{"id":143208,"date":"2023-10-29T18:21:36","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T18:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/?p=143208"},"modified":"2023-10-29T18:21:36","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T18:21:36","slug":"im-a-ballon-dor-winner-nicknamed-the-dagger-i-got-200k-to-play-twice-for-al-nassr-decades-before-cristiano-ronaldo-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theprojectsworld.com\/sport\/im-a-ballon-dor-winner-nicknamed-the-dagger-i-got-200k-to-play-twice-for-al-nassr-decades-before-cristiano-ronaldo-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"I'm a Ballon d'Or winner nicknamed The Dagger – I got \u00a3200k to play twice for Al-Nassr decades before Cristiano Ronaldo | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
HRISTO STOICHKOV was nicknamed The Dagger and was paid hundreds of thousands by Al-Nassr to play just TWO matches.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bulgarian was named his country's footballer of the year five times during his career.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, it was his Ballon d'Or win in 1994 which stands out after the winger beat Italian duo Roberto Baggio and Paolo Maldini to the award.<\/p>\n Stoichkov had won the Golden Boot at that year's World Cup having lifted the LaLiga trophy with Barcelona weeks earlier.<\/p>\n He even compared himself to God during his acceptance speech, claiming: "There are only two Christs; one plays for Barcelona, the other is in heaven."<\/p>\n Across two spells with Barca, Stoichkov won 18 trophies, including the European Cup and five league titles.<\/p>\nREAD MORE IN FOOTBALL<\/h2>\n