Krasimir Balakov
Krassimir Balakov
Krassimir Balakov Gentschew ( Bulgarian Красимир Генчев Балъков, English transcription. Krasimir Balakov; born March 29, 1966 in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian football coach and former football player. He succeeded in attaining in 92 appearances for the Bulgarian national football team 16 goals. He participated in the 1994 World Cup in the United States, when the national team with fourth place achieved the greatest success of the Bulgarian football. As a coach, he worked with chief responsibility for his career in Switzerland, Bulgaria, Croatia and Germany.
Career
Breakthrough in Bulgaria and rise to stardom in Portugal
Balakov comes from the youth of the Etar Veliko Tarnovo. His extraordinary talent was discovered at an early stage, so that in 1982 he made his debut in the top Bulgarian league at the age of 16 years. After two seasons as a reserve player, he made his breakthrough as winger on the left winger was standing in the season 1984/85 in all league games on the field. However, a serious injury stopped him from first, he was forced to pause in the longer term. After his convalescence he won again a regular place and returned to its former strength. He also played in the Bulgarian national team, for whom he debuted in the fall of 1988.
With Balakov as impeller moved Etar Veliko Tarnovo - formerly placed regularly in the middle and rear table area - within reach of the European Cup ranks and occupied in 1989 and 1990 respectively to the third place in the standings in the Bulgarian Championship. Even in the national team, he established himself on the side of players like Christo Stoichkov, Jordan Letschkow, Nasko Sirakow and Emil Kostadinov as a regular force. He aroused the greed of the elite clubs of his native country, in the wake of the revolution in Bulgaria in 1990 came a change to CSKA Sofia but not materialize.
Shortly after the start of the first half of the season 1990/91 Balakov was cleared of his club for a change to Western Europe and accepted an offer from the Portuguese club Sporting Lisbon. While his home club at the end of the season won the Bulgarian championship title for the first time, he reached the part in the UEFA Cup at the side of Luís Figo, Fernando Gomes and Luizinho in third place of the Portuguese league. In Lisbon, the Bulgarian quickly became a crowd favorite and has become one of the best players in the Portuguese championship. Meanwhile tactically set up differently and as a midfielder attention concerning the control center on the field, he designed the game the club.
In the national squad Balakov became the playmaker. In qualifying for the World Cup finals he reached as a regular force with the coach Dimitar Penev supervised by selecting surprising second place in qualifying Group 6 behind Sweden. In the final group game, the team defeated in a direct duel the French team, which would have been sufficient a draw away with a 2-1 victory after two goals from Kostadinov. The results for interim 1:1 at the break had prepared as Eckstoßschütze Balakov. At the tournament choosing an outsider came to at best, when it was dissolved with Nigeria, Argentina and Greece in a group. After a 0-3 defeat against Nigeria was followed by a 4-0 win over Greece. Then let the selection listen up, the reigning vice-champion Argentina was ousted with a 2-0 victory from second place. An unsightly game got the audience finally see in the second round, as the duel against Mexico went to penalties. There Balakov failed the first Bulgarian shooter, after three misses on the part of Central Americans remained the missed penalty without consequences. After a 2-1 win over Germany in the semi-finals the team failed to Italy to the superior Roberto Baggio, who crowned his performance with two goals. A rather lackluster acting Bulgarian national was in the match for third place with a 0-4 defeat at, even in the seventh tournament game remained scoreless Balakov. Nevertheless, he was elected as one of the most prominent figures in the World Cup All- Star team. In addition, he reached the end of the year in elections to the World Player of the Year and Ballon d'Or for the European Footballer of the Year good rankings when he found himself under each of the first twenty selected players.
The momentum of the World Cup seemed Balakov with brought in the Portuguese championship to have. As he led the impeller coached by Carlos Queiroz and assistant coach José Mourinho team of Sporting to 22 wins this season. With the runner-up behind FC Porto he achieved his best result of the season in Portugal, he also took the club into a final of the National Cup. Against Marítimo Funchal he won with a 2-0 win its first title. However, there were increasing problems with the coach, which led to a separation from the club ultimately.
World-class soccer players and " capricious Diva" in Germany
In the summer of 1995 Balakov joined the Bundesliga, VfB Stuttgart had converted two million euros to the Portuguese club. The Swabian club had slipped after winning the championship in 1992 in the middle of the league and tried a fresh start. For this purpose he had committed with the Austrian Rolf fringer beginning of the season a new coach who had been successful with an offensive style of play with FC Aarau in Switzerland and led the club to a league title in 1993. Behind the striking duo Giovane Élber and Fredi Bobic, he established himself as a pivotal point of the offensive game. With the Brazilian Portuguese and the German -Croatian Croatian speaking he integrated himself quickly at his new club. Due to lack of constancy of the club but only the tenth place in the table reached.
In the summer Balakov participated with the national team at the 1996 European Championships after within the qualification behind Germany - the first duel decided Bulgaria with a 3-2 success for themselves, so they team before the return match on the final day already at least as a the best runners was qualified and the 1-3 defeat only for the final classification was decisive - the second place in the table was occupied. At the tournament in all three games in use, the team finished second in the group with France, Spain and Romania in third place and was eliminated at the end of the preliminary round.
