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), Kiril Despodov (4 times - 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023), 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.
List of Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
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 |
| 2021 | Svetoslav Vutsov | Goalkeeper | Slavia Sofia |
| 2022 | Nikola Iliev | Midfielder | Inter Milan |
| 2023 | Hristiyan Petrov | Defender | CSKA Sofia |
Women
| Year | Footballer | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015[6] | Silvia Radoyska | Midfielder | NSA Sofia |
| 2016 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Northwestern Ohio Racers |
| 2017 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Northwestern Ohio Racers |
| 2018 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Florida Gulf Coast Eagles |
| 2019[7] | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Florida Gulf Coast Eagles |
| 2020 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Napoli Femminile |
| 2021 | Simona Petkova | Midfielder | FC Lugano |
| 2022 | Simona Petkova | Midfielder | YB Frauen |
| 2023 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Lazio Women 2015 |
| 2024[8] | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | Lazio Women 2015 / Brisbane Roar |
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 |
| Kiril Despodov | 5 | 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
| 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 |
| Dimitar Iliev | 2 | 2019, 2020 |
Winners by league
| Country | Winners | Clubs featured |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 39 | Levski (11), CSKA (11), Lokomotiv Plovdiv (5), Slavia Sofia (5), Lokomotiv Sofia (3), Ludogorets Razgrad (3), Litex Lovech (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) |
| Greece | 2 | PAOK (2) |
| Netherlands | 1 | Twente (1) |
| Scotland | 1 | Celtic (1) |
| Serbia | 1 | Partizan (1) |
| Switzerland | 1 | Basel (1) |
See also
References
- ^ Bulgarian PM wins player of the 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. Archived from the original on 2010-12-28. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ AFC Media Team (18 March 2025). "Third place for Dimi in Bulgarian Footballer of the year Awards". afc.co.uk. Aberdeen FC. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ hronika (18 March 2025). "Най-добра футболистка на България за 2024 г. е Евдокия Попадинова" [Bulgaria's best female footballer for 2024 is Evdokia Popadinova]. hronika-bg.com. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
Sources
- Paytashev, Rumen (2001). Svetovna Futbolna Entsiklopediya. Sofia: KK Trud. p. 383. ISBN 954-528-201-0.