Krassimir Balakov
Balakov in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Krasimir Genchev Balakov | ||
| Date of birth | 29 March 1966 | ||
| Place of birth | Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1990 | Etar Veliko Tarnovo | 142 | (35) |
| 1991–1995 | Sporting CP | 138 | (43) |
| 1995–2003 | VfB Stuttgart | 236 | (54) |
| 2005 | VFC Plauen | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 517 | (132) | |
| National team | |||
| 1988–2003 | Bulgaria | 92 | (16) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2003–2005 | VfB Stuttgart (assistant) | ||
| 2005 | VFC Plauen (player-manager) | ||
| 2006–2007 | Grasshopper | ||
| 2007–2008 | St. Gallen | ||
| 2008–2010 | Chernomorets Burgas | ||
| 2011–2012 | Hajduk Split | ||
| 2012 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | ||
| 2014–2015 | Litex Lovech | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Krasimir Genchev Balakov (Bulgarian: Красимир Балъков, pronounced [krɐsiˈmir ˈbaɫɤkof]; born 29 March 1966) is a Bulgarian former footballer turned manager. A former attacking midfielder, he was a key member of the Bulgarian national team that finished fourth in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. After Hristo Stoichkov, he is considered the greatest Bulgarian footballer of his generation.
Balakov began his club career at the local Etar Veliko Tarnovo, before transferring to Portugal's Sporting Clube de Portugal in 1990, playing alongside future Ballon D'Or recipient Luís Figo, his compatriot Yordanov, and future two-time Champions League winner Paulo Sousa. Though Sporting had a quality squad, Balakov only managed to win the 1994–95 Portuguese Cup during his time at the club. Today, fans still remember him as an exceptional player. In 1995, he transferred to Germany's VfB Stuttgart where he won two UEFA Intertoto Cups (2000 and 2002) and a DFB-Pokal (1997), before retiring in 2003. As an attacking midfielder Balakov formed a successful attacking partnership with strikers Fredi Bobic and Giovane Élber at Stuttgart. The trio were known as the "magic triangle". He was voted as Stuttgart's best player of all time.
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