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'''Official websites'''
'''Official websites'''
* [http://www.levski.bg Official website]
* [http://www.levski.bg Official website]
* [http://levskiacademy.com/ Levski Academy]
* [http://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/teams/club=50044 UEFA Profile]
* [http://www.uefa.com/teamsandplayers/teams/club=50044 UEFA Profile]


Revision as of 13:36, 9 March 2021

"Levski Sofia" redirects here. For the sports club, see Levski Sofia (sports club).
Levski Sofia
Full nameProfessional Football Club Levski Sofia
Nickname(s)Сините (The Blues)
Отбора на народа (The Team of the People)
Синята лавина (The Blue Avalanche)
Short nameLEV
Founded24 May 1914; 110 years ago (1914-05-24)
GroundVivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov
Capacity25,000
ShareholdersNasko Sirakov (51.6%)
Konstantin Papazov (35%)
Blue Bulgaria Trust (10%)
Minority shareholders (3.4%)
Head coachSlaviša Stojanovič
LeagueFirst League
2019–20First League, 4th
Websitehttp://www.levski.bg/
Current season

Levski Sofia (Template:Lang-bg) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 as a football department of Levski Sofia sports club by a group of students, and is named after Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian revolutionary renowned as the national hero of the country.

Levski has won a total of 73 trophies, including 26 national titles, 25 national cups and 3 supercups, as well as 13 domestic Doubles and 1 Treble. It is also the only Bulgarian football club to have never been relegated from the top division since the establishment of the league system in 1937.[1] Levski has reached the quarter-finals of UEFA competitions for five times, was runner-up of the Balkans Cup twice, and in 2006, it became the first Bulgarian club to enter the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The team's regular kit colour is all-blue. Levski's home ground is the Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov in Sofia, which has a capacity of 25,000 spectators. The club's biggest rivals are CSKA Sofia, and matches between the two capital sides are commonly referred to as the Eternal derby of Bulgaria. Levski is also a regular member of the European Club Association and the European Multisport Club Association.[2][3]

History

Sport Club Levski (1914–1969)

First kit (1914–20)

[4] Sport Club Levski was founded in 1911 by a group of students at the Second Male High School in Sofia, with football as the major sport practiced. The club's name was chosen in honour of the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil Levski, and the club was officially registered on 24 May 1914.

In 1914, Levski lost its first official match against FC 13 Sofia 0–2. Between 1914 and 1920, football wasn't a popular sport in Bulgaria, and no additional information about the club exists. In the summer of 1921, the Sofia Sports League was established, which united 10 clubs from Sofia and marked the beginning of organized football competitions in the city. The Blues won the first match in the championship for the season 1921–22, held on 18 September 1921, against Athletic Sofia with the score of 3–1. Levski captured first place in the league in 1923 after a dramatic 3–2 win over bitter rival Slavia Sofia and successfully defended the title the following season.

The first National Championship was held in 1924 with Levski representing Sofia. The team went on to win the title in 1933, 1937 and 1942, and established itself as the most popular football club in Bulgaria. Levski also became the holder for all times of the Ulpia Serdica Cup by virtue of winning it for the third time in a row in 1933. In 1929, Levski became the first semi-professional football club in Bulgaria, after 12 players staged a boycott of the team in demand of financial remuneration and insurance benefits. The same year Levski met its first international opponents, losing to Gallipoli Istanbul 0–1 and winning against Kuban Istanbul 6–0.

Georgi Asparuhov – "Gundi"
Levski kit during a large part of the 40s–60s [5]

After World War II, Levski became one of the two top clubs in Bulgaria. After winning the championship in 1946, 1947, 1949 (as part of Unbeaten Double making Levski Sofia the only Bulgarian team with such an achievement), 1950 and 1953 Levski would not capture the domestic title again until the mid-1960s. In 1949, the authorities changed the club's name to Dinamo following the Soviet traditions, but after the destalinization of Bulgaria, it was reverted in 1957. The 1960s were marked with return to success both on the domestic and on the international stage. Levski's academy would become the most successful in national youth competitions for the years to come, and the results were first seen in the likes of Georgi Asparuhov, Georgi Sokolov, Biser Mihaylov, Kiril Ivkov, Ivan Vutsov, Stefan Aladzhov and Aleksandar Kostov, assisted by experienced veterans like Stefan Abadzhiev, Dimo Pechenikov and Hristo Iliev, who celebrated winning the championship in 1965, 1968 and 1970, and the 7–2 triumph over new bitter rival CSKA in 1968. The tie against Benfica in the European Cup in 1965 remained memorable for the Eusébio versus Georgi Asparuhov clash, and the recognition that the Portuguese great gave to his Bulgarian counterpart.

Levski-Spartak (1969–1985)

In January 1969 Levski was merged with Spartak Sofia by BCP, and put under the auspice of the Bulgarian Interior Ministry. The name of the club was once again changed, this time to Levski-Spartak.

