"I want to fight as a Bulgarian and I want to die as a Bulgarian". This is the legendary Dan Kolov’s response to the many offers to change his citizenship that he receives from French and American people, a BGNES journalist reported.

December 27 marks the 132nd anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest athletes in the history of Bulgaria, who conquered Europe and the world with the mythical power that he demonstrated on the wrestling mat. "He is our pride. Not only for the village, he is for the district, he is for Bulgaria. He is the strongest man. Maybe he will be born stronger, but there will be no one more noble and generous", says the curator of the Dan Kolov House-Museum in the village of Sennik – Ivanichka Petrova. The museum is housed in Kolov’s birthplace.

"When he was eight years old, his brothers took him to a fair in Sevlievo, and that's when he met wrestling, because in the fall they would make a public appearance at the fairs, and that's when he met the wrestlers. When his brother asked him why and what he was doing all by himself, he said, "Don't scold me, my brother, one day I'll be like them" - that's how little Doncho got into wrestling, which would bring him world fame.

Dan Kolov recorded over 1,500 wins and only a few losses on the mat. Among the most curious facts about Kolov are that he was breastfed for three years, he turned down an offer from Al Capone to become his bodyguard, and his victory over the fearsome Japanese wrestler nicknamed the Strangler, who killed his opponents with a leg hold. The fearless Bulgarian went to Japan, where he escaped the Strangler's grip and broke his spine. Because of this, he was expelled from the country, but in America he was welcomed as a hero because of the rivalry between the two countries.

"He was forced and asked to change his citizenship four times. He said, if I were a French or an American citizen, I would be the most unhappy person. This was his motto in life, because he said – I want to fight as a Bulgarian and I want to die as a Bulgarian. The most important thing for him was Bulgaria", says Petrova. "His biggest opponent and his biggest friend was the Frenchman Henri Deglan. In the 70s, he came to Dan Kolov’s grave, he was already of a respectable age and cried the whole time. They were hugged and smiled everywhere", she recalls.

Dan Kolov’s nobility and generosity are proverbial. With his skills, he managed to earn a lot of money in the USA and gave it away generously in Bulgaria. "There is a lot of talk around the world that he donated 543 thousand to Bulgarian students studying abroad, to orphans, to people who suffered in the war. He never refused anyone. Everyone remembers him as very noble", shared Ivanichka Petrova.

Dan Kolov left this world young - he died at the age of 47 from tuberculosis. However, he fulfilled his wish to be buried in the village where he was born - Sennik. | BGNES