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.[citation needed]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Despodov_2018.jpg/250px-Despodov_2018.jpg)
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 club with the most winners is Levski Sofia with 11 and CSKA Sofia a close second with 10.
List of Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Hristo_Bonev_1974.jpg/250px-Hristo_Bonev_1974.jpg)
Men
Youth
Year | Footballer | Position | Club |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Bozhidar Kraev | Midfielder | ![]() |
2015 | Bozhidar Kraev | Midfielder | ![]() |
2016 | Petko Hristov | Defender | ![]() |
2017 | Kiril Despodov | Forward | ![]() |
2018 | Valentin Antov | Defender | ![]() |
2019 | Stanislav Ivanov | Forward | ![]() |
2020 | Dominik Yankov | Midfielder | ![]() |
2021 | Svetoslav Vutsov | Goalkeeper | ![]() |
2022 | Nikola Iliev | Midfielder | ![]() |
2023 | Hristiyan Petrov | Defender | ![]() |
Women
Year | Footballer | Position | Club |
---|---|---|---|
2015[5] | Silvia Radoyska | Midfielder | ![]() |
2016 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | ![]() |
2017 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | ![]() |
2018 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | ![]() |
2019[6] | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | ![]() |
2020 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | ![]() |
2021 | Simona Petkova | Midfielder | ![]() |
2022 | Simona Petkova | Midfielder | ![]() |
2023 | Evdokiya Popadinova | Forward | ![]() |
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 | 4 | 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
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 |
---|---|---|
![]() | 39 | Levski (11), CSKA (11), Lokomotiv Plovdiv (5), Slavia Sofia (5), Lokomotiv Sofia (3), Ludogorets Razgrad (3), Litex Lovech (1) |
![]() | 5 | Bayer Leverkusen (3), Stuttgart (2) |
![]() | 5 | Barcelona (4), Atlético Madrid (1) |
![]() | 4 | Manchester United (3), Tottenham Hotspur (1) |
![]() | 3 | Sporting (2), Porto (1) |
![]() | 3 | Spartak Moscow (3) |
![]() | 1 | Rapid Wien (1) |
![]() | 1 | PAOK (1) |
![]() | 1 | Twente (1) |
![]() | 1 | Celtic (1) |
![]() | 1 | Partizan (1) |
![]() | 1 | Basel (1) |
See also
References
Sources
- Paytashev, Rumen (2001). Svetovna Futbolna Entsiklopediya. Sofia: KK Trud. p. 383. ISBN 954-528-201-0.