269: Trifon Ivanov, Bulgaria, USA ’94 World Cup, UK and Eire Edition

The 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA was my introduction to football and, nearly thirty years later, probably the international tournament I remember most fondly despite the fact that I realistically don’t remember too much about it. I can attest to having witnessed Ray Houghton’s wonder goal/flukey lob in the Republic of Ireland’s shock victory over Italy as it was the centrepiece of a First Holy Communion celebration my family was attending. The joy and shock experienced by the predominantly Irish and Italian guests crowded around what seemed like the world’s biggest telly spilled over into the garden for all of us kids present and led to an inevitable kickabout. A few weeks later the quarter finals coincided with a primary school barbecue which, again, saw lots of people crowded around a telly watching Italy take on Spain. I remember very little about the game as my primary focus was the kickabout in the school playground and trying to digest ropey veggie burgers but one parent said something about me reminding him of Roberto Baggio and my obsession was confirmed. Apparently he didn’t have a bad game that day either.

The first port of call for my sister and I to fully immerse ourselves in the tournament was of course Panini’s traditional tournament sticker album. This being the 1990s there was an absolute treasure trove of excellent hairstyles with the likes of Carlos Valderamma, Leonel Alvarez and John De Wolf showcasing the importance of a good conditioner. South Korea’s presence in Group C provided us with cheap giggles at the expense of substitute goalkeeper Bum-Chul Sin. Perhaps though the greatest gift of all was Bulgaria. Borislav Mihailov introduced the world to his tidy new syrup. Yordan Letchkov reassured men with receding hairlines with the concept of “the island” a decade before Alan Shearer. Nikolai Todorov’s passable Sly Stallone impression was somewhat undermined by the distinctly amateur nature of the lighting in his mugshot. Clearly keen to avoid similar embarrassment Daniel Borimirov submitted his Tinder profile picture. Yet the king of this princely ensemble of terrifyingly handsome men was the actually terrifying Trifon Ivanov.

Trifon Ivanov clearly took his role of commanding centre-half incredibly seriously. The potentially self-inflicted mullet, sunken sleep deprived eyes and a five o’clock shadow that made famously hirsute teammate Hristo Stoichkov look like the team mascot all came together to create an imposing impression. Ivanov’s ‘Wolf Man’ image was just a small part of this. He built a reputation for his tough tackling that just about escaped punishment and for a siege gun right boot which was responsible for acts of extreme destruction (albeit with questionable accuracy). Prior to the 1994 World Cup he had won three Bulgarian A Group titles and two domestic cups with CSKA Sofia chipping in with eight goals before a move to Real Betis in Spain. Although Betis suffered relegation during his time with the club Ivanov did manage to win a bottle of whiskey and a ride in Stoichkov’s shiny new BMW after netting two penalties against his compatriot’s Barcelona side as part of a pre-match wager.  His time in Spain was followed by a transfer to Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax ahead of the 1994 World Cup.

Ivanov and his colleagues overcame France in qualifying in a campaign which more or less ended David Ginola’s international career but started the finals with a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Nigeria. They recovered to thump Group D whipping boys Greece before besting an Argentina side shorn of troubled talisman Diego Maradona who had not exactly hidden his newfound love for ephedrine in his nation’s opening game. Bulgaria then knocked out Mexico on penalties, in part thanks to Ipswich Town’s Bontcho Guentchev, to earn a quarter-final tie with holders Germany. While Trifon Ivanov made his mark with a typical early yellow card his compatriots shocked the world by coming from behind thanks to goals from Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov, the latter a fantastic diving header which briefly made John Motson a tolerable commentator. Unfortunately for Bulgaria an inspired Roberto Baggio denied them the opportunity of a World Cup final appearance and they were cast aside in the Third Place Play-Off by a rampant Sweden and the first half goals of Tomas Brolin, Hakan Mild, Henrik Larsson and Kennet Andersson.

Off the back of their exceptional performance in the USA the Bulgarian side entered qualifying for Euro 96 with a greater weight of expectation. They picked up another impressive win over Germany while Ivanov demonstrated his penchant for long distance strikes with a beautiful volleyed goal against a beleaguered Wales. Qualification was relatively straightforward but a brutal draw alongside Spain, France and Romania led to a group stage exit but not without Ivanov building a personal highlight reel of speculative long range efforts across the three games. He netted one more international goal to help Bulgaria secure qualification for the 1998 World Cup but their group stage exit in France, where Ivanov served as captain, was to be the end of his 76 cap international career.

After a fourth spell with CSKA Sofia Ivanov finished his career with Floridsdorfer AC, his third Viennese club, in 2001 and entered into a relatively quiet retirement away from football. He did, however, take the opportunity to purchase a decommissioned tank from the Bulgarian Army to drive around the meadows of his hometown Veliko Tarnovo and retained the affection of his nation when he emerged for occasional interviews. He passed away in 2016, aged only 50, following a heart attack and the Bulgarian Football Union issued a statement praising Ivanov as one of the country’s best defenders but moreover a “a great man with great heart (who was) always ready to help”. Such was his presence in the national team dressing room that he was able to bring together rival CKSA and Levski Sofia players who notoriously despised each other. Beneath the tough exterior was clearly a very calm individual but his iconic image will always be etched into the minds of those of us who started our footballing journeys back in 1994. 

P.S. Check out David Squires’ exceptional tribute to the great man here. Come for Trifon Ivanov. Stay for the Steve Howey bedspread.