Bulgaria lifted by Stoichkov's arrival

Hristo Stoichkov, Bul-garia's greatest player, arrived at the Euro 2004 squad's hotel to offer encouraging words. Stoichkov scored six goals in the World Cup 10 years ago, where his previously hopeless nation stunned Germany before losing to Italy in...

Hristo Stoichkov, Bul-garia's greatest player, arrived at the Euro 2004 squad's hotel to offer encouraging words.

Stoichkov scored six goals in the World Cup 10 years ago, where his previously hopeless nation stunned Germany before losing to Italy in the semi-finals.

A former international team-mate of current coach Plamen Markov, Stoichkov arrived at Bulgaria's base at the coastal resort of Povoa de Varzim.

Waiting media, however, were treated only to Stoichkov's trademark glower as he declined requests for an interview.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.