Northern Ireland vs Bulgaria (15/10/2024)

ILIA GRUEV MIDFIELDER LEEDS UNITED

ILIAN ILIEV MIDFIELDER CSKA SOFIA AGE 25 CAPS 16 GOALS 0 The manager’s son was born in Portugal while his father was playing for Maritimo but, like his dad, came through the ranks at Cherno More. His still young career has included spells in Portugal and Cyprus, but he signed for CSKA this summer. He made his international debut in March 2021. FILIP KRASTEV MIDFIELDER PEC ZWOLLE (NED) AGE 22 CAPS 18 GOALS 1 A product of the Slavia Sofia academy, in 2020 Krastev joined Belgian club Lommel - part of the City Football Group. That has led to a series of loans that have taken him to France with Troyes, the Netherlands with Cambuur, back to Bulgaria with Levski Sofia, and the United States with Los Angeles FC before he joined Dutch club PEC Zwolle in January this year. KIRIL DESPODOV FORWARD PAOK (GRE) AGE 27 CAPS 51 GOALS 15 Bulgaria’s captain and match-winner from the game against Northern Ireland in Plovdiv last month is a four time national champion with Ludogorets, having joined them in 2021 following spells with Italy’s Cagliari and Sturm Graz in Austria. Last summer he joined Greek Super League club PAOK and was a league winner in his first season.

ZDRAVKO DIMITROV MIDFIELDER BODRUM (TUR) AGE 26 CAPS 2 GOALS 0

AGE 24 CAPS 18 GOALS 0 The son of former Bulgaria

Left-winger Dimitrov was yet another member of this squad to have made his U21s debut against Northern Ireland back in 2019, receiving his first senior cap a year later when he came on as a substitute in a 3-0 friendly win over Gibraltar.

international Iliya Gruev, the Leeds midfielder spent much of his childhood in Germany and joined Werder Bremen in 2015, advancing through their academy to become a first team regular. He joined Leeds in August 2023 and, although he initially struggled to adapt, has become a key part of their midfield since the turn of the year.

VASIL PANAYOTOV MIDFIELDER CHERNO MORE AGE 34 CAPS 3 GOALS 0

SERKAN YUSEIN MIDFIELDER KRUMOVGRAD AGE 28 CAPS 2 GOALS 0 Defensive midfielder

A late starter in international football, Panayotov has played for Cherno More since 2018. Prior to that he was a bit of a journeyman, playing for nine different clubs, one of them twice, in the previous 10 years. He made his international debut aged 29 in a 3-1 friendly loss to the Republic of Ireland in 2019.

Yusein received his first international call-up back in 2020 but had to wait until June of this year to make his debut, featuring in a 0-0 friendly draw with Romania. He was Bulgarian champion with Ludogorets in the 2018/19 season.

IVAYLO CHOCHEV MIDFIELDER LUDOGORETS RAZGRAD AGE 31 CAPS 44 GOALS 4

GEORGI MINCHEV FORWARD ÜMRANIYESPOR (TUR)

AGE 29 CAPS 11 GOALS 1 Minchev has been a regular scorer in a club career which has seen him play for a number of clubs in Bulgaria, in Latvia with Riga and in Cyprus with AEL Limassol. He joined Turkish club Ümraniyespor this summer.

Among the most experienced players in the Bulgaria squad, Chochev joined then Serie A side Palermo in 2014 and made 120 appearances for the Sicilian club across five seasons before moving to Pescara then back to Bulgaria with CSKA 1948 and reigning champions Ludogorets.

MARTIN MINCHEV FORWARD CAYKUR RIZESPOR (TUR) AGE 23 CAPS 20 GOALS 0

ALEKS KOLEV FORWARD LEVSKI SOFIA AGE 31 CAPS 8 GOALS 0

STANISLAV IVANOV FORWARD ARDA AGE 25 CAPS 5 GOALS 0

RADOSLAV KIRILOV FORWARD CSKA 1948

AGE 32 CAPS 16 GOALS 2 Kirilov spent much of his

Minchev became the youngest player to turn out for Cherno More when he made his debut as a substitute one day after his 16th birthday in 2017. After establishing himself in the first team, Minchev moved to the Czech Republic with Sparta Prague in 2020 and in 2023 headed to Turkey.

Kolev first broke through in Belgian football having moved to the country as a teenager, but after spells with Dessel Sport and ASV Geel he signed for Botev Plovdiv in 2014. A varied career has followed, much of it spent in Poland. A late starter in international football, he made his debut last November.

Winger Ivanov came through the ranks with Levski Sofia before upping sticks for the United States in 2021, signing

childhood in Italy and played for more than half a dozen clubs there in a varied start to his professional career. It was with Slavia Sofia that he found a more permanent home when signing in 2019, making more than 100 appearances before joining CSKA 1948 in 2022.

for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. After two

seasons there, he moved back to Bulgaria with Arda in 2023. He made his international debut in October 2023.

IRISHFA.COM

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