Barcelona and Bulgaria legend Hristo Stoichkov, who once ‘slaughtered’ Manchester United, still toasts Champions League Wembley success

Wembley holds a special place in Hristo Stoichkov’s heart.

As a Barcelona player he graced the biggest stadiums in football, but it was in England where Bulgaria’s greatest player enjoyed one of his biggest successes.

He was part of the 1992 ‘Dream Team’ that won Barca their first ever European Cup – the season before it was re-branded as the Champions League – by beating Sampdoria 1-0 on the hallowed old turf and Stoichkov toasts the win every year.

“[Wembley] was a legendary name it was for us even before we won there,” he said in 2011.

“For Barcelona it was a huge success just to get there, because those were the days of the European Cup and there was more emphasis on the concept of the knockout tie than today’s [Champions League] group stage.