As one of the few regular selections in a national football team in a state of flux, Radostin Kishishev is well known in his homeland. But in the English league, with its teams featuring an exotic mix of “global” stars from an eclectic mix of nations, Kishishev – who has been playing for Premier League side Charlton Athletic for almost two years – is relatively unknown.
And so, on a midweek March evening, he meets me at a suburban railway station in a leafy, affluent suburb of southeast London. “Kish” (as he is known to his teammates), dressed in denim jeans and jacket, pulls up in a sporty silver Audi. He is prompt, polite – and hobbling. In between the car park and the cafe where Kish suggests we talk, he describes his latest injury, and a sense of frustration is evident. Considering he didn’t speak any English two years ago, he has developed a good vocabulary, particularly apparent when detailing parts of his knee and shin that are troubling him.
He had just recovered from an injury that had destroyed his season when he was sidelined again. Fortunately, though, this latest setback should mean no more than one month on the sidelines.
Kish, 27, began his career in his hometown, Bourgas, for the teams Chernomorets and Neftochimik. After a spell with Bursaspor in Turkey, he returned to Bulgaria, signing for Litex (Lovech), the small-town club that won the championship in 1998 and 1999.
He signed for Charlton, an ambitious but unpretentious club in southeast London, in August 2000. In his first year, newly promoted Charlton had a solid season, finishing mid-table, with Kish playing in three-quarters of games, mostly in his favoured position of right-midfield. However, the current season – which draws to a close next month, with Charlton likely to finish around mid-table again – has been a personal nightmare for him. He was injured before the season began and has not played for Charlton this term.
Kish first came to the attention of Charlton’s scouts in the finals of the Euro’96 tournament, held in England, and in which Bulgaria were eliminated in the first round. At that time, 22-year-old Kish was trying to force his way into a team full of famous players (Stoichkov, Balakov, Ivonov, et al.) who had achieved Bulgaria’s celebrated fourth place in the 1994 World Cup.
“I know Charlton were interested from that time,” Kish recalled. “But it was difficult for me to get a work-permit to move to England – you have to play in 75 per cent of the national team’s games over a certain period and, at that time, I was not doing that. I had meetings with [Charlton coach] Alan Curbishley and, in 1999, he and [trainer] Mervyn Day came to watch me playing for Litex. They came to Lovech – we were playing Slavia (Sofia). Unfortunately, it was about 40 degrees and I wasn’t fully fit.”
But a fax unexpectedly arrived from another London side – the famous Arsenal. Kishishev did not deny that he would have been tempted to sign for them, but after a 10-day pre-season trial, he was told by the club’s French manager Arsene Wenger that he did not want to sign him as he was not a natural right-back.
Kish’s agent called Charlton and revived Curbishley’s interest. The transfer looked shaky as Litex wanted more money than Charlton wanted to pay, but in August 2000, the forms were signed and the fee (a complex series of installments – Kish believes 1.3 million pounds has now been paid) was finalised.
Kish said he has found two main differences between football in Bulgaria and England. “Firstly, the atmosphere. In Bulgaria, Litex gets maybe 4,000 fans; at Charlton, we have 26,000 fans every week. Secondly, footballers in England are very strong. It seems to me that in England, footballers have to be very powerful and if they are technically good, this is a bonus. In Bulgaria, and other southern European countries, you must first be technically good and then if you are strong it’s a bonus.
“In Bulgaria the games stop all the time as the referees blow for fouls. In England the fans want to see tackles and it is much quicker. Bulgaria has many good players, but not for the sort of football you play here,” he added, emphasising his affection for the English game (he most admired France and Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira).
In terms of the national team – for whom he has chalked up an impressive 45 appearances – Kish is genuinely optimistic. Although Bulgaria failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, he said a friendly match with Croatia last month (which finished goalless, and in which Kish, despite his non-appearances for Charlton, played) has given him heart.
The next target is to qualify for Euro 2004. Bulgaria’s qualification group comprises Croatia, Belgium, Estonia and Andorra. The first fixture is against the Belgians in September.
In addition to Kish, two other members of the national squad play in Britain: Stilian Petrov at Celtic, and Svetoslav Todorov at Portsmouth. Former CSKA (Sofia) striker Petrov has been the most successful, winning trophies galore at Scottish champions Celtic. Dobrich-born Todorov, on the other hand, has had a disappointing time. He quit Litex (Lovech) for London Premiership side West Ham in January last year, but barely played, pushed down the pecking order by bigger-name players. Todorov recently moved to a new team – Portsmouth, who play in the First Division.
Interestingly, the pair and their partners had met for dinner at a bar/cafe owned by former Bulgarian international footballer, Bontcho Guentchev (who spent much of his career in England and now coaches a semi-professional side in London). The venue, Strikers in the Kensington district, is run by Bontcho’s wife Sylvia, and is apparently a favourite rendezvous for many ex-pat Bulgarians.
He is married – to Krassimira, whom he met in a Bourgas disco in 1993 and wed in 1995 – and has two sons. Prodan is five-and-a-half and Dimitar is 10 months old (he was born in London). Asked what he does to relax, he said he and Krassimira enjoy entertaining the children, seeing the sights of London’s West End and shopping at Bluewater, one of Europe’s largest shopping complexes.
The leisure opportunities in and around London (population seven million) are obviously a far cry from those back in Lovech (population 57,000). When he played for Litex, he lived in the town’s main hotel along with most of the other players. “Between games, we used to sit and talk, and drink coffee. When I had two days off I would drive back to Bourgas to see my wife,” he said. “But yes, there was not much to do.”
Ninety minutes later the interview is over and Kish drops me back at the station. What of the future, I ask? “I have two years left on my contract. I hope I will be at Charlton.
