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 Georgi ASPARUHOV 1963-1966 
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Joined: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:05 am
Posts: 703
Location: Vancouver, BC
Name: Georgi Rangelov Asparuhov (Asparoukhov)

Nickname: "Gundi"


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Country: :BUL: Bulgaria
Club: PFC Levski Sofia
Position: *CF, SS
Side: RF/BS
Age: 20-23 years (04/05/1943)

Height: 184 cm
Weight: 76 kg

Attack: 93
Defence: 44
Balance: 86
Stamina: 81
Top Speed: 84
Acceleration: 80
Response: 85
Agility: 78
Dribble Accuracy: 89
Dribble Speed: 81
Short Pass Accuracy: 84
Short Pass Speed: 76
Long Pass Accuracy: 79
Long Pass Speed: 78
Shot Accuracy: 91
Shot Power: 84
Shot Technique: 93
Free Kick Accuracy: 75
Curling: 76
Header: 93
Jump: 96
Technique: 87
Aggression: 85
Mentality: 78
Keeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 79

Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 7
Weak Foot Frequency: 7
Consistency: 6
Growth Type: Early Peak

CARDS:
P16 Dummy Run
S03 1-on-1 Finish
S04 PK Taker
S05 1-touch Play
S06 Quick Turn
S18 Cross Over Turn

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Dribbling - Scoring - Penalties - 1touch Pass - 1/1 Finish

Attack / Defence Awareness Card: Attack Minded


INFO:

Georgi Asparuhov was former and the best ever Bulgarian player, as well as one of the most complete players in history of football...


SHORT BIOGRAPHY



Georgi Asparuhov – Gundi - was born on May 4, 1943 in the Sofia district of Reduta. Modern and complete center forward, dominant in the aerial game, physically strong, with a good pace with and without the ball and excellent technique. Inside the area he was lethal: despite his imposing physique he knew how to play the ball very well in tight spaces. He was deadly in volley shots, as well as able to score from any angle with high-difficulty shots. His football career started with the children’s team of PFC Levski Spfoa and then he passed in the youth school of the Blue. In 1960-1961 Gundi wins the championship with Levski youth team. For his excellent skills as a central forward, Gundi was appointed the best Bulgarian footballer of the 20th century. In 1965 he became Master of Sports and was decorated with silver “People’s Order of Labor”. Gundi was not only a football legend, but a great person, as well. In an away game against then reigning world champions England, Gundi scored an amazing goal at Wembley, dribbling past five English defenders before slotting the ball past the goalie.
AC Milan frantically wanted to sign with him, and coach Nereo Rocco even promised to help him immigrate to Italy, but Gundi remained faithful to the Blue team. In Gundi’s face Milan saw the perfect central forward capable of shooting equally well with both of his legs and his head. In 1960, when Gundi was only seventeen years old, he was accepted in the A-team of FC Levski. Asparuhov scored his first goal for the Blue on September 28 the same year in a away game against Botev Plovdiv that ended 1-1. In 1962 Gundi wins the national cup with Botev Plovdiv and his team finishes second in the championship the next year. After he comes back to Levski in the autumn of 1963, Gundi wins three titles- in 1965, 1968 and 1970 г, and three national cups - in 1967, 1970 and 1971. Gundi’s last game in the Bulgarian championship was 1-0 win against CSKA on June 28, 1971, and he scored his last goal in a away game against Etar in the town of Veliko Turnovo (1-1).
Throughout his career Gundi played 247 matches in the highest Bulgarian division (200 for FC Levski and 47 for Botev Plovdiv) and scored 150 goals (125 for the Blue and 25 for Botev Plovdiv). Gundi also played in 36 matches of the national cupt tournament (then the Cup of the Soviet Army), of which 28 were with the blue jersey and eight were for Botev Plovdiv. He was the top scorer in the 1964-1965 championship with 27 goals for FC Levski. In 1965, Gundi won the Best Bulgarian Athlete and Best Bulgarian Footballer and the Fair Play awards. In 1965 Gundi is among the eight players nominated for the Golden Ball award of the French magazine France Football.
Asparuhov made his debut in the national team on May 6, 1962 in a away game against Austria (0-2). During his career Gundi played fifty matches for the national team and scored 19 goals, of which 18 matches and 11 goals in world cup qualifications. He is one of the few Bulgarian footballers that scored at the Wembley stadium against England. That particular game ended in 1-1 draw. Gundi took part in three world cups: Chile’62 (one game), England’66 (three games, one goal) and Mexico’70 (3 games). In Chile Gundi was only 19 years old and scored the only goal for Bulgaria in this campaign, although the game against Hungary ended 6-1. Four years later Gundi against scores the only goal for Bulgaria against Hungary, but this time the match ended 3-1.
Other unforgettable games of Gundi were those against Portugal in 1962 (3-1) and 1-0 in a game the next year, a 3-0 win against Belgium in 1965 and 3-0 against Sweden in 1967. Gundi’s last international game was 1-1 draw against Morocco at the world Cup finals in Mexico in 1970. Bulgarian football legends Georgi Asparuhov and Nikola Kotkov, teammates in FC Levski, died in a car accident that occurred near the Vitinya Passage in the Balkan on June 30, 1971. The stadium of FC Levski Sofia is named after Bulgaria’s best football player of all time, Georgi Asparuhov.


