Bulgarian footballers abroad: who are they and how are they doing?

As of right now, a grand total of 71 footballers born within the limits of our homeland who also have Bulgarian citizenship have chosen the comfort in playing football in another country. What’s more, 24 players out of the whole number (33.8%) have attracted the attention of foreign teams currently playing in the first division of their respective football system. Putting these numbers into perspective, according to a research regarding the exportation of footballers done by CIES Football Observatory in 2019, nations such as Mali, North Macedonia and Georgia have outnumbered us in players sent to play abroad. There are multiple reasons for the migration of our compatriots- a hunger for more competitive and prestigious leagues, better income, better overall standard of living, etc. In this article, we will take a look at the best Bulgarians abroad, some well-forgotten names as well as footballers who are under the radar of media’s attention.

Petko Hristov (ACF Fiorentina)

Petko and his twin brother, Andrea, started their career paths at Levski Sofia’s youth academy. They were initially put in the older groups but were moved to the younger ones later on. Andrea received less and less game time due to the fact one of the youth coaches said to him that he was no longer wanted at the club. This meant that Petko was also going to move to another team. Slavia Sofia then came with equal offers for both siblings in 2013 which was the brother’s initial desire. Petko Hristov spent 3 years in the youth setups of ‘The Whites’ before securing a first-team place in 2016. At the same time, the teenager was called up in the U19 Bulgarian national team opening him the opportunity of impressing scouts from European clubs. This inevitably happened during the European Under-19 Championship in 2017- Hristov grabbed the attention of ACF Fiorentina’s owner, Firenze Viola, which resulted in a five-year contract with ‘The Violets’. Slavia, on the other hand, received approximately €1.7M from the deal. Since his arrival in Italy, the young centre back has been loaned out twice in search of game experience. Early signs suggest that he might feature in the first team squad plans next season.

Ivaylo Chochev (Delfino Pescara 1936)

Another Bulgarian who chose the comfort of Italy was Ivaylo Chochev. Born in a relatively small village near Pleven, Ivaylo’s road to success wasn’t an easy one. As surprising as it sounds, Chochev had a hard time deciding what sport to take up- in his village, he started playing basketball before switching to football a few years later. Raised in Spartak Pleven, the child kicked the ball there at the age of 6 and found a new club when 15 years old. He still wasn’t ready for professional football so his new club, Chavdar Etropole, decided to include him in their U17 team for just about 2 years. In January 2010, the youngster started training sessions with the first squad and six months later made his professional debut in the second tier of Bulgarian football. For less than two seasons, Chochev became a solid midfielder making 61 appearances while scoring on 17 occasions. On 16 January 2013, CSKA Sofia persuaded Ivaylo to join their team offering him a first-team place if he manages to impress. 50 games in a CSKA shirt were more than enough for him to become a fan favourite, an irreplaceable part of the squad, and even more interesting, intriguing target for renowned European teams such as AS Monaco, VfL Wolfsburg, and the team he ended up playing for- S.S.D. Palermo. Chochev established himself at Italy as an important part of Palermo’s side- more than 100 matches in 5 seasons for ‘The Pink and Blacks’. However, the Italian team had severe financial difficulties back in 2019, which forced the owners to bankrupt the club resulting in the departures of Chochev and many other first team players. What’s more, the midfielder suffered a fractured kneecap, back in March 2019, which is still keeping him out of first team action. Currently the Bulgarian is yet to play his first match for Delfino Pescara in the upcoming season with one compatriot in the same team- Valeri Bojinov.

Antoni Ivanov (CS Universitatea Craiova)

One of the relatively unknown footballers on our territory but still successful, nonetheless. Born in the capital of Bulgaria, Antoni was firstly introduced to the CSKA Sofia’s academy but was on the move to Ludogorets alongside the youth coach, Milan Ciric, in 2012. Ivanov was regarded as one of the best young Bulgarian prospects at that time. However, he failed to hit the ground running at his new team and was released from the club less than 2 years since joining. What followed after that were several 1-year (or sometimes even less than a year) spells in lower-tier Bulgarian teams before securing his first transfer abroad. After another not so convincing season, this time in the top division of Bulgarian football though, the Romanian team Gaz Metan Medias decided to offer him a chance in their team. Away from his motherland, Ivanov finally found his place- as a regular starter, the midfielder helped his team finish in the 7^th place which made him a transfer target for sundry teams- CSKA Sofia (his childhood club), FCSB as well as the team which won the race for him- Universitatea Craiova. Right now, Antoni is pulling the strings in midfield in the Romanian side while still only 24 years old so only time will tell what the future holds for him.

