Eleonora and Vlado Manchevi

Eleonora and Vlado Manchevi are one of the most charming couples that appear in the public space lately. He’s a former football player for CSKA, currently playing for the Spanish “Celta Vigo” and Norah, as he endearingly calls her, is Missis Bulgaria and Missis Universe of last year. Even if on the face of it they look as a typical couple of a football player and a model, after our interview with them it turns out that they are young and nice people, ready for anything to pursue their dreams. And there is something else that creates a great impression – just how infectious their love actually is. We came round to this opinion during the interview with Eleonora who successfully made room for it in her busy schedule and spared more than an hour for our conversation. Her husband on the other hand turned out to be one of the most disciplined interlocutors we’ve interviewed. Especially for you, our readers, he answered to our questions although he’s currently in Spain. Within only an hour he read them and e-mailed back his answers.


Vlado:

Hi, Vlado! Would you introduce yourself to our readers for a start?

My name is Vlado Manchev, I’m a football player and I currently play for the Spanish team “Celta Vigo”. Norah and I live in the town of Vigo, north-western Spain, located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and a population of approximately 400 000 people.


How did you and Eleonora meet?
We met at her hairdressing salon that she owned at that time in the hotel Pliska area. But she can tell you more about it.



How did you know that she was the one for you?
It didn’t take a lot of time for me to realize it – after our first few dates I found out that she’s very special and possesses some qualities that are hard to find nowadays. And it’s not about her undeniable beauty and stunning looks but simply about personal features and virtues.



What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever done for her?
I think that she should answer to that question and I can say on my behalf that Norah often surprises me in an extremely nice manner with culinary temptations that she cooks especially for me.

In two years of marriage how do you manage to keep the sparkles between you?
I have to justify – we’ve actually been together for six years now and I dare saying that we’re very attached to each other. Our love is strong but of course there also are hard times. We have to stay apart for too long because of my professional career and we need to compromise a lot.



Who’s the compliant in your relationship? Who’s dominating?
In principle we have a very democratic relationship. Yet Norah, as a true Leo, is quite imperious and she likes having every situation under control while I’m more peaceful. Sometimes I’m quite stubborn and in times like this we argue over minor things. But as I said we’re both willing to compromise and we show consideration for the other, we listen to what the other has to say even if we don’t share the same opinion.



What do you give each other at holidays? And do you make gifts without any special occasion?
We’re making gifts all the time with or without occasion, especially clothes, jewelry, accessories or a new car. I always want the present to be a surprise and Norah can’t keep a secret so she gives it away too soon. And if I tell her I have a gift for her, she becomes all curious and can’t rest until she finds out what is it.



What do you think of the titles that Eleonora won? Do you support her?
I’m very proud with Norah and her achievements made me really happy. She deserves all that and she has what it takes to achieve even more and get very far. She will always have my support, no matter what she’s doing.



No doubt that Eleonora is a very beautiful woman, do you get jealous?
Of course I’m jealous sometimes but I know her quite well and I never have any doubts at her. She’s the most virtuous person I have ever met and she could be a role model to every woman nowadays.



You’re both very booked, how do you spend your time together?
It’s true we’re spending much time apart but when we are together, we forget about the hard moments devote ourselves to each other. We like to take walks together, go to a restaurant or a club, meet friends – the usual stuff.



Are you thinking about having a child?
Yes, and we hope to have one soon. We’ve been waiting because the life we’re leading now it’s not so good for raising a child – ceaseless traveling and moving, different languages – all that has always stopped us. We want our children to grow up in our country and not to miss anything.


We know that the cosmetic procedures for men are not a taboo anymore. What care are you using for your appearance?
Thanks to Norah I don’t need a cosmetic – she’s the best. I could even have my cup of coffee while she’s waxing me and not spill a single drop. She’s the only person I trust with this. Unlike most football players I don’t shave my legs and Norah advises me not to.


About clothing – what kind do you prefer?
Mostly sport-elegant. My everyday wear includes a pair of jeans, a belt and a shirt. I don’t like ties and I can’t make a knot so I always need help every time I have to wear a suit. I care about the latest fashion trends but I also have my individual style and concept of clothing. I wouldn’t wear some designer’s rag just because someone says it’s modern.



Eleonora:


Eleonora, tell me about yourself.
My name is Eleonora Mancheva, I’m born in Sofia in 1.7. 1980. I graduated a high school with cosmetics. I used to have my own hairdressing salon in which I’m no longer involved. I became “Missis Bulgaria” and “Missis Universe” and at this point I’m engaged with fashion only. I intend to start a business in the near future, I have a few ideas but I wouldn’t share them before they become a reality.

