| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yordan Letchkov | ||
| Date of birth | July 9, 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Sliven, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder (retired) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1984–1991 | Sliven | 155 | (55) |
| 1991–1992 | CSKA Sofia | 29 | (17) |
| 1992–1996 | Hamburger SV | 121 | (14) |
| 1996–1997 | Marseille | 28 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | Beşiktaş | 27 | (4) |
| 2001–2002 | CSKA Sofia | 25 | (5) |
| 2002–2004 | Sliven | 21 | (4) |
| – | Total | 370 | (98 ) |
| National team | |||
| 1989–1998 | Bulgaria | 45 | (5) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Yordan Letchkov (also transliterated Jordan, Iordan, Lechkov) (Bulgarian: Йордан Лечков) (born July 9, 1967 in Sliven) is a former Bulgarian footballer and the current mayor of Sliven. He is generally regarded as one of the best players to come out of Bulgaria and was a key member of the squad which reached the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup Finals.[1] Known to many as "The Magician" Letchkov was a gifted player who could play as a striker or on the left side of midfield, he was easily recognizable for his baldness. However, his career was often dictated by his moody nature and the numerous arguments and fall-outs with fellow players and managers.
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He began his career as a youngster with Sliven football club (Bulgaria), after breaking into the first team at a young age he secured a transfer to Bulgaria's top side CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria, 1991–92 season) and soon after he made the move to Germany with Hamburger SV (Germany, from 1992–93 season to 1995–96 season). After that he secured a move to Olympique de Marseille (France, 1996–97 season) at this point one of the top clubs in Europe. However a difficult relationship with the clubs management led to his departure after one season. His next stop took him to Turkey with Beşiktaş (Turkey, from 1997–98 season) after a two year period away from the game he finished his career in 2001–02 season back with CSKA Sofia. Lechkov is often referred to as being part of the "Golden Generation" of Bulgarian football, who along with Stoichkov, Kostadinov and Balakov led the national side to the semifinals of the 1994 World Cup.
Lechkov played 45 matches and scored 5 goals for the Bulgaria national football team;[2] However his international career was limited by a series of disagreements with coaches and the Bulgarian Football Federation.
He is perhaps best remembered for scoring the winner against Germany in the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup, as Bulgaria reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by Italy.
Lechkov went on to shine in the 1996 European Championships in England despite the failure of Bulgaria to reach the quarter finals producing a man-of-the-match performance against a strong French side. He went on to contribute greatly to his nation's successful qualification campaign for the 1998 World Cup championships. However his chance to play in the tournament was blocked by FIFA due to a little publicised contractual dispute with Beşiktaş.
After his retirement from football he has successfully started a career as a businessman (owning luxury hotels and a football academy) and politician. He was elected Mayor of his home town, Sliven, in 2003 and reelected in 2007. Since 2005 he has also been vice president of the Bulgarian Football Union. In April 2010 he was removed from the mayorship by the Sliven district court after he was charged with official misconduct,[3] but the Burgas appellate court restored him to his position on 28 June 2010.[4]
He took part in a TV series called Golden Foots in 1998 with various other footballers.[5]
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