Aleksandar Stefanov Shalamanov ( bg, Александър Cтефанов Шаламанов) (4 September 1941– 25 October 2021) was a football player and professional

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether fo ...

and is known as the only Bulgarian who has participated in the

Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were h ...

(as

in 1960) and in the

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the ' (FIFA), the ...

. The

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

saw him as reserve player of the

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team in 1964, but he did not play in a match. Shalamanov began his career as a defender with

CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia ( bg, ЦСКА София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sport ...

in 1960–61, but moved to

Slavia Sofia PFC Slavia Sofia ( bg, ПФК Славия София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system, the First League. Slavia's home ground ...

in 1961 to remain there until 1974, when he retired after 263 matches in the

Bulgarian Championship The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...

, three

Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tourname ...

trophies (1963, 1964 and 1966) and a

Cup Winners' Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised ...

semi-final in 1967. Shalamanov has twice been selected Best Bulgarian Footballer, in 1963 and 1966, and twice Best Bulgarian Sportsman, in 1967 and 1973. He has 42 caps for the Bulgaria national team, with which he participated in the

World Cup 1966 The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966. The England national football team defeated W ...

and

World Cup 1970 The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football championship for men's senior national teams. Held from 31 May to 21 June in Mexico, it was the first World Cup tournament held outside ...

. On 26 October 2021, a day after his death, the team announced that the

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

would be renamed in his honor to Aleksandar Shalamanov Stadium.

Personal life

He was the father of the Alpine skier

Stefan Shalamanov Stefan Shalamanov ( bg, Стефан Шаламанов, born 27 January 1970) is a Bulgarian alpine skier. He competed in two events at the 1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (fre ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shalamanov, Aleksandar 1941 births 2021 deaths Bulgarian footballers Bulgarian male alpine skiers Bulgarian men's volleyball players Olympic alpine skiers of Bulgaria Alpine skiers at the 1960 Winter Olympics PFC CSKA Sofia players 1966 FIFA World Cup players 1970 FIFA World Cup players Bulgaria international footballers PFC Slavia Sofia players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Association football defenders Sportspeople from Sofia