaria's only goal in a 1?3 loss against
Hungary
at
Old Trafford
in
Manchester
.
Death
[
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]
Asparuhov died in a car crash in 1971 along with teammate
Nikola Kotkov
. Over 550,000 people gathered at his funeral in Sofia.
[11]
The stadium of
Levski Sofia
is named
Georgi Asparuhov Stadium
in honour of the famous striker.
Career statistics
[
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]
Club
[
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]
National team
[
edit
]
Bulgaria
[13]
|
Year
|
Apps
|
Goals
|
1962
|
6
|
2
|
1963
|
6
|
2
|
1964
|
2
|
0
|
1965
|
8
|
5
|
1966
|
6
|
2
|
1967
|
3
|
1
|
1968
|
4
|
2
|
1969
|
7
|
3
|
1970
|
7
|
1
|
Total
|
49
|
18
|
International goals
[
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]
- Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first.
Georgi Asparuhov: International Goals
[13]
#
|
Date
|
Venue
|
Opponent
|
Score
|
Result
|
Competition
|
1.
|
7 November 1962
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
,
Sofia
|
Portugal
|
1
?1
|
3?1
|
1964 European Nations' Cup Qualification
|
2.
|
2
?1
|
3.
|
6 January 1963
|
August 20, 1955 Stadium
,
Belouizdad
|
Algeria
|
1
?0
|
1?2
|
Friendly
|
4.
|
23 January 1963
|
Stadio Olimpico
,
Rome
|
Portugal
|
1
?0
|
1?0
|
1964 European Nations' Cup Qualification
|
5.
|
13 June 1965
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
, Sofia
|
Israel
|
3
?0
|
4?0
|
1966 World Cup Qualification
|
6.
|
26 September 1965
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
, Sofia
|
Belgium
|
2
?0
|
3?0
|
1966 World Cup Qualification
|
7.
|
21 November 1965
|
Ramat Gan Stadium
,
Ramat Gan
|
Israel
|
2
?1
|
2?1
|
1966 World Cup Qualification
|
8.
|
29 December 1965
|
Stadio Comunale
,
Florence
|
Belgium
|
1
?0
|
2?1
|
1966 World Cup Qualification
|
9.
|
2
?0
|
10.
|
14 June 1966
|
Stadio Comunale
,
Bologna
|
Italy
|
1
?2
|
1?6
|
Friendly
|
11.
|
20 July 1966
|
Old Trafford
,
Manchester
|
Hungary
|
1
?0
|
1?3
|
1966 World Cup
|
12.
|
12 November 1967
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
, Sofia
|
Sweden
|
3
?0
|
3?0
|
Euro 1968 Qualification
|
13.
|
27 October 1968
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
, Sofia
|
Netherlands
|
2
?0
|
2?0
|
1970 World Cup Qualification
|
14.
|
11 December 1968
|
Wembley
,
London
|
England
|
1
?0
|
1?1
|
Friendly
|
15.
|
23 April 1969
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
, Sofia
|
Luxembourg
|
1
?0
|
2?1
|
1970 World Cup Qualification
|
16.
|
2
?0
|
17.
|
15 June 1969
|
Vasil Levski National Stadium
, Sofia
|
Poland
|
4
?1
|
4?1
|
1970 World Cup Qualification
|
18.
|
24 February 1970
|
Estadio Nacional del Peru
,
Lima
|
Peru
|
2
?3
|
3?5
|
Friendly
|
Honours
[
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]
Club
[
edit
]
- Botev Plovdiv
- Levski Sofia
Individual
[
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]
International
[
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]
- Bulgaria
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]