How did you meet your husband?
We met at my hairdressing salon. Vlado was a regular costumer for two years. But for all that time all he dared to do was to look at me because he thought that if he spoke to me I would turn the other way and don’t answer back. So one fine day in 2002 he came at the hairdressing salon again and we ran into each other at the door and it impressed me that he opened it for me and let me in first – like a real gentleman. He sat down for his haircut and I gave him a calendar of the salon with my picture on it. Then Vlado asked did I wanted his picture in return. He told me he was a football player for CSKA. Ten minutes after he left he called back and asked me out for dinner. I refused because it has never been typical of me to go out for dinner with some stranger. So he called five minutes later and asked me to lunch. He explained that he was so persistent because he was about to go to Italy with his team for more than two weeks. He wanted to see me before that. I said yes and we had lunch. It turned out fine, we talked for three or four hours. Since then we started calling each other every single day. When he came back, we started living together. Many people say that we’re a typical couple – a model and a football player, but things worked out for us completely spontaneously. Neither I knew that he was a football player neither that he that I was in fashion.


So it took you two weeks only to start living together?

We’ve been living as a family as long as we know each other. Things moved forward very fast because he had to move abroad to play with his team. We went to France three months after we met and we started living together there. Everything we’ve achieved, we did together. It was hard for us at the beginning and we got that far only because we have a very solid relationship and we talk about everything.



And when did you get married?

At the 30th of may 2004 – an year and a half after our first date.


How did he propose?

It was really romantic and exiting. It was our first New Year’s Eve as a couple but yet we were apart because he had to be with his team for a game at the 31th in Egypt. I went to him few days after that. While I was in the shower he lighted many candles in the room and when I went out, he was waiting with the ring. At first I didn’t know how to react, it was a completely new experience. It’s not like I haven’t expected this but not at this very moment. In fact I needed some time to think and realize that he’s the one for me.


What is Vlado’s zodiacal sign?
Libra.


Do you believe in signs?
I do believe in them and I also read horoscopes. It says there that the best life partner for a Leo is the Libra and for a Libra is the Leo.


He’s in Spain right now. Aren’t you worried that he might have many fans among the ladies while you’re so far away from him?
He has many fans – both men and women. There isn’t any reason for me to be jealous. I’m glad he has fans. He’s very good at what he’s doing and he has fans because of his play on the ground. He had a very good year at France and people were very happy with him, they wanted to take pictures with him all the time, he was giving autographs. I’ve never been jealous of that. I’m always behind him and people are happy to see us both.


Did he have any importunate girl fans?
That doesn’t bother me, it never happen before and maybe that’s why I don’t think about such a possibility. We have confidence in each other and we don’t let the fact that I have many obligations here and he has to be in Spain, bother us. I don’t believe what people say, I believe what he tells me. When there’s something going on I’m always anxious to tell my husband everything about it with the smallest details, we don’t keep secrets from one another. I don’t have anything to feel guilty about, we’re calm in spite of all that distance between us.


And what’s keeping you in Bulgaria right now?
I have some obligations related to both my titles, soon there might be a possibility to develop myself abroad and more specifically in Italy.


In which direction?
Fashion – to become a face of a certain brand, to shoot photo-sessions but I could tell you more once it’s a fact. I don’t want to say anything now because when someone says things like this in advance, they never happen. Right now I’m quite busy with our future home in Bulgaria but everything is so hard. I know that’s a huge responsibility on my shoulders but I also know that no one else could do that better for me. I believe that making a reality our dream to have our own home in Bulgaria is the best decision we’ve ever made.


Do you have any plans of going back to Spain?
I’m traveling every month but I never planned moving there. I’d miss Bulgaria too much. I’m always coming back with a high mood. Even if Vlado keeps on playing abroad, there will never be another place that we could call home.


All that traveling – isn’t it hard for you?
It is hard – all that constant packing and unpacking… As every other woman I like to take along a lot of things. I feel more confident when I have everything with me. It’s hard for me because it takes many efforts and too much time. The town we currently live in is located by the border with Portuguese. This is one of the most distant locations in Europe.

Do you like Spain?
I like it and that’s the second place (after Bulgaria) that I would live. The attitude of mind of the Spanish people is very close to the one of the Bulgarians – they are warm people, always trying to help while at France there was not such thing. I put Italy right after Spain.


Where were you chosen for one of the most beautiful football player’s wife?
At the European Cup of 2004 when we became the weakest team of the championship. Everyone thought that we didn’t leave without a trophy after all because after the journalists’ vote that had to decide who’s the most beautiful football player’s wife I was number three. The first one was Victoria Beckham. I found out about this by the Bulgarian journalists. Then it came out in the Portugal press and afterwards there were some advertising videos for the championship with the most colorful personalities including me.

