HRISTO’S BUZZ FOR PARKHEAD

STILIYAN PETROV has revealed Bulgarian football legend Hristo Stoichkov can’t wait to pull his boots on again and strut his stuff at Parkhead.

Petrov admitted it was the lure of playing at Celtic Park in today’s Match for Cancer against a Liverpool Legends team that helped the former Hoops midfielder drag his countryman out of retirement.

Stoichkov (above) has seen and done it all in a glittering trophy-laden career at club and country level.

He led Bulgaria to a fourthplaced finish at the World Cup in 1994 and won the Golden Boot for finishing as top goalscorer.

He was twice voted runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award, in 1992 and 1994, and also scooped the Ballon d’or 24 years ago.

In 2004 Stoichkov was named by Pele in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.

He won the European Golden Boot with CSKA Sofia by scoring 38 goals in 30 matches during the 1989-90 season which earned him a move to Barcelona.

In his first spell at the Nou Camp between 1990 and 1995 he earned the nickname “El Pistolero” (‘The Gunslinger’).

He was part of Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team that won four consecutive La Liga titles and the Champions League in 1992.

Now at the ripe old age of 52, Stoichkov will tick another career box as he gets set to finally make his Celtic Park debut.

Petrov said: “Hristo arrived in Glasgow on Thursday night. He couldn’t stop talking about this match.

“He is buzzing about playing in it. Hristo has never played at

Celtic Park before.

“I have told him many times that Celtic Park is such a special arena and that it holds a special place in my heart.

“He genuinely can’t wait to experience it all for himself.”