Hristo Stoichkov Slams 'Garbage' Louis van Gaal, Admits Jose Mourinho Admiration

Bulgarian legend Hristo Stoichkov has spoken out against Louis van Gaal, labelling the Manchester United manager "garbage."

The 49-year-old played under Van Gaal at Barcelona before joining CSKA Sofia in 1998, and Stoichkov blames the Dutchman for his leaving Camp Nou.

Van Gaal is widely respected in football circles, having won league titles in the Netherlands, Spain and Germany, as well as the 1995 Champions League with Ajax.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

However, Stoichkov—whose stint at Barca between 1996 and 1998 was his second at the club—is clearly not among those who admire the 63-year-old, per L'Equipe (h/t Anthony Hay in the Daily Mail):

"

I have no respect for him, he’s garbage. One day, when I was injured and I was with my wife at the Nou Camp. He went up to her and asked 'how was possible that she married someone like me?' It was the fault of Van Gaal that I moved on to CSKA Sofia.

"

The former Bulgaria international won four consecutive league titles under Johan Cruyff with Barcelona during his first stint at the club between 1990 and 1995 and was widely regarded as one of the world's best forwards at the time.

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

While Stoichkov has little time for Van Gaal, he clearly has a higher opinion of Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese manager having worked under the Dutchman at Barcelona following his spell as an interpreter at the club during Sir Bobby Robson's reign, per L'Equipe (h/t Hay):

"

[I] do not think that Mourinho was a simple interpreter or assistant. He was already a coach, but he never thought he was worth more than [Bobby] Robson. Mourinho understood everything. He knew everything about our team, and our opponents.

"

Van Gaal and Mourinho are fighting at slightly different levels in the Premier League this season—United are looking for a top-four finish while Chelsea look set for the title:

The pair are set to meet for the second time this season on April 18 at Stamford Bridge. The reverse fixture ended 1-1 back in October.

While the Blues are most certainly the favourites for the west London encounter, Van Gaal's methods finally seem to have clicked at United, whose recent good form should give them confidence as the season draws to a close.