He has been variously quoted since as saying the Istanbul club owes him money, that he was unable to get on with its coach Toshack and that his wife could not settle in Turkey.

Beşiktaş renewed its appeals to UEFA and FIFA when Letchkov turned out without club permission for Bulgaria in a friendly against Argentina.

FIFA subsequently ruled that Letchkov was ineligible to play for any other team without clearance from Beşiktaş, and that included his national side.

[4] Letchkov is often referred to as being part of the "Golden Generation" of Bulgarian football, who along with Stoichkov, Kostadinov and Balakov led the national side to the semifinals of the 1994 World Cup.

Letchkov played 45 matches and scored five goals for Bulgaria;[5] however his international career was limited by a series of disagreements with coaches and the Bulgarian Football Federation.

He is perhaps best remembered for scoring the winner against Germany in the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup,[6] as Bulgaria reached the semi-finals where they were beaten by Italy.

[8][9][10] Letchkov went on to shine in the 1996 European Championships in England despite the failure of Bulgaria to reach the quarter finals: he played very well against Spain and Romania,[11][12] and producing a man-of-the-match performance[13] in the group B last match, against a strong French side.