Krasimir Manolov
Krassimir Manolov was born on 31st October 1956 in Plovdiv (Bulgaria). In his playing days, he was an outstanding player with Lokomotiv Plovdiv (1973-78), Akademisk Sofia (1976-78), Trakia Plovdiv (1978-83), Shumen (1983-85), Spartak Plovdiv (1985-87), and with Larnaca in Cyprus (1987-88).
He joined Valletta FC in season 1988-89 and made his debut on October 30, in a match against Sliema Wanderers (1-0). With Valletta FC he formed a good tandem upfront with Joe Zarb helping the latter score some important goals. The following season, Manolov contributed to Valletta FC’s 13th league title victory.
Krassimir left Valletta FC in season 1990-91, playing 28 matches and scoring six goals. He then joined Balzan Youths and later moved to Marsa FC as a player-coach. On the international scene, Manolov played seven full internationals with the Bulgarian national side, scoring a goal in the 1-1 draw against Peru. Still, his personal best came in the 1974 U/18 European Championship Final against Yugoslavia when he scored the match-winner.
He was also an U/21 international automatic choice playing 21 times in this category for his country.
Krassimir started his coaching days with Marsa FC, before proceeding with Lokomotiv Plovdiv where he managed the Bulgarian side, first as a Technical Director then as a coach. He returned to Malta in 1997 managing Xghajra Tornadoes, in 1998 he joined Valletta FC as a Head Coach. In season 2000-01, Krassimir led Valletta FC to a clean sweep of 6 honours in one season.
