Bulgarian skied at the Winter Games, played in two Cups and became a football idol

Before traveling to Mexico for the 1970 World Cup, Bulgaria sought to adapt their preparation to the altitude they would find in the World Cup host country. However, those responsible for organizing the preparatory period – all from the Bulgarian Communist Party – took into account only the height, not the climate.

Located on the Rila Mountain, south of the country, the Belmeken winter sports base (2,000 meters above sea level) was the place chosen to receive the players who would defend the national team in America. It was almost the 2,600 meters you would find in Toluca. And the similarities stop there.

“While in the mountain in Bulgaria it was freezing cold, in Mexico we had to play under a scorching sun and deal with the humidity factor. This crucial difference would have a huge bearing on our performance in that Cup,” said defender Dimitar Penev.

“In Belmeken there was snow, and we had to do physical activities on the mountain using ski equipment. But half of our team didn’t know how to ski. One of our teammates, Aleksandar Shalamanov, besides being very skilled in football, had also participated in the 1960 Winter Olympics. So I think he had a lot of fun,” Penev added.

Aleksandar Shalamanov is considered one of the greatest players in the history of Bulgarian football. Revealed at CSKA Sofia in 1962, he moved in the same year to Slavia Sofia, where he had a successful career. For the club, he played in 262 matches over 12 years and won three Bulgarian Cups. In the 1963 and 1966 seasons, he was named the best footballer in the country.

For the national team, he played 42 games and was in the 1966 and 1970 World Cups. In the first, played in England, he faced Brazil in the group stage – Brazilian victory by 2-0, goals from Pelé and Garrincha, in the last game in which acted together.

“I was fast, agile and technical. And on top of that I played clean,” said the right-back in an interview with Blitz, in 2014.

“Overall, these qualities have allowed me to successfully face the best strikers on the planet, such as the Italian [Pierino] practice, the portuguese [António] Simões and especially Jairzinho, from Brazil, in 1966. Few may remember, but in the following World Cup, in Mexico, Jairzinho was the best of the Cup.”

In a popular election held by a Bulgarian newspaper to define the best national team of all time, he was part of the ideal team alongside names like Trifon Ivanov and Hristo Stoichkov, semi-finalists of the World Cup in 1994.

Despite his successful career in football, Shalamanov’s career as an elite sportsman did not begin on the pitch. It was in the snow, an environment in which he had fun preparing for the World Cup in Mexico, that the multi-athlete first stood out.

Two-time national slalom champion and giant slalom champion, he secured qualification for the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley (California), in the United States.

In downhill, a speed modality that consists of going down the mountain, he finished the race in 47th place. In the giant slalom, which combines technique and speed, he placed 37th. In his third event in Squaw Valley, slalom, the most technical event in alpine skiing, he was disqualified.

Aleksandar Shalamanov only gave up skiing permanently in 1965, when he was already playing professional football.

The passion for winter sports, however, was left as a legacy. His son Stefan managed to qualify for the Calgary-1988 Games, also in alpine skiing. He finished the slalom in 23rd place. He also competed in the giant slalom, but did not finish the race.

After hanging up his boots, his father remained dedicated to the sport that took him to two World Cups. In the early 1980s, he worked as an assistant coach at Slavia Sofia and took over as head coach in 1983, a role he held until the following year and for the only time in his career.

The historic Bulgarian right-back and Olympian died on October 25, 2021, aged 80. As a way of honoring him, Slavia renamed their stadium, which became Alexander Shalamanov.