Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov was named coach of CSKA Sofia on Wednesday after the 47-year-old agreed terms to take over the top flight team, announced club owner Dimitar Borissov.
"We reached an agreement today," Borissov told Bulgarian tv channel BNT.
"The details of the contract will be finalised in the next few days, after his trip to the United States," he announced.
Stoichkov who scored 35 goals in 83 international appearances and was the 1994 European player of the year - helped by his topscoring at that year's World Cup finals with six goals and where Bulgaria reached the semi-finals - is presently coach of Bulgarian First Division club Litex Lovetch, whom he guided into fifth place in the championship after taking over in January.
His appointment to the CSKA post could be linked to media reports that the owner of Litex, entrepreneur Gricha Gantchev, is in line to buy CSKA, who are in serious financial difficulty.
CSKA Sofia, who Stoichkov played for in two spells, finished third this season, nine points behind champions Loudogorets.
However, they have a habit of changing coaches regularly and Milen Radoukanov, the man Stoichkov replaces, has only been in the post since March.
Stoichkov enjoyed his heyday as a professional at Spanish giants Barcelona between 1990 and 1995 as well as a second spell from 1996 to 1998 garnering four Spanish titles, the 1992 European Cup and 1997 Cup Winners' Cup.
Stoichkov, who coached the national side from 2004-07, also played at Italian side Parma and two US outfits Chicago Fire and DC United.
Stoichkov has also coached Spanish side Celta Vigo as well as South African outfit Mamelodi Sundowns before becoming an advisor at Russian side Rostov.
Source: AFP
