Macedonia: Gjorgji Hristov

 The top goal scorer of the Macedonian national football team, Gjorgji Hristov, was officially presented as FIFA/SOS Ambassador in November 2004. He is the first Macedonian football player to accept this honour.  

Gjorgji Hristov with one of his little fans from Skopje

Hristov, a striker for Dutch club Zwolle, pledged his support for SOS Children's Villages in Macedonia at a ceremony in Skopje that attracted a lot of local media and public interest. Earlier in his career, Hristov had become the first Macedonian footballer to play in the English Premier League.

Hristov immediately began serving in his FIFA/SOS Ambassador role when he invited two boys in the care of SOS Children's Villages, to accompany the captains of the Macedonian and Czech teams onto the pitch at a 17 November World Cup qualifying match in Skopje. The striker had previously already provided support to the SOS Children's Village association in the Netherlands.