Krassimir Balakov

Krassimir Balakov (Красимир Балъков, born March 29, 1966 in Veliko Turnovo) is a former Bulgarian football (soccer) player, a key member of the Bulgarian national team that finished fourth in the 1994 World Cup.

On the club level, after starting out with local Etar Veliko Turnovo, Balakov transferred to Portugal's Sporting Lisbon in 1990, and then to Germany's VfB Stuttgart in 1995. He stayed at Stuttgart before retiring as a player in 2003.

For Bulgaria, Balakov made 92 appearances between 1988 and 2003 (one of the best totals in national history) and scored 16 goals. Other than the 1994 World Cup, he also played for his country at Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup. After Hristo Stoitchkov, he is considered the greatest Bulgarian footballer of his generation.