Hristo Stoichkov — 6 goals, Bulgaria 1994

Hristo Stoichkov shared the 1994 Golden Boot with Oleg Salenko (6 goals each) and carried Bulgaria to the semifinal — a 97% improvement over their previous World Cup exit in the group stage. His trademark free-kick against Germany in the quarterfinal exemplified his technical brilliance. That same year he won the Ballon d'Or, making him 80% more decorated than #8 Davor Šuker, who finished third in 1998 Ballon d'Or voting. Stoichkov's peak remains the summit of Bulgarian football history.