Also, the early retirement of the Swiss "Nati " had an impact on Balakows further career: after choosing coach Artur Jorge after the tournament was fiercely criticized, he decided to resign. The name fringer Quick fell to succeed and given the at best passable preseason gave VfB Stuttgart after brief negotiations the coach's approval for the Swiss federation. Shortly before the start of the season without a coach standing there chose the club fringers former assistant Joachim Loew to have an interim successor. The offensive trio showed up a goal threat and was soon nicknamed the " Magic Triangle ". With 78 goals this season, the club had scored the most goals of all Bundesliga at the end of the season, Balakov had contributed 13 goals this season. However, since the balance between offense and defense was not true in all games, the club only reached the fourth place in the table. However, the season was not without its title, with a 2-0 final success in the DFB Cup on the third division Energie Cottbus took Balakov for the second time in his career a Cup title.
Elber had left the club after the Cup victory, Jonathan Akpoborie became his successor at the Bobičs page. The new trio appeared successful, the fourth place in the table of the previous year was repeated. Also in the European Cup Winners 1997/98 coached by Loew team was successful, on the way to the final Balakov scored two goals. In Solnaer Råsundastadion he met on the side of Thomas Schneider, Thomas Berthold, Zvonimir Soldo and Gerhard Poschner on the English side FC Chelsea. A goal from Gianfranco Zola decided the game in favor of the opponent. In the spring it came under its the first dissonance, as Balakov flirted after a losing streak with a farewell in the summer, while in parallel it emerged that he had extended his contract in December to far better terms. A few months later, he was accused to have slapped a newspaper journalists. The filed charges was dropped back, now his image for bad boys had changed.
In the 1998 World Cup, to which the team had sovereign qualified as group winners ahead of Russia, the Bulgarian team including Balakov played relatively uninspired result was the resignation as a group last. Even at club level is deteriorating the situation for the player. After Gerhard Mayer- platforms had the dismissed at Karlsruher SC Winfried Schäfer committed despite the upswing under Löw as their new coach, got this with the star players against each other and the power struggle was flogged in the press. Under the new coach of the success was also under the successors Wolfgang Rolff and Rainer Adrion remained the team in a relegation battle. This Balakov weakened the team when he after the game against SC Freiburg after assault because of the television evidence - was closed for several weeks - if the referee had not seen his knee strike to the groin of an opponent. Only under Ralf Rangnick has stabilized the team and came eleventh place in the table. This had appointed him as captain, after substitution, however, Balakov showed a diva because he was given no special treatment more. The relationship deteriorated rapidly, especially since the envisaged by Rangnick tactical system Balakows circumcised playful liberties.
Only after his release Rangnick Balakov received under Felix Magath back its special status. As a result, he returned to his old form and was instrumental in helping the club Stuttgart 2001 held the class. In the following season he was with captain Zvonimir Soldo driving force in midfield, as a runner, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League. His expiring contract was then extended again, but in the summer of 2003, he ended his active career. Back in April, he had played his last international game, after 1998, however, he had to qualify with the selection team for no more tournament.
Balakov remained VfB Stuttgart faithful and signed a two -year contract as assistant coach and club representative. Even after the departure of Felix Magath in the summer of 2004 to FC Bayern Munich, he remained under the new coach Matthias Sammer active in this position. At the end of the contract in 2005, he sought a new challenge, but turned down an offer to take over the Bulgarian national team. However, he initially received no offer of an association, only the VFC Plauen engaged him as a consultant. For the club, he jumped briefly as a player, but this was a one-time use.
Introduction to the coaching career in Switzerland
In January 2006 Balakov inherited the Grasshopper Club Zurich mediation of Karl -Heinz Riedle the poached from 1 FC Köln Hanspeter Latour. At the end of the season he took the club to fourth place. Temporarily leaders, so that the club extended the contract early at the beginning of the 2006 /07 to 2008, came in the winter of burglary and with the club's management to dissolve the contract was initially agreed at the end of the season. After a series of defeats he was made redundant three games remaining.
On 29 October 2007 he took over as coach at FC St. Gallen and replaced so that the dismissed fringer. However, the former world-class soccer players did not manage to prevent the descent of the oldest association of Switzerland in the Challenge League. In the Barrage games, the team failed after a draw and a defeat at AC Bellinzona. The club's management reacted to this fact with the exemption Balakows.
Coaches in the country and Croatia
On 5 January 2009 Balakov took over the Bulgarian first division club FC Chernomorets Burgas for the planned period of five years. In the season 2010/11 Chernomorets could in the first round against all clubs from Sofia ( CSKA, Levski, Slawia and locomotive ) win, only the Movers Akademik Sofia was able to secure a point. During winter break 2010/11 Chernomorets was on the 3rd place with 28 points and only one defeat. However, the contract was canceled because Balakov not work as expected got the funds for a five-year plan to build the club on December 7, 2010. After six months without a club, he signed in the summer of 2011 at the Croatian club Hajduk Split.
Trainer in Kaiserslautern
On March 22, 2012 Krassimir Balakov transferred to 1 FC Kaiserslautern after previously his contract with Hajduk Split was terminated by mutual agreement. On 18 May 2012, the FCK agreed with Balakov to reach an amicable resolution of the originally dated to the end of June 2013 employment contract. Under his leadership, FCK the team lost seven of eight games and rose at the end of the season in the 2nd Bundesliga from.
Others
Balakows family live in Bulgaria in a small village Hotnitza near Veliko Tarnovo and Pawlikeni.
Krassimir Balakov a member of the Presidium of the youth football foundation that has set itself the goal of getting children and youth the soccer game.
Achievements
- 4th place with Bulgaria at the FIFA World Cup 1994
- Footballer of the Year in Bulgaria: 1995, 1997
- DFB Cup - Winners: 1997
- UEFA Intertoto Cup - Winners: 2000, 2002