“And I hope I won’t be injured, of course,” he added, hobbling back to his car, which accelerated away, its tail-lights disappearing into the dark London night.
And so, on a midweek March evening, he meets me at a suburban railway station in a leafy, affluent suburb of southeast London. “Kish” (as he is known to his teammates), dressed in denim jeans and jacket, pulls up in a sporty silver Audi. He is prompt, polite – and hobbling. In between the car park and the cafe where Kish suggests we talk, he describes his latest injury, and a sense of frustration is evident. Considering he didn’t speak any English two years ago, he has developed a good vocabulary, particularly apparent when detailing parts of his knee and shin that are troubling him.
He had just recovered from an injury that had destroyed his season when he was sidelined again. Fortunately, though, this latest setback should mean no more than one month on the sidelines.
Kish, 27, began his career in his hometown, Bourgas, for the teams Chernomorets and Neftochimik. After a spell with Bursaspor in Turkey, he returned to Bulgaria, signing for Litex (Lovech), the small-town club that won the championship in 1998 and 1999.
He signed for Charlton, an ambitious but unpretentious club in southeast London, in August 2000. In his first year, newly promoted Charlton had a solid season, finishing mid-table, with Kish playing in three-quarters of games, mostly in his favoured position of right-midfield. However, the current season – which draws to a close next month, with Charlton likely to finish around mid-table again – has been a personal nightmare for him. He was injured before the season began and has not played for Charlton this term.
Kish first came to the attention of Charlton’s scouts in the finals of the Euro’96 tournament, held in England, and in which Bulgaria were eliminated in the first round. At that time, 22-year-old Kish was trying to force his way into a team full of famous players (Stoichkov, Balakov, Ivonov, et al.) who had achieved Bulgaria’s celebrated fourth place in the 1994 World Cup.
“I know Charlton were interested from that time,” Kish recalled. “But it was difficult for me to get a work-permit to move to England – you have to play in 75 per cent of the national team’s games over a certain period and, at that time, I was not doing that. I had meetings with [Charlton coach] Alan Curbishley and, in 1999, he and [trainer] Mervyn Day came to watch me playing for Litex. They came to Lovech – we were playing Slavia (Sofia). Unfortunately, it was about 40 degrees and I wasn’t fully fit.”
But a fax unexpectedly arrived from another London side – the famous Arsenal. Kishishev did not deny that he would have been tempted to sign for them, but after a 10-day pre-season trial, he was told by the club’s French manager Arsene Wenger that he did not want to sign him as he was not a natural right-back.
Kish’s agent called Charlton and revived Curbishley’s interest. The transfer looked shaky as Litex wanted more money than Charlton wanted to pay, but in August 2000, the forms were signed and the fee (a complex series of installments – Kish believes 1.3 million pounds has now been paid) was finalised.
Kish said he has found two main differences between football in Bulgaria and England. “Firstly, the atmosphere. In Bulgaria, Litex gets maybe 4,000 fans; at Charlton, we have 26,000 fans every week. Secondly, footballers in England are very strong. It seems to me that in England, footballers have to be very powerful and if they are technically good, this is a bonus. In Bulgaria, and other southern European countries, you must first be technically good and then if you are strong it’s a bonus.
“In Bulgaria the games stop all the time as the referees blow for fouls. In England the fans want to see tackles and it is much quicker. Bulgaria has many good players, but not for the sort of football you play here,” he added, emphasising his affection for the English game (he most admired France and Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira).
In terms of the national team – for whom he has chalked up an impressive 45 appearances – Kish is genuinely optimistic. Although Bulgaria failed to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, he said a friendly match with Croatia last month (which finished goalless, and in which Kish, despite his non-appearances for Charlton, played) has given him heart.
The next target is to qualify for Euro 2004. Bulgaria’s qualification group comprises Croatia, Belgium, Estonia and Andorra. The first fixture is against the Belgians in September.
In addition to Kish, two other members of the national squad play in Britain: Stilian Petrov at Celtic, and Svetoslav Todorov at Portsmouth. Former CSKA (Sofia) striker Petrov has been the most successful, winning trophies galore at Scottish champions Celtic. Dobrich-born Todorov, on the other hand, has had a disappointing time. He quit Litex (Lovech) for London Premiership side West Ham in January last year, but barely played, pushed down the pecking order by bigger-name players. Todorov recently moved to a new team – Portsmouth, who play in the First Division.
Interestingly, the pair and their partners had met for dinner at a bar/cafe owned by former Bulgarian international footballer, Bontcho Guentchev (who spent much of his career in England and now coaches a semi-professional side in London). The venue, Strikers in the Kensington district, is run by Bontcho’s wife Sylvia, and is apparently a favourite rendezvous for many ex-pat Bulgarians.
He is married – to Krassimira, whom he met in a Bourgas disco in 1993 and wed in 1995 – and has two sons. Prodan is five-and-a-half and Dimitar is 10 months old (he was born in London). Asked what he does to relax, he said he and Krassimira enjoy entertaining the children, seeing the sights of London’s West End and shopping at Bluewater, one of Europe’s largest shopping complexes.
The leisure opportunities in and around London (population seven million) are obviously a far cry from those back in Lovech (population 57,000). When he played for Litex, he lived in the town’s main hotel along with most of the other players. “Between games, we used to sit and talk, and drink coffee. When I had two days off I would drive back to Bourgas to see my wife,” he said. “But yes, there was not much to do.”
Ninety minutes later the interview is over and Kish drops me back at the station. What of the future, I ask? “I have two years left on my contract. I hope I will be at Charlton.
“And I hope I won’t be injured, of course,” he added, hobbling back to his car, which accelerated away, its tail-lights disappearing into the dark London night.
