Hristo Stoichkov, legendary former Barcelona striker, has come to his native Bulgaria with Spanish businessmen interested in investing in new Bulgarian stadiums.

It is now the Bulgarian state's responsibility to keep their interest alive, Stoichkov stated before journalists in Sofia.

"The investors are as serious in their intentions as (Prime Minister) Boyko Borisov and Sports Minister, Svilen Neykov, " he said. "They will do all they can to build stadiums in Bulgaria, just like those in Western Europe we have only seen and dreamt of."

According to the Trud daily, the Spaniards may invest in two stadiums, one in Sofia and one in the country's second biggest city, Plovdiv, worth a total of EUR 200 M.

Recently, the Bulgarian Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, revealed the Bulgarian government is willing to invest BGN 140 M (nearly EUR 72 M) in a new stadium or in the reconstruction of an old one.

Bulgaria's Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, is very passionate about sports and has pledged to provide major investments for sports facilities. At the end of 2010, he announced he considered building a new national stadium near the Sofia airport. In April, however, he said he mulls re-building four or five stadiums instead, all of which in the capital Sofia.