Isthmian Leagues

Brilliant Boncho made the football do his talking!

Boncho Genchev played for Bulgaria in the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup and spent three seasons as a Premier League star with Ipswich – just five years after playing for Hendon.

by
The Non-League Football Paper Team
14 June 2026

WORLD CUP 2026: FROM NON-LEAGUE TO THE BIGGEST STAGE OF ALL
By CHRIS DUNLAVY

Boncho Genchev played for Bulgaria in the semi-finals of the 1994 World Cup and spent three seasons as a Premier League star with Ipswich.
But just five years after facing the likes of Roberto Baggio and Paolo Maldini on football’s biggest stage, the striker was turning out for Hendon in the Isthmian Premier.
“He just turned up one day,” laughs Dave Anderson, who was assistant to manager Frank Murphy at Claremont Road.
“And he was the most mellow, unassuming man you’ll ever meet. The lads were all calling him Sto...

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