Hristo Stoichkov and Juan Carlos Rodriguez, two of the main characters of the first The European Football Cup in the history of Barcelona, offers a narration of anecdotes and feelings of Barcelona, with two extraordinary surprise guests, during the colloquium held in León on the occasion of the XXX anniversary of Penya Leonesa of FC Barcelona and XVIII Meeting of Supporters Clubs of Castilla y León. The colloquium, chaired by journalist David Alaiz, served as a presentation from the autobiography of the brilliant former Bulgarian striker, written together with the Bulgarian journalist Vladimir Pamukov. And the surprise was the presence of former referees Urízar Azpitarte and Rafa Guerrero.
The Biscayan Urízar made the crowd pleaser. Urizar revealed that he has arrived at Camp Nou is alarming because, in a summer tournament in Mallorca, he referred to Barcelona, which he is said to have been taught to him by some of his teammates. “Johan, bring out the new one or I’ll fire him, he called me a ‘bastard’…”, the coach recalled. It was the first word he heard from the Bulgarian who would step on him a few months later at the Camp Nou. However, more than 30 years later they are great friends: “On the pitch it is very difficult, off it he is a ‘ten’ as a person”, said the referee.
The ‘Figo case’
Hristo signed hundreds of copies and, during the audience’s question time, explained, among other things, his particular version of the ‘Figo case’: “I have not seen or will see the documentary and I am not in it Sincerely, Fig it’s so much fun as a player and as a person the two years I played with him. For me it is my favorite for the Ballon d’Or, but when you kiss the shield and say ‘I love you’ that is more important than any words. And after that he went to Madrid”.
The striker is clear that “he knows very well what he is signing, I heard him say that he doesn’t know, but he knows very well. As a person I was hurt a lot and I think it has changed the history of Madrid”. He also recalled an incident between the two at Univisión: “I wanted to bite my tongue, but during the interview I became more heated and in the end I spoke clearly,” he recalled. He also pointed out that “later we met and everything that happened happened.”
Juan Carlos remembers some of his anecdotes in Barcelona, with the ‘help’ of Hristo: “He was there for three years. The first was a father and we won our second League; in the second year a day he appeared and told us: ‘We will win the League again’: and the third, again. Whenever I have a son we will be champions.” The Leonese is clear about “the great importance that the title had for the Barcelonan, I realized when I came back from Wembley and thirty years later they keep reminding me of them.”
about the present, Stoichkov was clear that “from the first day I said that Barça will be champions of the league. With this team, it’s inexcusable not to win. There is a team that will fight.”
Before the colloquium, the mayor of León, José Antonio Diez, hosted a reception in the City Council in the Barcelona expedition, with the vice-president of the society Antonio Escudero, at the head. He was accompanied at the reception by Félix Romasanta, president of Peña Leonesa; and Nicolás Pérez, president of the Federation of Supporters Clubs of Castilla y León. Toni Guil, president of World Penny Confederationin addition to a wide representation of supporters from León. At nightgala dinner at the Olympic Restaurant.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