A new crop of youngsters in the likes of Kiril Milanov, Dobromir Zhechev, Pavel Panov, Yordan Yordanov, Stefan Staykov, Tomas Lafchis, Todor Barzov, Voyn Voynov, Georgi Tsvetkov, Plamen Nikolov, and Rusi Gochev not only found their place in the first team, but brought new titles in 1974, 1977, 1979, 1984 and 1985. On the international stage the quarter-final appearances in the Cup Winners Cup in 1970 (eliminating Swiss Cup winners FC St. Gallen and beat future European CWC Runners-up Gornik Zabrze 3–2 in the 1st leg of the quarter-final) and 1977 (eliminating Portugal Cup winners Boavista FC and beat 1975–76 Copa del Rey holders Atlético Madrid 2–1 in the 1st leg of the quarter-final, after which Kiril Milanov became the Top goalscorer of the tournament with 13 goals), and in the UEFA Cup in 1976 (eliminating 1974–75 Turkish championship Bronze medalists Eskişehirspor 7–1 on aggregate, 1974–75 German Cup Finalist MSV Duisburg, European hegemon Ajax Amsterdam, before played a historic quarter-final with Barcelona). In the 1977–78 European Cup, Levski knocked out Polish champions Śląsk Wrocław after a 3–0 win in Sofia. In 1978–79 UEFA Cup season Levski eliminated Greek club Olympiacos FC and made a 1–1 draw with the Italian AC Milan in the next round, and in 1980–81 UEFA Cup The Blue Avalanche eliminated one of the top European clubs Dynamo Kyiv. Levski is one of the two European teams (along with Bayern Munich) to have scored five or more goals in a single UEFA competitions match against FC Barcelona.[6][7] Also, Levski is the only Bulgarian club to eliminate a German champion, as they defeated VfB Stuttgart in the 1984–85 European Cup after knocking them out in the previous 1983–84 UEFA Cup season as well.

Vitosha Sofia (1985–1989)

The name of the team was changed to Vitosha by the authorities following the disruptions during and after the Bulgarian Cup final in 1985. The game ran on high emotions fuelled by the streak of consecutive victories of Levski over CSKA in the two years prior to the game. During the game, which CSKA won 2–1, there were confrontations both on the field and on the stands. By decree of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, some of the leading players of both clubs were suspended from the sport for life. The championship title of the club for 1985 was suspended. However, the suspensions were lifted shortly after. Levski won another cup and league titles in 1986 and 1988, respectively. The fourth European quarter-final came in 1987, when Levski knocked out Danish Cup winners Boldklubben 1903 and 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup holders FK Velež Mostar, before losing to 1985–86 Copa del Rey winners Real Zaragoza.

Starting lineup versus Schalke 04 (2006 UEFA Cup quarter-final, first leg)

Levski Sofia (1989–2009)

After the 1989–90 season, the club regained its original name. The team composed of the newcomers Plamen Nikolov, Petar Hubchev, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Emil Kremenliev, Zlatko Yankov, Georgi Slavchev, Ilian Iliev, Daniel Borimirov, Stanimir Stoilov and Velko Yotov and the return of the veterans Plamen Getov, Nikolay Todorov and Nasko Sirakov, dictated the game in the domestic championship by winning the title in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Memorable wins by big margins over challengers Lokomotiv Sofia – 8–0, CSKA – 7–1 and Botev Plovdiv – 6–1, clearly demonstrated Levski's complete superiority. Home games in European Competitions against Rangers and Werder Bremen turned into true holidays for supporters. Levski contributed with the most players – 9 (Petar Hubchev, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Emil Kremenliev, Zlatko Yankov, Nasko Sirakov, Plamen Nikolov, Petar Aleksandrov and Daniel Borimirov) to the Bulgaria national football team that ended on fourth place in the unforgettable American summer of the World Cup 1994.

Another relatively successful period lasted until 2005. Then the young new manager and former player Stanimir Stoilov organized a team of Levski's academy products Zhivko Milanov, Milan Koprivarov and Valeri Domovchiyski, the experienced Elin Topuzakov, Georgi Petkov, Stanislav Angelov and Dimitar Telkiyski, the fans' favorites Hristo Yovov, Daniel Borimirov and Georgi Ivanov, who came back after spending time abroad, reached the quarter-final stage of the UEFA Cup, knocking out 2004–05 Coupe de France champions AJ Auxerre, wins against Olympique de Marseille, Dinamo București and finishing ahead of the reigning title holder CSKA Moscow in the group stage, triumphing over Champions League participants Artmedia Bratislava and Udinese Calcio, before being knocked out by Schalke 04 in a controversial tie.

Levski against Werder Bremen at the National Stadium in the Champions League

Levski, as the champions of Bulgaria, started their UEFA Champions League 2006–07 participation from the second qualiftying round, where they eliminated Georgian champions Sioni Bolnisi, defeating them 2–0 both home and away. In the third round, Levski faced Italian team Chievo Verona who are taking part in the tournament because of other clubs' sanctions as part of the 2006 Serie A matchfixing scandal. Levski eliminated Chievo after a decisive 2–0 win in Sofia and a secure 2–2 draw on Italian soil, and becoming the first Bulgarian club to ever reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.[8] There they faced last year's winners FC Barcelona from Spain, English champions Chelsea and German powerhouse Werder Bremen.[9]

Levski earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League 2008–09 after domestic champion CSKA Sofia failed to secure a UEFA license because of numerous debts to creditors.[10] Levski lost to BATE Borisov of Belarus in the third qualifying round.