WHY IS GEORGI ASPARUHOV ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN HISTORY AND THE MOST UNDERRATED ONE



Because he was complete player. First of all he was dominant in aerial battles with fantastic jump, very strong and it was hard to take the ball away from him. Very mobile, always coming deep to get the ball and help, good pace, outstanding footwork and tricks especially on small area, very good passing skills, never being selfish player. Very good shot especially from volleys and awkward positions, good commitment and understanding with teammates, very fair and gentle player on and outside of the pitch. But more than that Asparuhov had to deal with criminal butchering. There were many players who just played to hurt Asparuhov. One of them is Plamen Yankov, he was the moral murderer. If he did not play brutally against Gundy on June 28, there would not have been tragic accident on June 30. Yankov served another purpose – whenever CSKA needed dirty work, they fielded him. In 1971 it was not so obvious, for he was new and rarely on the field, but he played against Levski, obviously instructed just to kick Asparukhov all the time. If a leg is broken – even better. Yankov was the last bitter drop for Gundy – provocations and brutality by skill-less player, for whom CSKA clearly did not care if he was red carded or not. They did not need him for anything else, except to injure Gundy. CSKA had – as every team does – a long string of butchers during the years, and there were some in their 1971 squad. Butchers, who also played football – tough and merciless defensemen, or neurotic and short-tempered midfielders. They were perfectly capable of breaking legs, but also of giving passes and scoring. Yankov was hopeless as a player, and generally, when on the pitch, he was a big risk for his own team. Apparently, he was willing to serve otherwise – if instructed so, he was to kill a star of the opposition. Butchering Gundy was not his only achievement – other players of the time mention Yankov with disgust: it is always the same story – he was on the field only for kicking, swearing, and spitting. Yankov was often red carded in international games, but CSKA’s coaches never fretted about that – fielding him for just brutal acts, red card was anticipated in advance; a team with Yankov was 10 men anyway. The clumsy animal ended, apart from Gundy, the career of at least one other player.


