Emil Spasov
Encyclopedia
Emil Spasov (born 1 February 1956) is a former Bulgaria
n football
player. Played as a midfielder
or striker
, he started his career in Levski Sofia in 1974 and stayed in the club until 1988 with short breaks. During this period he also played for Spartak Varna, Brage in 1985/86 and R. Antwerp F.C. in 1986/87. He returned to his team Levski in 1987 and left after winning another Championship with his team, the following season to play for the Cypriot team Omonia Nicosia, where he won the Cypriot Championship.
In the Bulgarian Championship
he played 313 games and scored 82 goals, 68 match and scored 17 in the Bulgarian Cup
and 34 matches (8 in European Champions Cup
, 7 in Cup Winners Cup and 19 in UEFA Cup) and scored 13 (1 in European Champions Cup, 3 in Cup Winners Cup and 9 in UEFA Cup) in European competitions with Levski. With his team, he won the Bulgarian Championship 6 times, in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1985 and 1988 - in which 1977, 1979 and 1984 were doubles - and the Bulgarian Cup 5 times, in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982 and 1984 and he was quarterfinalist of the UEFA Cup
in 1976 and also in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1977
. Great moment in his career was 1984, when he won the Double
with his team and became top goal scorer of Bulgarian First Championship with 19 goals, a title shared with Lokomotiv Plovdiv player Eduard Eranosyan
. He played 16 games for the Bulgarian national team
and scored three goals, including a 1986 FIFA World Cup
qualifying match against Luxembourg on 5 December 1984.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. Played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
or striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, he started his career in Levski Sofia in 1974 and stayed in the club until 1988 with short breaks. During this period he also played for Spartak Varna, Brage in 1985/86 and R. Antwerp F.C. in 1986/87. He returned to his team Levski in 1987 and left after winning another Championship with his team, the following season to play for the Cypriot team Omonia Nicosia, where he won the Cypriot Championship.
In the Bulgarian Championship
Bulgarian A Professional Football Group
The Bulgarian A Professional Football Group commonly known as A PFG is the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The league is sponsored by Victoria FATA Insurance and therefore is officially known as Victoria A Football Group since 2011...
he played 313 games and scored 82 goals, 68 match and scored 17 in the Bulgarian Cup
Bulgarian Cup
The Bulgarian Cup is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. It is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank....
and 34 matches (8 in European Champions Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, 7 in Cup Winners Cup and 19 in UEFA Cup) and scored 13 (1 in European Champions Cup, 3 in Cup Winners Cup and 9 in UEFA Cup) in European competitions with Levski. With his team, he won the Bulgarian Championship 6 times, in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1985 and 1988 - in which 1977, 1979 and 1984 were doubles - and the Bulgarian Cup 5 times, in 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982 and 1984 and he was quarterfinalist of the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
in 1976 and also in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1977
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1976-77
The season 1976-77 of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by Hamburger SV in the final against defending champions Anderlecht. Anderlecht went on to win the final the next year.-Qualifying match:-First round:-First leg:-Second leg:...
. Great moment in his career was 1984, when he won the Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
with his team and became top goal scorer of Bulgarian First Championship with 19 goals, a title shared with Lokomotiv Plovdiv player Eduard Eranosyan
Eduard Eranosyan
Eduard Eranosyan is a Bulgarian former footballer and current football manager of Armenian origin. Beginning in 1978, he played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv as one of the club's most acclaimed attackers, featuring in 161 matches and scoring 63 goals in the A PFG, winning the Cup of the Soviet Army in...
. He played 16 games for the Bulgarian national team
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
and scored three goals, including a 1986 FIFA World Cup
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially...
qualifying match against Luxembourg on 5 December 1984.