Georgi Asparuhov facts for kids

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Georgi Asparuhov

Georgi Asparuhov in 1969
Personal information
Full name	Georgi Asparuhov Rangelov
Date of birth	(1943-05-04)4 May 1943
Place of birth	Sofia, Kingdom of Bulgaria
Date of death	30 June 1971(1971-06-30) (aged 28)
Place of death	Vitinya Pass, PR Bulgaria
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1953–1959	Levski Sofia
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1960–1961	Levski Sofia	23	(7)
1961–1963	Botev Plovdiv	47	(25)
1963–1971	Levski Sofia	176	(118)
Total		246	(150)
National team
1962–1970	Bulgaria	49	(18)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Georgi Asparuhov Rangelov (Bulgarian: Георги Аспарухов Рангелов; born May 4, 1943 – died June 30, 1971), also known as Gundi, was a famous Bulgarian football player. He played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score goals.

Asparuhov was known for being a great goal scorer. He was excellent at finishing shots, had amazing control of the ball (technique), and was very good at heading the ball into the net. Many people consider him the best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century. He was also ranked among the top 40 best players in Europe during that time. In 1965, he was even nominated for the 1965 Ballon d'Or award, which is given to the best football player in Europe.

Georgi Asparuhov first played for the Bulgarian national team on May 6, 1962, when he was just 19 years old. He played in 49 international games and scored 18 goals. He also represented Bulgaria in three FIFA World Cup tournaments: in 1962, 1966, and 1970.

Sadly, Asparuhov's career ended too soon. He died in a car accident in 1971 when he was only 28 years old. To honor him, the stadium of his club, Levski Sofia, is now called Georgi Asparuhov Stadium.

Playing Career

Starting at Levski

Asparuhov started his professional football journey with Levski Sofia at the end of the 1959–60 season. He was just 17 years old. His first game was on June 5, 1960, against Lokomotiv Sofia. He came into the game as a substitute.

He scored his first goal for the team in the next season, on September 28, 1960. This goal happened during a game against Botev Plovdiv.

Time at Botev Plovdiv

In January 1962, Asparuhov moved to Botev Plovdiv. A few months later, he helped them win the 1961–62 Bulgarian Cup, which is a big football competition in Bulgaria.

He also played in European club competitions. On September 13, 1962, he scored two goals in his first European game against Steaua București. A week later, he scored his first-ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a big 5–1 win against Steaua. He also scored against Shamrock Rovers and became the top scorer in the Cup Winners' Cup that season with 6 goals.

In October 1963, Asparuhov returned to his first club, Levski Sofia.

Coming Back to Levski

Many people believe Georgi Asparuhov is the greatest player in Levski's history. He played over 230 games for the club. During his time there, he helped Levski win three Bulgarian League titles and three Bulgarian Cups.

In 1965, he was named the Bulgarian footballer of the year and the Bulgarian sportsperson of the year. He is also the third-highest goal scorer for Levski in the club's history, with 153 goals. In the 1964–65 season, he was the top scorer in the league, scoring 27 goals in 29 matches.

Big European clubs, like Benfica from Portugal and AC Milan from Italy, wanted him to play for them. In a European Cup game in 1965–66, Levski played against Benfica, who had the famous player Eusébio. Asparuhov scored 3 of Levski's 4 goals in that match. He was even the first foreign player to score two goals at Benfica's stadium.

When AC Milan offered him a chance to play for them, Asparuhov famously said: "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." This shows how much he loved his team and his country.

International Games

Asparuhov played his first game for the Bulgarian national team on May 6, 1962, against Austria. Soon after, he was chosen to be part of Bulgaria's squad for the 1962 FIFA World Cup. His first World Cup game was against Hungary on June 3, 1962.

He scored his first goals for Bulgaria on November 7, 1962, scoring twice in a 3–1 win against Portugal. He was also the top scorer for Bulgaria in their qualifying games for the 1966 FIFA World Cup with five goals. In the World Cup itself, he scored Bulgaria's only goal in a game against Hungary.

Overall, Asparuhov scored 18 goals for the Bulgarian national team in 49 appearances.

His Passing

Georgi Asparuhov died in a car accident on June 30, 1971, along with his teammate Nikola Kotkov. Over 550,000 people attended his funeral in Sofia, showing how much he was loved and respected. The stadium of Levski Sofia is named Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in his honor.

Career Statistics

Here are the numbers showing how many games Georgi Asparuhov played and how many goals he scored for his clubs and the national team.

Club

National team

Awards and Achievements

Club Honours

Botev Plovdiv

• Bulgarian Cup: 1961–62

Levski Sofia

• Bulgarian League (3 times): 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70
• Bulgarian Cup (3 times): 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71

Individual Awards

• Bulgarian League top scorer: 1964–65 (27 goals)
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorer: 1962–63 (6 goals)
• Bulgarian sportsperson of the year: 1965
• Bulgarian footballer of the year: 1965
• Best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century
• 1965 Ballon d'Or: 8th place
• 1966 Ballon d'Or: 14th place
• 1968 Ballon d'Or: 14th place
• FUWO European Team of the Season: 1968
• Stara planina order: 2014 (A high honor in Bulgaria)
• Holder of an Order of Labour (Another Bulgarian honor)
• Deserved Master of Sports (A sports title)
• Holder of the Fairplay prize (given after his death): 1999
• IFFHS Top 100 Best European Players of the 20th Century: 40th place

International Team Achievement

Bulgaria

• UEFA Euro 1968: 5th place