TRAGIC DEATH



Georgi Asparuhov and fellow star Nikola Kotkov were killed in fatal car accident on 30/06/1971. There are many different "stories" about their death, was it an accident or they were murdered :?: The myth exists in two variations, but Kotkov is incidental in both: the target was Asparukhov. Kotkov died just because of his bad luck to travel with Gundy that day. According to the first variation, Asparukhov was killed because he became so big star and so popular, he outshined the Communist Party. Out of jealousy, the Party killed him – they couldn’t stand him been adored more than the Party. Jealousy with political overtones, of course. There were rumors that there was a third man in the car, a hitchhiker, picked up on the road. This man died too, but the state suppressed all information and nobody even knows who he was. There are signs that Gundy was not happy with the system and rather disliked it, but he was no dissident. And on top of everything, a plot is usually based on knowledge – to stage a murder, one needs to know where and when the victim will be. Gundy decided to go to play in Vratza the same day he died. Normally, he had to travel with the rest of the team by the club’s bus. It was not usual for him to travel separately from the team – it was spontaneous decision. Simply, there was no way anybody to know in advance that he will be on the road that day. No document so far hints of murder plot, and no one reveals secrets to this effect.
Gundy was known as bad driver. He drove too fast on winding, dangerous mountain road – Vitinya pass was notoriously bad in 1971: a narrow road, very limited visibility, constant heavy traffic. It was the main road connecting Northern Bulgaria with Sofia, and large commercial tracks traveled on it all the time. Accidents were common, almost daily. Deadly accidents too. It was like that until modern highway was built by the end of the 1970s and the old pass was abandoned. Gundy was going 140 km on road where even without traffic 60 km was the very limit of safety. He was also more than upset by his expulsion and suspension – another reason for reckless driving. That is the most plausible reason for the accident: bad and angry driver, naturally dangerous road, unsafe speed allowed by fast car. Just an accident. But I blamed and still blame Plamen Yankov for the death of Gundy and Kotkov. June 30, 1971. By all accounts, Gundy was greatly upset – he felt unjustly hurt by the rough play of Yankov, by the indifference of the referee, by receiving red cart, and by the penalty the Disciplinary Commission of the Federation slapped on him. Suspended, he did not feel like training with the first team and accepted an invitation to play in a benefit match. A provincial club, Botev (Vratza), were celebrating their founding 50 years ago, and invited Levski’s reserve team for a friendly. Gundy asked Kotkov to join him. On the road to Vratza, the accident occurred and they died.
That was the background, but not the whole story. June 28 1971. Levski-Spartak playes with CSKA in the last round of the Championship, lagging 2 points behind. At the time a win is awarded with 2 points, but the there is no possibility Levski to finish first – CSKA has far better goal difference. Levski needs to win by 10 goals to become champion, which is impossible. However, a derby with the arch-enemy has another flavour. Levski wins 1-0, and spoils the Red happiness. The game is tough – there is more than championship at stake. Asparukhov is tackled ruthlessly by CSKA players, particularly by young player named Plamen Yankov. When Yankov kicks Gundy without even a pretence he is playing for the ball, for the ball is not around, Asparukhov retaliates. The so far indifferent to Yankov’s grizzly fouls referee suddenly is outraged – he red-cards both players. For his part, Gundy receives three-game suspension from the Federation. This is the last drop for him: during all of his career he was brutalized by other teams. He was kicked, and pinched, and injured constantly, in a deliberate hunt: every coach in Bulgaria fielded specific player with only one ‘tactical’ instruction – get Gundy out of the field. Terrorize him, injure him, and don’t worry. Most of the time the referees did not react at all to the hunt. Gundy was not rough player – he never retaliated, but he was hurt both physically and psychologically. His legs were ruined by injures, he had many difficult operations, he missed entire seasons because of injures, he had to play with special orthopedic boots. Football is a game, not war, he complained, but nobody heard. He was so disillusioned, he for years contemplated retirement and said so in many interviews. His club did not help either: there was always ‘important match’ coming, always his presence on the field was ‘very important’, he was constantly fielded injured, he never had time for proper healing. On June 28 he was once again coming back after bad injury – and there was this player, a nobody fielded specifically to injure him anew. And the referee was blind as always, doing nothing to stop deliberate brutality, but quick to show red cards as soon as Gundy lost his temper. It was hardly ever good players playing rough against Gundy – it was always some eternal reserves, fielded just to butcher him. It was so obviously bad, there were outraged stars of the opposing teams: Gianni Rivera scolded his own teammates for playing dirty against Gundy in the 1967 Cup Winners Cup confrontation Milan – Levski (Asparukhov was offered $500 000 to move to Milan after the games). After the Milano leg Rivera went to Levski’s dressing room to apologize to Gundy for the incidental foul he committed against him during the match. Dimitar Penev, the CSKA captain and centre-back, usually marking Gundy, to this very day makes the point that he never played dirty against Gundy.


"There is a country named Bulgaria, and in this country there is a team named Levski. You maybe haven't heard of it, but there I was born and there I shall die!" This is what Asparuhov said to Milan scouts when they tried to persuade him to come to Milan.

Quote:
"I just wanted to play with Asparuhov. In the match Benfica - Levski, he conquered Lisbon. So far, no player from a foreign team had scored two goals in our goal in one match. Asparuhov was the first. " - Eusebio

I have to tell you that players like Asparuhov are not born often. He was an inspiration for his team. You will probably have to wait a long time for talent like him to appear. I remember our match at Wembley in 68th. Sir Alf Ramsey had told us that the Bulgarians would play quite defensively and that the only player we should be careful with because he is exceptional is Asparuhov. And we were very careful, but not enough ... During my visits to Bulgaria I was impressed that the people I met, wherever they were, always spoke of Asparuhov with great love, everyone pointed him out as a great example for young players. I think that's wonderful. He was a great player not only because of his skill, but also because of his attitude and attitude to the game. Asparuhov was one of those born masters who never needed teachers. There are such exceptions and they are counted on the fingers. " - Sir Bobby Charlton

"After the match Levski - Milan (1: 1) in Sofia Nerio Rocco said that Asparuhov is the center-forward of his dreams and offered the management of Milan to buy him. Unfortunately, players from the East did not offer to transfer to West and Milan were left without Gundi. Our Rosato was helpless against Asparuhov and had to be helped by Schnelinger, Anquiletti and another midfielder. " - Cesare Maldini

"Now I regret that I could not play on the right with Asparuhov in the world team. I expected that I would be given this opportunity again in another anniversary match like the one in honor of Yashin. Asparuhov had his fans in Germany. it was often written in the sports columns of our newspapers. " - Gerd Müller





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Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:23 am
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