Nikolai Galov, also popular by the nickname “The colleague Galov", was born on July 5, 1943 in Plovdiv. He died on Jule 9, 1993, in that same city. Nikolai Galov started his career as a sports commentator in Radio Plovdiv, and later on became a national sports broadcaster, working for Radio Horizont and the Bulgarian National Television. Galov also wrote for numerous Bulgarian newspapers published in Plovdiv, Sofia and Varna.
He became ‘godfather’ to the Locomotive football team, giving them the nickname they have been known by ever since - "the Smurfs". He did that to even the bases between the two Plovdiv football teams – “Botev” (then called “Trakia”) and “Locomotive”. "It wouldn't be fair," he said, "for one team to have a nickname and for the other not to have one." Even though he was unbiased and has always been professional and objective, many have suspected his being a fan of Botev. When asked to reveal the truth, he would always answer with a humor that he was “a fan of Beroe, Stara Zagora”.
Galov was a part of the team that covered the World Soccer Championship in Italy - his dream did come true. Before that he made history in the Bulgarian sport journalism by doing a live play-by-play of the world championship in Mexico, but actually sitting in the television studio in Sofia! All the commentators that were in Mexico at that time were all Sofia guys, but the Plovdiv-born one had to cover for them while the satellite connections had failed and no sound ever arrived to Bulgaria. Galov did the broadcast to almost all of the games played in Mexico during that championship.
Galov did not broadcast only football, however. He did cover boxing, track and field, tennis, equestrian sport, chess and many other sports. He met and interviewed numerous famous athletes, such as Hristo Stoichkov, Stefka Kostadinova (who was a good friend of his), chess masters Gary Kasparov and Anatolij Karpov, and many, many others.
Galov married his great love - Violeta, and the two of them had one daughter - Evelina, two hamsters, one guinea pig, a cat, and a dog (following in that order).
Galov suffered a brain stroke just a few days before the scheduled broadcast of the final match for the Bulgarian Soccer Cup, and died a few days later in a hospital. He is remembered by his friends and family as a man with amazing sense of humor and a sharp, quick mind.