German football legend and current Bulgarian national coach Lothar Matthaeus stated the glory days for the country's football which peaked in the national team's sensational performers in the 1994 World Cup will not return anytime soon.

"You have to be realistic. 1994 is a long time ago. Those days are gone. Football isn't held in the same esteem as it was back then, and the mood of the nation has changed. People are struggling to keep their heads above water, and funds are much more urgently required elsewhere," Matthaeus said in an interview for FIFA.com.

Commenting the situation in EURO 2012 qualifying, where Bulgaria are fourth in Group G behind England, Montenegro and Switzerland, the German coach admitted the Balkan team's fate is no linger in its hands, as it is dependent on results elsewhere now.

"Victory away to Montenegro in early June would be a first step in the right direction. If we miss out on the EURO, we'll turn our focus to the next major target, the World Cup in 2014," he said.

"Berbatov doesn't play for Bulgaria any more, so there's no point speculating whether it would have been better with him in the team. The reality is that all my players give it their best shot," Matthaeus responded to a question whether the national squad misses Man Utd star striker Dimitar Berbatov, who recently quit it.

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