Ilia Gruev (Junior) (SV Werder Bremen)

Following the footsteps of his father, Ilia Gruev (senior), Ilia has never been part of any Bulgarian teams except the national youth setups. Even though born in Sofia, Gruev has spent most of his childhood in Germany due to the fact his father was playing there at that time. The first club of Ilia was the last of his dad’s- Rot-Weiß Erfurt. At the age of 15, the prominent German team SV Werder Bremen offered him a place in their youth academy which he accepted. The defensive midfielder’s top-notch performances helped the U17 side reach the final of the Under 17 Bundesliga where they lost to the academy team of Bayern München. This got the teenager promoted to the U19 setup where he still managed to prove his quality despite being one of the youngest participants in the team. Since the start of this campaign, Gruev was named as a first-choice captain of the youth team which just shows how much SV Werder Bremen trust him. The 20-year-old signed his first professional contract with ‘The River Islanders’ on 15 April 2019. Asked about his development in February this year, the manager of Werder Bremen, Florian Kohfeldt, explained:

“In the last couple of weeks, Ili showed he has made the right step in his development. He has improved his physicality. However, he is still nowhere near his first-team teammates in that position. Our plan is to encourage him in training sessions this year so that he could make the next step in his development. It’s fascinating what he has achieved during the last 8 months.”

Kiril Despodov (Cagliari Calcio; on loan at SK Sturm Graz)

Arguably one of the best Bulgarian footballers currently playing abroad. Kiril was born in Kresna (a town near Blagoevgrad) and started playing in Pirin 2001, a team created for the development of young players. In 2008, he participated in the annual trials of Litex and was accepted in their youth academy. The winger gradually climbed the youth ladder getting through every setup while, in the meantime, debuting for the first team, when only 15 years of age, under the management of the Bulgarian legend, Hristo Stoichkov. He was the one who foresaw the bright future of Kiril. The teenager played 37 times for Litex in the main squad before the team got relegated by the Football Association due to the infamous match Levski- Litex back in 2015. Despodov went on to join CSKA Sofia and improved by leaps and bounds since then. Quality performances week in and week out made him one of the best in the business. In fact, he won the prestigious award ‘Bulgarian Footballer of the Year’ in 2018. A couple of weeks later, Cagliari Calcio announced the arrival of the winger on a five-year contract with an option for a further year extension. CSKA managed to sell Despodov for € 3.5M initial fee plus additional clauses. However, the Bulgarian struggled to hit the ground running in Italy, which unavoidably resulted in a loan deal. SK Sturm Graz found themselves in the best position to get him for 1 year given the fact he had a good relationship with Nestor El Maestro, the, as of right now, former manager of Sturm Graz. They created a strong connection during their time at CSKA which helped Despodov adapt quickly to the team. The winger is currently still playing for the Austrian club and many of their fans could tell you that he is carrying the team on his shoulders- 9 goals and 7 goalscoring passes in 19 league appearances is just what Cagliari hoped for when loaning the Bulgarian out.

Georgi Kostadinov (Arsenal Tula) 

A player who might be well-forgotten here but has managed to make a name for himself in Russia. Georgi made his first steps in football playing for Neftochimic Burgas making his professional debut in 2008. A year later, he joined the historic team of Chernomorets Pomorie which managed to get to the final of the domestic cup. In fact, Kostadinov was the one who scored the decisive penalty which got ‘The Sharks’ into the concluding match. This attention made him one of the most wanted teenagers back in the days. Ludogorets’ offer might have been the best out of all as he chose to play for them for the next season. Slightly more than 12 months were enough for Kostadinov to forget about his ambitions to play regularly in such a big club at such an early age. In his next club, Beroe Stara Zagora, he played for 2 campaigns being an important player in their tactics. In 2015, the defensive midfielder joined Levski Sofia on a free transfer and that’s when he improved significantly as a footballer. Back then, he was an inimitable part of the squad appearing 49 times in Levski’s shirt contributing to the defensive side of the game. However, Kostadinov once again left his club on a free transfer joining Maccabi Haifa. In the Israeli league, he still managed to be a decent footballer but found the right place in his next, and current, club of his career- Arsenal Tula. The Bulgarian is currently enjoying the desired regular place in the starting line-up even though the Russian side is thought to be underperforming right now.

