We brought home the jersey of the great Petar Zhekov.
More than half a century after the legendary clashes between CSKA “Septemvriysko Zname” and Panathinaikos in the European Champions Cup, a piece of history has returned home. True to their mission of preserving Bulgaria’s football heritage, the founders of Bulgarian Football Shirts acquired an extremely valuable and rare jersey of the legendary Petar Zhekov.
This is a jersey that he gifted to Panathinaikos’ captain, Giorgos Yonios, after the famous second leg in Greece. On October 26, 1972, the CSKA team defeated the Greek giant 2:0, with the first goal at Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium scored by Zhekov himself. The talent of the “Magic Shooter” was highly appreciated by the Greek captain, who received this precious gift from the Bulgarian striker.
The “Army Men” (CSKA) eliminated Panathinaikos with an aggregate score of 4:1 to face the legendary Ajax squad in the round of 16, featuring names like Johan Cruyff, Ari Haan, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol, Barry Hulshoff, Johnny Rep, and others.
Interestingly, when playing in our southern neighbor, CSKA wore a red kit, while the white one, which Zhekov later gifted to Yonios, remained as a spare. The Panathinaikos captain kept the legendary opponent’s jersey for more than half a century before it was acquired by Bulgarian Football Shirts.
Petar Zhekov is the first of three Bulgarians to win the “Golden Shoe.” In 1969, “Bat Petyo” was awarded the prestigious honor as the top scorer in Europe after netting 36 goals in the A Group with CSKA. He became the top scorer of the Bulgarian league a record six times – in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, and 1973.
He began his career in his hometown of Dimitrovgrad, scoring 8 goals in 25 matches during the 1962/1963 season. This was followed by five years at Beroe, where he netted 101 goals in 141 appearances in the top Bulgarian league under Ayazmoto. His greatest successes, however, came at the “Balgarska Armiya” Stadium, where the “Magic Shooter” scored 175 goals in 212 matches.
For nearly half a century, his record of 253 goals in the “A” Group remained untouchable, until it was finally surpassed by Martin Kamburov in the fall of 2021. Zhekov also left a lasting mark on the national team, scoring 25 goals in 44 appearances. He participated in the 1966 World Cup in England and the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. He captained Bulgaria in the final of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, which ended in a 1:4 defeat to Hungary.
A tribute to the legend Petar Zhekov!
More than half a century after the legendary clashes between CSKA “Septemvriysko Zname” and Panathinaikos in the European Champions Cup, a piece of history has returned home. True to their mission of preserving Bulgaria’s football heritage, the founders of Bulgarian Football Shirts acquired an extremely valuable and rare jersey of the legendary Petar Zhekov.
This is a jersey that he gifted to Panathinaikos’ captain, Giorgos Yonios, after the famous second leg in Greece. On October 26, 1972, the CSKA team defeated the Greek giant 2:0, with the first goal at Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium scored by Zhekov himself. The talent of the “Magic Shooter” was highly appreciated by the Greek captain, who received this precious gift from the Bulgarian striker.
The “Army Men” (CSKA) eliminated Panathinaikos with an aggregate score of 4:1 to face the legendary Ajax squad in the round of 16, featuring names like Johan Cruyff, Ari Haan, Johan Neeskens, Ruud Krol, Barry Hulshoff, Johnny Rep, and others.
Interestingly, when playing in our southern neighbor, CSKA wore a red kit, while the white one, which Zhekov later gifted to Yonios, remained as a spare. The Panathinaikos captain kept the legendary opponent’s jersey for more than half a century before it was acquired by Bulgarian Football Shirts.
Petar Zhekov is the first of three Bulgarians to win the “Golden Shoe.” In 1969, “Bat Petyo” was awarded the prestigious honor as the top scorer in Europe after netting 36 goals in the A Group with CSKA. He became the top scorer of the Bulgarian league a record six times – in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, and 1973.
He began his career in his hometown of Dimitrovgrad, scoring 8 goals in 25 matches during the 1962/1963 season. This was followed by five years at Beroe, where he netted 101 goals in 141 appearances in the top Bulgarian league under Ayazmoto. His greatest successes, however, came at the “Balgarska Armiya” Stadium, where the “Magic Shooter” scored 175 goals in 212 matches.
For nearly half a century, his record of 253 goals in the “A” Group remained untouchable, until it was finally surpassed by Martin Kamburov in the fall of 2021. Zhekov also left a lasting mark on the national team, scoring 25 goals in 44 appearances. He participated in the 1966 World Cup in England and the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. He captained Bulgaria in the final of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, which ended in a 1:4 defeat to Hungary.
A tribute to the legend Petar Zhekov!
