Emil Kostadinov

Emil Kostadinov

Personal information
Full name	Emil Lubtchov Kostadinov
Date of birth	August 12, 1967 (1967-08-12)
Place of birth	Sofia, Bulgaria
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker, winger (retired)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1985–1990	CSKA Sofia	119	(36)
1990–1994	FC Porto	114	(43)
1994	Deportivo La Coruna	9	(2)
1995–1996	FC Bayern Munich	27	(7)
1996–1997	Fenerbahce SK	25	(11)
1997	UANL Tigres	15	(4)
1998	CSKA Sofia	11	(4)
1998–1999	1. FSV Mainz 05	4	(1)
Total		322	(107)
National team
1988–1998	Bulgaria	70	(26)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Emil Lubtchov Kostadinov (Bulgarian: Емил Костадинов) (born August 12, 1967 in Sofia) is a former Bulgarian football striker, former member of the Bulgaria national team for which he played in two World Cups. He shares his birthdate with another legendary Bulgarian footballer Dimitar Nikolov Yakimov (Bulgarian: Димитър Якимов) (born August 12, 1941). Kostadinov gained international prominence after scoring two goals in the last matchday of the European 1994 World Cup qualification, against the French national team. His second goal of the match, scored in the very last second of regular time, qualified Bulgaria to the World Cup finals at the expense of France.

Club career

Kostadinov started his career in CSKA Sofia. There he formed a redoubtable trio with Hristo Stoichkov and Luboslav Penev in the late 1980s, helping the team to win 3 times the Bulgarian Championship title, 3 times the Bulgarian Cup and reach the semi-final of the Cup Winners' Cup.

He played for FC Porto from 1990 to 1994, winning the Portuguese league twice, and becoming popular among Portuguese fans. He also played for Deportivo de La Coruña, Bayern Munich (winning the UEFA Cup with them in 1996 and scoring in the final itself), Fenerbahçe, FSV Mainz, and UANL Tigres.

Honours

Bulgarian League: 1987, 1989, 1990

Bulgarian Cup: 1987, 1988, 1989

Portuguese Superliga: 1992, 1993

Portuguese Cup: 1991

UEFA Cup: 1996

Turkish Super Cup Runners-up 1996

International career

Kostadinov played in the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship scoring two goals. He was a member of the Bulgaria national team from 1988 to 1998. He earned 70 caps in which he scored 26 goals.

After helping Bulgaria qualify for the 1994 World Cup, he was a part of the squad that reached semifinals in the finals tournament, again in partnership with Hristo Stoichkov. He played all 7 games but did not score.

He also played at the Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup, both tournaments in which Bulgaria did not reach second round. He scored 1 goal in the 1998 World Cup against Spain in the group stages.

References

• Emil Kostadinov at National-Football-Teams.com