SOFIA (Jun 6, 1996 - 00:47 EST) - Following are brief player biographies of Bulgaria's squad of 22 for the European championship finals:
Goalkeepers:
1-Borislav Mihailov (Reading, England) Age 33, 94 caps. Debut in 1983 and now likely to become the first Bulgarian to win 100 caps. Captained his country 51 times, but has been largely injured since coming to England last August.
12-Dimitar Popov (CSKA) 26, 14. Mihailov's deputy, tall with good reflexes who tends not to dominate the penalty area as much as he should.
22-Zdravko Zdravkov (Slavia Sofia) 25, 3. A reliable goalkeeper from the newly-crowned champions. He has earned confidence with each match he has played and was named the best goalkeeper in the Bulgarian championship.
Defenders:
17-Emil Kremenliev (Olympiakos, Greece) 26, 26. Right back with a taste for attacking down the wing. Moved to Greece at the start of this season but usually used as a substitute by Olympiakos. Suspension cost him a place in Bulgaria's famous 1994 World Cup quarter-final win over Germany.
3-Trifon Ivanov (Rapid Vienna, Austria) 30, 60. Defender with five international goals to his credit. Joined Rapid last year from Neuchatel in Switzerland and has had an excellent season with the team becoming Austria's champions.
18-Tzanko Tsvetanov (Waldhof Mannheim, Germany) 26, 34. Recent niggling injuries have curtailed his performances in the German second division but he will be a key player in the Bulgarian defense next month. Plays on the left side of the defense and often starts dangerous attacks down the wing.
5-Petar Hubchev (Hamburg, Germany), 32, 32. Calm and cool and the core of the Bulgarian defense. Recovered fitness after an ankle operation. Has a reputation for anticipating his opponents' moves and was much missed in the Euro qualifier in Berlin after he was sent off in Tirana last September.
4-Ilian Kiryakov (Anorthosis, Cyprus) 28, 56. Began at Etar Tarnovo and after a spell with Deportivo La Coruna in Spain returned to Bulgaria with CSKA. Moved to Cyprus last year and will join Scottish premier division club Aberdeen next season. A diminutive player with bags of energy.
19-Gosho Guinchev (Denizlispor, Turkey) 26, 5. Made his international debut in Bulgaria's last Euro 96 qualifier against Germany in Berlin last November.
2-Radostin Kishishev (Neftohimik Bourgas) 21, 2. Another newcomer from the youth team and made his mark on a tour of Malaysia last summer with a Bulgarian select XI.
Midfielders:
6-Zlatko Yankov (Bayer Uerdingen, Germany) 29, 51. A mainstay in the team and a key player for coach Dimitar Penev. A defensive midfielder who spent some time in Spain with Real Valladollid. Moved to Germany last summer.
11-Yordan Lechkov (Hamburg, Germany) 28, 35. First of the many Bulgarians to move to the Bundesliga, but he is now on the way out of Hamburg after spending the season on the sidelines. Balding, attacking midfielder best remembered for his headed goal which knocked Germany out of the World Cup in 1994.
16-Daniel Bormirov (Munich 1860, Germany) 26, 23. Has helped Munich 1860 begin to re-establish as a major club but is unlikely to play a significant role in Euro 96, having to be content with a place on the bench.
13-Boncho Genchev (Luton, England) 31, 11. Although he did not play a game during the European qualifiers, Penev will rely on him because he knows the English soccer scene. Busy midfield worker.
10-Krasimir Balakov (VfB Stuttgart, Germany) 30, 53. Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 1995 and one of their heroes in the World Cup two years ago. He joined Stuttgart last year and until recent injury, was one of the best overseas players performing in the Bundesliga. Free-kick specialist.
15-Ivaylo Yordanov (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal) 28, 24. Out for almost a year with injuries suffered in a car crash but has regained his form and been outstanding for Sporting this season.
Forwards:
7-Emil Kostadinov (Bayern Munich, Germany) 28, 52. Has scored 19 international goals for Bulgaria but none as memorable as the last-minute winner against France in 1993 that took Bulgaria to USA 94. Like most of the eight Bulgarians playing in Germany he has largely been confined to the bench this season.
8-Hristo Stoichkov (Parma, Italy) 30, 61. The 1994 European Footballer of the Year, Stoichkov has not had a successful time at Parma but his record of 31 international goals -- 10 of which came in the Euro 96 qualifiers -- prove he is a talent of the highest level. For years Bulgaria's outstanding player, although his hot temper has blighted his career.
14-Nasko Sirakov (Slavia) 34, 81. Has played for Real Zaragoza and Espanyol in Spain and Lens in France and has scored goals wherever he has gone. His tally of 187 goals in the Bulgarian championship is the third highest of all time. Has scored 23 times for Bulgaria.
9-Lyuboslav Penev (Atletico Madrid, Spain) 29, 49. Nephew of the coach Penev, he missed the World Cup finals due to treatment for a cancerous tumor. Has been in Spain since 1989, first with Valencia and now with Atletico, newly-crowned with the championship title.
20-Georgi Donkov (CSKA Sofia) 26, 3. Will join German second division club Bochum after the European championship. A utility forward who can play in a number of different positions. At the end of 1995 his two-year ban from playing international soccer expired and he joined the national squad. UEFA banned him in 1993 after Donkov spat at the referee during his Botev Plovdiv match against Olympiakos of Greece in Athens in the UEFA Cup.
21-Ivo Georgiev (Spartak Varna) 23, 2. The best striker of the Bulgarian championship this season with 21 goals, although his team was not among the best five. Scored his second goal for the national team in their friendly against Macedonia in May. Stoichkov is his soccer idol.