Levski congratulates the majority owner of the football club Nasko Sirakov on his birthday. The former Bulgarian national team celebrates his 63rd birthday on April 26.
"The majority owner of PFC Levski and top scorer in the club's history, Nasko Sirakov, celebrates his 63rd birthday.
Sirakov was born on April 26, 1962 in Stara Zagora and is the son of the great Bulgarian wrestler Petko Sirakov. At the age of 13, he began training at Levski's school. He plays as a central striker, and his first steps towards the men's team of the “blues“ took in the matches between the club's first team and the senior youth team. Then he caught the attention of coach Ivan Vutsov and became the first of the upcoming “golden” generation of Levski, who debuted for the men in the 1979/80 season. He recorded two more matches, after which he was sent to play for other teams. In Haskovo, under the leadership of coach Sasho Kostov, he scored 9 goals and helped the team achieve its best ranking - 8th place in “A” group.
After his return to “Gerena“, Sirakov became the legend that we all know today and together with players such as Emil Spasov, Mihail Valchev, Emil Velev, Nikolay Iliev, Borislav Mihaylov and Bozhidar Iskrenov he emerged as the big star in what is considered one of the strongest Levski teams of all time.
For six seasons, until the summer of 1988, Sirakov scored 116 goals. They helped the “blues“ win the Bulgarian championship title three times (1983/84, 1984/85 and 1987/88), the Bulgarian Cup once (1986) and the Soviet Army Cup three times (1983/84, 1986/87 and 1987/88). Sirakov also became the top scorer of the championship in the 1986/87 and 1987/88 seasons.
The 1986/87 campaign was particularly memorable. Then Sirakov scored 36 goals in 27 matches and won the “bronze boot“, which was donated to the “Levski“ museum.
The striker's performance during this period also earned him a transfer to the Spanish Zaragoza in the summer of 1988. He quickly became one of the favorites of Serbian coach Radomir Antic, and for his entire stay at “La Romareda“ he scored 10 goals in 41 matches. Then he had one season for Espanyol, where he scored three times in 24 matches.
In the summer of 1991, Sirakov returned to Levski. He became the top scorer of the “A“ group with 26 goals, but the “blues“ remained in second place in the standings. In 1992, he moved to the French team Lens, but stayed there for only half a season, after which he returned to “Guerena“. In 1994, he became the team captain. He scored 30 goals in the championship, which again made him the top scorer of the championship. In the 1994/95 season, he was a major contributor to the “blues“ title, scoring 12 goals in 10 matches.
In the fall of 1994, Sirakov immortalized himself in “blue“ history after scoring four goals against CSKA in the historic 7:1 victory.
This was also his last campaign for Levski, after which he played for Botev Plovdiv and Slavia. For “blues“ he recorded 264 matches and 209 goals, which makes him #1 in the club's all-time ranking, holding the leading position in both goals in the championship and the Bulgarian Cup.
For the national team, he played 82 matches, scoring 23 goals. Participant of the 1986 World Championships in Mexico (goal against Italy) and 1994 in the USA (goal against Argentina), when Bulgaria reached the bronze medals. Participant of the 1996 European Championship in England.
In 1998 he was appointed executive director of Levski. As head of “Gerena“ has 5 titles (1999/2000, 2000/01, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2006/07), 5 cups (1999/2000, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2004/05, 2006/07), 2 Super Cups (2005, 2007), 1/4 final in the UEFA Cup tournament in the 2005/06 season and participation in the group stage of the Champions League in the 2006/07 season.
In 2020, he returned as the majority owner of the club in perhaps the most difficult period, both financially and from a sporting and technical point of view. On May 15, 2022, he added another Bulgarian Cup to the trophy cabinet as the manager.
PFC Levski congratulates Nasko Sirakov on the holiday and wishes him health, happiness, personal and professional success and many future unforgettable moments with his beloved team," the club statement says.