Stoichkov: 'Van Gaal is a liar'

Spain Former Bulgaria midfielder Hristo Stoichkov has criticised the coach who coached him at Barca during the first half of the 1997-1998 season.

"Van Gaal is a liar," Stoichkov told Mundo Deportivo on October 15. "He is nothing in my life and I don't want to waste another minute on him."

Stoichkov still praised Van Gaal for his professionalism, tactics and coaching methods. However, the Bulgarian football legend did not approve of the former Dutch coach as a person. He even said that those who had worked with him did not like Van Gaal.

Van Gaal (left) worked with Stoichkov at Barca in the first half of the 1997-1998 season. Photo: MD

Unlike Van Gaal, Stoichkov paid tribute to Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff. "In 1994, when I returned from Paris with the Ballon d'Or, I saw Johan happy and in tears," Stoichkov recalled. "This made me truly realize what Johan was to me: a father and a teacher."

Under Cruyff's guidance from 1990 to 1995, Stoichkov scored 108 goals in 214 games for Barca. During this period, he won four consecutive La Liga titles and a European Cup. In the 1996-1997 season, after returning from Parma, Stoichkov scored eight more goals in 35 games, helping Barca win a Cup Winners' Cup and a Copa del Rey.

Van Gaal started leading Barca in 1997. He only let Stoichkov play six matches in the first half of the 1997-1998 season, then sent him to CSKA Sofia on loan. After that, the former Bulgarian player joined Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia), Kashiwa Reysol (Japan), Chicago Fire and DC United (USA).

At the national team level, Stoichkov's peak was leading Bulgaria to the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup and finishing as top scorer with six goals. He also won the Ballon d'Or that same year and the European Golden Shoe in 1990.

Van Gaal rose to prominence between 1991 and 1997, helping Ajax win three Dutch championships and a Champions League. However, since his peak with the Dutch club, he has not had any major or comparable achievements. Van Gaal won two La Liga titles with Barca, an Dutch championship with AZ Alkmaar, took Bayern to the Bundesliga and the 2010 Champions League final, before winning the FA Cup with Manchester United. With the Netherlands, Van Gaal won bronze at the 2014 World Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

Thanh Quy (according to Mundo Deportivo )

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