Bozhidar Kraev (FC Midtjylland)

Kraev has chosen a somewhat unpopular destination for a move abroad judging from the other examples- Denmark. Bozhidar started his career path in the local club of Botev Vratsa and played in their youth academy for approximately 5 years. Like Despodov, Hristo Stoichkov was one of the first to acknowledge the talent of Kraev and decided to offer him a place in his Spanish academy, Vilafranca. Kraev did exceptionally well there and was very close to joining the famous Barcelona’s academy, La Masia, but continued his development in his homeland instead. What followed after that were 2-year spells in the academies of Chavdar Etropole as well as a return to his origins, Botev Vratsa, before moving to Levski Sofia where he truly flourished. He was fast-tracked into the first team and caught the attention of world-class teams since the very start. The famous English media outlet, The Guardian, not only dedicated a few articles to him about his trial to Manchester City but also included the Bulgarian in a prestigious category ‘Next Generation: 40 of the best young talents in world football’ back in 2014. This attention made a transfer away from Bulgaria inevitable- €500K was paid from the Danish side FC Midtjylland for Kraev’s services. Since then, his development hasn’t been that significant, with one successful loan move in the process to the Portuguese Gil Vicente FC, but still has time to prove his doubters wrong.

Kun Temenuzhkov (Leeds United U23; on loan at CF La Nucía)

A player who is definitely under the radar of our attention but deserves recognition, nonetheless. Born in Haskovo, his family immigrated to Spain when Kun was still a toddler. They were the ones who decided to let Temenuzhkov train in the UE Lleida academy which meant that the, back then, 9-year-old had to travel back and forth 5 times weekly. During his breakthrough season there in 2014, the child managed to find the back of the net 43 times. One of the matches during his goalscoring tally was against arguably one of the best football academies in the world- La Masia. During this game, Guillermo Amor, former Barcelona player and Spanish international, has been left impressed by the Bulgarian. As a result, Temenuzhkov has been offered a trial period in the Catalonian academy which he passed successfully. Between 2014 and 2017, the teenager was part of La Masia banging goals for fun at some of the youth academies. It came as a shock when the Spanish giant decided to release the youngster. What added to this surprise was the fact that Kun was included in The Guardian’s prestigious list of ‘Next Generation: 60 of the best young talents in world football’ in 2017. Leeds United were intrigued by the possibility of having this striker in their hands so the Bulgarian would move to Yorkshire in the same year. He is doing considerably well under the management of Marcelo Bielsa and his youth staff which got him a debut in the FA Cup for the first-team squad. He was loaned out to CF La Nucía this season and even though he is still in Spain, Temenuzhkov is likely to return to Leeds, hopefully amongst the main squad of the Championship side.

Borislav Tsonev (NK Inter Zapresic)

Last in our list is a forgotten player who has had his ups and downs in his career. Borislav, just like his twin brother, Radoslav, who is also playing abroad, started his career in the hometown club Pirin Blagoevgrad but 2 years later than his sibling. In 2009 both of them were offered the opportunity to play for Levski Sofia which couldn’t have been turned down. Again, as a pair, both got the chance to play for the first team debuting in the same match- 3:0 win over PFK Montana. On 29 April 2013, Borislav and Radoslav both signed their first professional contacts with Levski. However, this was the last thing which was similar in their career paths. Borislav started playing less often than his brother but was still used as an impact sub, nonetheless. The 2014/15 campaign was predicted to be the breakthrough one for him but an early ruptured knee ligament ruled him out for 9 months. Tsonev returned to the football pitch just before the end of the season and managed to play a couple of games in order to regain fitness and match sharpness. The next season was the time for him to shine for his beloved club but the very same injury repeated in September meaning that he would be out of action for another 6 months. At this point, Levski lost hope of realising his potential and let the attacking midfielder go on a free transfer. Beroe managed to attract him to relocate to Stara Zagora and, fortunately, he didn’t suffer any injuries since departing from Levski. In his new team, Borislav was a pivotal part of the manager’s tactical approach. In 3 campaigns, Tsonev played 69 times for the ‘The Greens’ while netting 13 goals in the process. These performances secured him a winter transfer away from Bulgaria- the Croatian club NK Inter Zapresic paid approximately €150K for Borislav’s services. He is currently still playing alongside his Croatian teammates establishing himself as a regular starter for less than 2 seasons.

The likes of Kristian Dimitrov (HNK Hajduk Split), Ivelin Popov (FK Rostov), Steven Petkov (CD Feirense), Strahil Popov (Hatayspor), Vasil Bozhikov (Slovan Bratislava) and Kamen Hadzhiev (Puskás Akadémia FC) also deserve to be mentioned as notable Bulgarian football migrators.

images: Instagram @kuntm_09 @petkohristovv