Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
Bulgarian Footballer of the Year (Bulgarian: Футболист №1 на България, Futbolist №1 na Balgariya) is an annual title awarded to the best Bulgarian association football player of the year. The award has been given since 1961, and the winner is elected by authorized journalists from the leading Bulgarian media.
History
2011 was the first year with a vote held online by fans.[1] The poll has been organized by the Futbol newspaper (1961–1975), the Start newspaper (1975–1998), the Futbol newspaper and Start magazine (1999–present).
The footballers to have won the award the most times are Dimitar Berbatov (7 times - 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Hristo Stoichkov (5 times - 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994), Hristo Bonev (1969, 1972, 1973) and Ivelin Popov (2015, 2016, 2017).[2] The clubs with the most winners are Levski Sofia and CSKA Sofia with 11 each.
List of Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
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Men
Youth
| Year | Footballer | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Bozhidar Kraev | Midfielder |  Levski Sofia |
| 2015 | Bozhidar Kraev | Midfielder | Levski Sofia |
| 2016 | Petko Hristov | Defender | Slavia Sofia |
| 2017 | Kiril Despodov | Forward | CSKA Sofia |
| 2018 | Valentin Antov | Defender | CSKA Sofia |
| 2019 | Stanislav Ivanov | Forward | Levski Sofia |
| 2020 | Dominik Yankov | Midfielder | Botev Vratsa / Ludogorets |
Women
| Year | Footballer | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015[5] | Silvia Radoyska | Midfielder | NSA Sofia |
| 2016 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward |  Racers Ohio |
| 2017 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Racers Ohio |
| 2018 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Florida Gulf Coast Eagles |
| 2019[6] | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Florida Gulf Coast Eagles |
| 2020 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward |  Napoli Femminile |
Statistics
Multiple winners
| Winner | Number of wins | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| Dimitar Berbatov | 7 | 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| Hristo Stoichkov | 5 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 |
| Hristo Bonev | 3 | 1969, 1972, 1973 |
| Ivelin Popov | 3 | 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| Krasimir Balakov | 2 | 1995, 1997 |
| Georgi Ivanov | 2 | 2000, 2001 |
| Kiril Ivkov | 2 | 1974, 1975 |
| Dimitar Penev | 2 | 1967, 1971 |
Winners by league
| Country | Winners | Clubs featured |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria |
36 | Levski (11), CSKA (11), Slavia Sofia (5), Lokomotiv Plovdiv (4), Lokomotiv Sofia (3), Litex Lovech (1), Ludogorets Razgrad (1) |
 Germany |
5 | Bayer Leverkusen (3), Stuttgart (2) |
 Spain |
5 | Barcelona (4), Atlético Madrid (1) |
 England |
4 | Manchester United (3), Tottenham Hotspur (1) |
 Portugal |
3 | Sporting (2), Porto (1) |
 Russia |
3 | Spartak Moscow (3) |
 Austria |
1 | Rapid Wien (1) |
 Netherlands |
1 | Twente (1) |
 Scotland |
1 | Celtic (1) |
 Serbia |
1 | Partizan (1) |
 Switzerland |
1 | Basel (1) |
See also
References
- Bulgarian PM wins player of year but wants award annulled bbc.co.uk
- Бербатов за седми път Футболист на годината news.bg
- "Бербатов за шести път е футболист №1 на България" (in Bulgarian). Труд. 2010-01-14. Archived from the original on 2010-01-19. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- "Димитър Бербатов с нов рекорд - №1 за 2010 година и общо за седми път" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 2010-12-20. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- Това са най-добрите футболисти в "А" група по постове
- Petkov, Georgi (5 January 2020). "Димитър Илиев е "Футболист на годината", получи наградата си лично от Бербатов". topsport.bg. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
Sources
- Paytashev, Rumen (2001). Svetovna Futbolna Entsiklopediya. Sofia: KK Trud. p. 383. ISBN 954-528-201-0.