1994 Ballon d’Or Winner: Hristo Stoichkov, A Nation’s Hero

Hristo Stoichkov was the first ever Bulgarian to win the Ballon d’Or.

He was also only the third Barcelona player in the competition’s history to claim the trophy following Luis Suárez in 1960 along with Johan Cruyff in both 1973 and 1974.

Stoichkov enjoyed an incredible 1993/94 season with Barcelona – full of amazing performances and honours – positively taking the European game by storm!

But his displays for Bulgaria at the 1994 World Cup secured his legacy and ultimately sealed an historic Ballon d’Or win.

Hristo Stoichkov became a nation’s hero.

Superstar In Spain

Stoichkov had already made a name for himself in Bulgarian football with CSKA Sofia. During his final and most impressive season with the club he scored 47 goals in just 38 games across all competitions.

After five years with CSKA, Stoichkov transferred to Barcelona for a fee of around £2.5 million.

He quickly became an integral part of manager Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” and helped the Catalan side achieve one of its most successful eras.

Barcelona won La Liga four years in a row between 1991 and 1994 – also defeating Sampdoria in 1992 to claim their first ever European Cup.

Stoichkov’s Ballon d’Or year saw him forge a formidable striking partnership with Romario, the  Brazilian scoring 32 goals during the 1993/94 campaign.

The Bulgarian helped Barca secure the La Liga and Supercopa de España double in 1994 yet unfortunately they finished as Champions League runners up following a 4-0 defeat to Arrigo Sacchi’s immense AC Milan side.

He ended the season with seven European goals in 8 games, netting 24 times in 48 appearances across the campaign – his highest total in a Spanish football season 

But it was the summer of 1994 that would see Stoichkov reach even greater heights.

Bulgarian Legend

Stoichkov was famed for his direct attacks on goal and a great desire to win the ball back high up the pitch. The Bulgarian was the modern-day forward with a flexibility and versatility crucial not only to Cruyff’s Barcelona but a skillset that made him highly effective at the highest levels of the game.

During qualification for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Stoichkov scored five goals as Bulgaria reached its first major tournament since 1986.

At the tournament finals, Stoichkov was awarded the World Cup Golden Boot, finishing joint top scorer with Soviet Oleg Salenko on six goals.

In the group stages, Stoichkov scored two penalties during a 4-0 win vs Greece and once against Argentina as part of their incredible 2-0 victory. 

The forward also netted in the last 16 game vs Mexico and against Germany in the quarter-finals during a shock 2-1 defeat of Germany who were then-defending champions.

At the semi-final stage, he found the net against Italy but Bulgaria eventually lost 2-1 thanks to a brace by Roberto Baggio. They also went on to lose the third place play-off by four goals to nil vs Sweden. 

Stoichkov’s international form in 1994 was incredibly impressive as he scored nine goals in the space of just eleven caps.

Yet had Baggio converted his famous penalty chance at the climax of the World Cup Final shootout and Italy crowned Champions then the striker would likely have been awarded the Ballon d’Or instead. 

But as fate would have it, Baggio blazed his kick over the crossbar and with it, Stoichkov named the best player on the planet.

1994 Ballon d’Or Top 20 

Trivia

• Hristo Stoichkov sits third on the list of Bulgaria’s all-time top scorers with 37 goals behind only Hristo Bonev (42) and Dimitar Berbatov (48)
• During 1994, Roberto Baggio made his most international appearances in a single calendar year, winning 12 caps for Italy.
• In 1994, Paolo Maldini won his third European Cup with AC Milan.