Beroe

Biography As a player Dimitrovgrad Beroe CSKA Belenenses Vitoria Estoril Bulgaria national team As a coach Olhanense CSKA Belenenses CSKA Bulgaria Under 21 Bulgaria national team CSKA Litex Kastoria Kalithea Veria CSKA Al Ahly Jeddah Al Ettifaq ENPPI CSKA CSKA Career as player Successes CV

Stoycho Mladenov has quite a start in Beroe. From the first friendly matches the 18-year-old striker finds a place among the first 11 in the team and starts scoring goals. His partner in the attack is the legend of the football of Stara Zagora – Petko Petkov. „A great figure as a football player and as a man – says Mladenov – I learnt quite a lot from him. A good man, who gave everything to help the young ones. The issue was that we had to be clever enough to learn from him. If he had had the courage to play for some of the Sofia teams, he would have made even a greater career.”

Mladenov makes his debut in the A Group for Beroe in front of his father in the match between Beroe and Akademik. His team wins 1:0 and the goal was scored by Stoycho . „My father came to me after the match, greeted me and told me that I was right in standing against him – continues Mladenov. – This was the first time he had come to believe that there is football in me. Things went on by themselves. In my second year I became the top scorer in the champiosnship with 21 goals. I had not stopped scoring since I played for Dimitrovgrad. I remembered the opinion of the coach of the youth national team. I am not angry at him. That is how he saw things.”

At the time when Mladenov played for Beroe, the team was full with great players. The goalkeepers Peter Olimpiev and Todor Krastev, Hristo Belchev, Tenyo Minchev, Evgeni Yanchovski, Petko Petkov, Boris Kirov. It was hard for the young ones in the dressing room. All had to remain silent, only 4-5 people could talk. One of the traditional occupations of the young ones was to polish the football boots, to carry the T-shirts and the balls.

While being in the army as a football player of Beroe, Stoycho Mladenov travels to Sofia for negotiations for the first time. In the next morning when he is already in Stara Zagora, at 6 o’clock somebody knocks on his door. „I went out and there was an officer with two other army men who pointed guns at me – tells Mladenov. – I was arrested without any explanations. I stayed in the arrest for two day without knowing the reason. At the third day I had a meeting with general Delchev, a great personality. It is an honor to know him. I remember how he made me a gift for my father – a bottle of rakia. It was very interesting, with an wooden figure inside. I was honest with the general and told him that I want to play for CSKA. He listened to me and allowed me to go. I continued to play for Beroe.”

In spite the chance to start his brilliant career Stara Zagora gives something else very special to Stoycho Mladenov. „It was there where the most beautiful event in my life happened – continues Mladenov – I met the love of my life – the big and only one. I am thankful to God every day for meeting me with my wife Darina, who gave birth to my two wonderful sons – Alexander and Stoycho.”

Quite not so important is the fact that as a player of Beroe Mladenov acquires his driving license. But more interesting is that he did not pass an exam for it. “I went on the exam and after two days we would play with Levski at Gerena stadium – tells Mladenov – The examiner turned out to be a passionate Levski fan. He started telling me that they would score us 4-5 goals. I got angry and retorted: “If we lose with such a score, let me not pass the exam!”. Then he proposed that we make a bet. In case that Levski wins, he would not let me pass the exam. But in case that the score is even or we win, I would acquire the driving license without an exam . The result at Gerena was 1:1”. I do not lose matches at this stadium as my career as a football player and a coach shows. At that time Levski was a team to be respected. Among his players were Pavel Panov, Kiril Ivkov, Stefan Aladzhov, Todor Barzov and Voin Voinov.”

While playing for Beroe there is quite a big interest in Mladenov from Levski as well. Ivan Vutsov, who later becomes one of the great friends of Stoycho, wants to make quite an attack. In order to fulfill this aim he wants to buy Anton Milkov from Botev, Rusy Gochev from Chernomorets and Mladenov. Two forwards and a striker. In the mission of going to the Levski team the three players become part of the Simeonovo school. Meanwhile CSKA continues to be interested in Mladenov.

„The time had come to take quick decisions – tells Mladenov –we played with the youth national team against England in Pernik. At one side of the pitch there was a police car with a person from Levski who was ordered to take me to Gerena. I did not want to play for Levski, because I have always been a CSKA fan. Two my friends, great CSKA fans, waited for me in another car. They had hidden behind the stadium so that the policemen could not notice them. I ran through the window again and we went to Bulgarian Army Stadium. There Georgi Hristov was waiting for me, the son-in-law of the Minister of Defense Dobry Dzhurov. I signed a contract with CSKA. This act led to problems. I still had a contract with Beroe which was not terminated.”

Some people from the Central Committee of the Communist Party decided to show their strength and ordered that Mladenov is punished– exclusion from the sport movement. The same is the fate of Radoslav Zdravkov who signs with CSKA and of Petar Kurdov who goes to Levski. “The ruling people wanted to demonstrate how strong they are and how nobody could act on his own – tells Mladenov – To be excluded from the sport movement means not to be able to practise any sport. You could not train even in a factory team. Nobody could act against the resolutions of the Party. CSKA promised me that things would go well for me . But this is quite a shock for a young man. I did not play for 15 months. At the date of my wedding – 19 august 1980 – I was notified that my rights had been restored.”