Emil Lyubchov Kostadinov (; born 12 August 1967) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer«O Domingos adorava chá, foi o tipo mais inteligente que vi» maisfutebol.iol.pt who played as a forward and represented the Bulgaria national team at two World Cups.

Club career Born in Sofia, Kostadinov began his professional career with CSKA Sofia in 1985. In the late 1980s, he formed part of the team's attacking line alongside Hristo Stoichkov and Lyuboslav Penev, contributing to the club's Bulgarian championship titles in 1986–87 and 1988–89, as well as Bulgarian Cup victories in 1986–87, 1987–88, and 1988–89. He also played in European competitions, including the European Cup and UEFA Cup.

In 1990, he moved to Portugal to join Porto. At Porto, he won the Primeira Liga in 1991–92, 1992–93, and 1994–95, as well as the Taça de Portugal in 1990–91 and the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in 1991. He remained with Porto until 1994 and was also one of the team's main attacking players in European competitions.

In 1994, he moved to Spanish club Deportivo de La Coruña, where he scored 2 goals in 9 appearances. In January 1995, he moved to German club Bayern Munich. He played for Bayern during the second half of the 1994–95 season and the 1995–96 season, winning the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. In particular, he scored in the 21st minute of the second half in the second leg of the final against Bordeaux, contributing to Bayern's 3–1 victory.

In the 1996–97 season, he played for Turkish club Fenerbahçe, before moving to Mexico to join UANL. In the 1997–98 season, he returned to his former club CSKA Sofia, and in 1998 he joined Mainz. He played for Mainz during the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons before ending his playing career in 2000.

International career Kostadinov first appeared on the international stage with the Bulgaria youth national team at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, scoring two goals. Bulgaria reached the quarter-finals of the tournament, where Kostadinov scored against Spain. He subsequently represented the Bulgaria national team from 1988 to 1998, making 70 international appearances and scoring 27 goals.

In the 1994 FIFA World Cup European qualifiers, he made his international breakthrough by scoring twice against the France. On 17 November 1993, in a match played in Paris, Kostadinov scored in the 37th minute and again in the final minute of the match to give Bulgaria a 2–1 victory. The result allowed Bulgaria to overtake France and qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

At the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he led Bulgaria's attack alongside Hristo Stoichkov, helping the team reach the semi-finals. Kostadinov appeared in all seven of Bulgaria's matches at the tournament but did not score. In the semi-final against the Italy, he claimed that he had been fouled by Alessandro Costacurta in the penalty area. A subsequent handball incident involving Costacurta also occurred, but no penalty was awarded. At the time, there was controversy in Bulgaria over the decisions of French referee Joël Quiniou, with some questioning his nationality because Bulgaria had eliminated France from the World Cup qualifiers in 1993. Contemporary reports, however, also differed over whether Costacurta's handball had been deliberate. Bulgaria lost 2–1 to Italy and failed to reach the final.

Kostadinov also represented Bulgaria at UEFA Euro 1996. He started in the group-stage match against Spain, with Bulgaria drawing 1–1. Bulgaria subsequently failed to advance from the group stage and did not reach the quarter-finals.

Kostadinov also participated in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He scored Bulgaria's only goal of the group stage in the match against Spain. On 24 June 1998, he scored in the 58th minute, although Bulgaria lost 6–1 to Spain. Bulgaria recorded one draw and two defeats in the group stage and failed to advance to the round of 16. Kostadinov subsequently retired from international football before the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers.

International goals Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kostadinov goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Emil KostadinovNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 24 December 1988 Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates 1–0 1–0 Friendly match2 21 February 1989 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 1–0 1–2 Friendly match3 5 May 1990 Estádio Brinco de Ouro da Princesa, Campinas, Brazil 1–1 1–2 Friendly match4 27 March 1991 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland 1–1 1–1 Euro 1992 qualifier5 1 May 1991 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 1–0 2–3 Euro 1992 qualifier6 25 September 1991 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 1–0 2–1 Friendly match7 28 April 1992 Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland 2–0 2–0 Friendly match814 May 1992 Olympiastadion, Helsinki, Finland 2–0 3–0 1994 World Cup qualifier9 3–01017 November 1993 Parc des Princes, Paris, France 1–1 2–1 1994 World Cup qualifier11 2–11212 October 1994 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Georgia 1–0 2–0 Euro 1996 qualifier13 2–014 16 November 1994 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 4–1 4–1 Euro 1996 qualifier15 14 December 1994 Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales 2–0 3–0 Euro 1996 qualifier16 7 June 1995 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 3–2 3–2 Euro 1996 qualifier177 October 1995 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 2–0 3–0 Euro 1996 qualifier18 3–019 28 May 1996 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Macedonia 1–0 3–0 Friendly match20 8 October 1996 Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 2–1 2–1 1998 World Cup qualifier21 8 November 1996 Supachalasai National Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand 3–0 4-0 Friendly match22 14 December 1996 Tsirio Stadium, Limassol, Cyprus 1–0 3–1 1998 World Cup qualifier232 April 1997 Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria 2–0 4–1 1998 World Cup qualifier24 3–025 8 June 1997 Neftochimik Stadium, Bourgas, Bulgaria 2–0 4–0 1998 World Cup qualifier26 11 October 1997 Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia 2–4 2–4 1998 World Cup qualifier27 24 June 1998 Stade Félix Bollaert, Lens, France 1–3 1–6 1998 World Cup

Honours CSKA Sofia Bulgarian A PFG: 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90 Bulgarian Cup: 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89 Cup of the Soviet Army: 1985-86, 1988-89, 1989–90 Bulgarian Supercup: 1989

Porto Primeira Liga: 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95 Taça de Portugal: 1990–91, 1993–94 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994

Bayern Munich UEFA Cup: 1995–96

Bulgaria FIFA World Cup: 4th place: 1994

References

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