Georgi Asparuhov

Who was Georgi Asparuhov?

Georgi Rangelov Asparuhov, nicknamed Gundi was a Bulgarian football player. He is considered to be among the top Bulgarian footballers of all time. Normally a striker, Asparuhov was renowned for his finishing, technique and heading ability.

Asparuhov was a striker for Levski Sofia from 1960 to 1961 and 1964 to 1971, and for Botev Plovdiv from 1961 to 1963. He played 245 matches and scored 150 goals in the top Bulgarian division. Some of the top European clubs at the time sought his services. In the 1965–66 European Cup, Levski played Benfica. When Benfica eliminated Levski after hard fought 3:2 and 2:2 scorelines and Gundi having netted 3 of all Levski goals, Europe began to view Gundi with interest. In fact, he was the first player to score two goals in Benfica's stadium. In the aftermath of this match, Levski grew in popularity in Europe. The rich Portuguese club wanted to buy Asparuhov, but the communist government of Bulgaria did not allow them to do so.

For the Bulgaria national football team, Asparuhov featured in 50 games and has 19 goals. He scored the only goals for Bulgaria in Chile '62 and in England '66.