Aren’t the others wives of football players jealous?
There wasn’t another Bulgarian on that list and they definitely weren’t pleased about it. They avoided giving any comments. But I didn’t feel any malice from any of them.


As far as I know Vlado’s manager was also a manager of Stoichkov. Are you friends with his family? Rumor has it that Stoichkov used to help him and so on…
That’s what the yellow press says. Friends is a too strong expression but we know each other well. We had dinner few times with Stoichkov’s family and Lachezar Tanev. Vlado was playing for Valencia at that time and we had the opportunity to travel to Barcelona more often. Our contacts are limited now.


What is Vlado planning to do after putting an end of his professional career as a football player?
Maybe you should ask him. We haven’t thought about it yet but we’re certain that he’s not going to be a coach. I don’t know will he be in the management of some Bulgarian or foreign team either because there’s plenty of time until then. We thought of starting a family business in Bulgaria but we need to stay here the whole time in order to do such thing. We have an idea to try in the real estate business because the market is growing and it seems like a good investment but it may not be that way in few years.



At what age is Vlado thinking to quit playing?
He might play even in his 40s if he’s in good shape – just like Roberto Baggio used to play for Italy and like Maldini keeps on playing nowadays. It depends on the player’s physic and his contracts.


People are talking about the contract that Berbatov signed on for 16 millions, could we say how much did they pay for Vlado Manchev?
When he first moved from CSKA to Lilles the price was 2 million euro.


That was long ago…
Yes, six years ago. Now he has a clause in his contract for 15 millions.

They say that many football players become demanding when they go to play abroad. What were Vlado’s conditions when he accepted the offer of Spain apart from the salary?
He’s one of the football players with an exemplary conduct and the conditions are actually laid down on him. Places we lived in and cars we’ve been driven – it’s all on our own expenses. We’ve never took an advantage of the clauses in the contract that obligate them to provide us with a house or a car. We depend entirely on ourselves.


And his parents?
They live in Pazardgik but they’re divorced.


Does he have any siblings?
He has a sister who is quite older than him.


And what about you?
I have a brother Alexander who is four years younger than me. My family is great, I’m very proud of them.



What do your parents do for a living?
My mother is an accountant and my father owns a service-station.


How do they get along with Vlado?
Very well. My mother even says that she lost a daughter but she gained a new son at Vlado’s face. My parents are good and warm people, they would never make someone feel uneasy or embarrassed. Vlado is very fond of my family maybe because he never had а family like mine.



Are you planning to have children?
Of course. We are planning the important things in our life and we’re waiting to have a house of our own. Settling down in Bulgaria also depends on how long will Vlado play abroad, we need clarity because that’s a big step. I think even at the age of 34 is not late to have a child but there’s plenty of time until then. I don’t feel it’s right to have a child first and then start to think about achieving your professional goals because in cases like this the marriage fails.

Have you played any sports as a child?

I’ve never did, I was just enjoying swimming and gymnastics as an amateur. Sports were never a favorite occupation of mine.


How do you keep your good shape in that case?
I enjoy the nice food, I don’t keep any diets. It’s just my father’s genes, he’s young-looking and in very good shape. Maybe after giving a birth a woman’s body changes in a bad way but if she exercise on regular basis she could get back in shape. Everything is fixable if there is a will.


In August I saw billboards all over Sofia saying: “Happy birthday, Norah”. Was it a surprise or did you know?
It was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t suspected a thing even for a second and that’s been going on for two weeks before it was ready and Vlado played innocent, like he didn’t know anything. He chose the café and the table so I could see the billboard from where I stay. When I saw it he just laugh. It was a great surprise.


Do you like surprises?
Yes, I do. I’m trying to surprise him as well but honestly I never hold up to the end and I tell him everything before the right moment came.

What do you expect for Saint valentine’s Day this year?
I don’t expect something material, I hope that Vlado and I can spend the holiday together. He couldn’t make it here for certain but I should be able to go there.


What are you doing there during the day?
It’s not very interesting. I’m not a kind of woman that likes that way of life and maybe that’s why I can’t get used to it. I’m taking care of our home, we go out for walks. But I feel satisfied when doing something useful and meaningful while at this point for Vlado and for me life has stopped. He’s having a hard time because he doesn’t get along with his coach very well. I try to be beside him at times like this and to give him the support he needs. After all that’s what family is for.

Do you often talk over the phone?
Yes, all the time, and at night we’re talking for hours. Even if we last talked half an hour ago. We always have what to talk about.

What do you wish yourself for this year?
I wish myself mostly health and good luck because they’re both extremely important. I wish the same for Vlado – he doesn’t have much luck so he has to struggle a lot for the good things in life. I hope he gets transferred in a better team so he could prove his talent.