Levski Sofia (2009–present)

During 2009–10 season, Levski's team started their European campaign with 9–0 (on aggregate) in the second Qualifying round of Champions League against UE Sant Julià. On the next round, Levski Sofia faced FK Baku. The blues eliminated the team from Azerbaijan with 2–0 (on aggregate). In the play-off round Levski was eliminated by Debreceni VSC with 4–1 (on aggregate). However, Levski qualified for UEFA Europa League. In the group stage, Levski faced Villarreal CF, Lazio and Red Bull Salzburg. Levski achieved only one win and 5 losses. Levski took the win against Lazio, after Hristo Yovov scored the winning goal in the match. The match was played at Stadio Olimpico.

Levski started the 2010–11 season with a match against Dundalk – a second qualifying round for Europa League. Levski won the first match and the result was 6:0.[11] In the return leg at Oriel Park, a confident Levski beat Dundalk FC 2–0 with two first half goals from Garra Dembele, the first on 4 mins and the second 10 mins before half-time. In the next round Levski played against Kalmar FF. The first match ended 1–1 in Sweden. In the return leg in Sofia Levski won 5–2. In between The Blues defeated their archrival CSKA Sofia in the Eternal derby of Bulgarian football with 1–0. Their next match in the Europa League saw them play AIK Fotboll, from Stockholm, Sweden. The first match ended with a draw, 0–0 and after the game AIK-hooligans attacked the Levski players and staff. The second match ended in a 2–1 home win for Levski. Goals scored by Daniel Mladenov and Garra Dembélé put Levski in Europa League group stage. Levski was drawn in Group C, facing Gent, Lille and Sporting CP. The first match was against Gent. Levski won the match in a 3–2 home win. The winning goal was scored by Serginho Greene. With this win Levski recorded 8 games in-a-row without losing in European competitions. After that Levski lost catastrophically from Sporting CP with 5–0. Followed by another loss against Lille. In Sofia Levski played very well against Lille and was leading 2–1 until Ivo Ivanov scored an own goal to make it 2–2. In the last match of the Group C, Levski take a win against Sporting CP with 1–0, the winning goal was scored by Daniel Mladenov.

Levski Sofia Ultras during a derby match

In the following 2011–12 season in the Third Qualifying Round of the Europa League, Levski were surprisingly eliminated by Spartak Trnava of Slovakia, following a late-minute 2–1 win in Sofia, and a loss of the same scoreline in Trnava. The penalty shoot-out cost Levski a place in the Play-off round. This caused an upset with the fans and players, the team barely clinching the fourth position at the winter break in the "A" PFG. Albeit only three points from the leaders Ludogoretz, the acting manager Georgi Ivanov was sacked from the position, but remained in the club as a sporting director. Nikolay Kostov was appointed as the new manager of the club, giving the supporters a sense of optimism, which, however faded after a cup knock-out in the hands of Lokomotiv Plovdiv and a surprise loss at home to Minyor Pernik. Kostov shockingly handed in his resignation, leaving the managerial post once again vacant. Sporting Director Georgi Ivanov once again stepped up to help his club, and accepted being manager until the summer break, when a new one will be appointed.

During the summer of 2012 ex-player Ilian Iliev was appointed as the new manager of Levski Sofia. Under his management the club was shockingly knocked out from the Europa League by Bosnian side FK Sarajevo. Iliev led the team to 13 victories in A PFG and to the semi-finals of the Bulgarian Cup after eliminating Cherno More Varna and Litex Lovech on the away goal rule. Iliev however was fired after a 1–1 away draw against Pirin Gotse Delchev. Assistant coach Nikolay Mitov took in charge the team until the end of the season. Under his management Levski won the derby clashes against Litex, CSKA and Ludogorets but failed to win the title after a surprising 1–1 home draw against Slavia Sofia. Levski also reached their first Bulgarian Cup final since 2007 but lost on penalties against Beroe Stara Zagora. Despite the missed opportunity of winning a trophy Mitov's contract was renewed for the 2013–14 season. However, the team made another disappointing performance in Europa League, being eliminated by Kazakh side Irtysh Pavlodar. This resulted the resignation of Nikolay Mitov as manager.

In July 2013 Slaviša Jokanović was appointed as the new manager of the team. Despite losing only 2 matches in 12 games Jokanovic was released in October 2013. Ivaylo Petev was announced as his successor but during his introduction a few Levski supporters interrupted it and threw him away, stating that they would not accept his appointment.[12] On the next day Petev refused to take charge of the team and Antoni Zdravkov was named as the new manager. Under his reign the team suffered a heavy 0–3 loss against rivals CSKA, but managed to knock them out from the Bulgarian Cup in December 2013 after penalties. Due to the difficult financial situation during the winter break key players such as Antonio Vutov and Garry Rodrigues were sold to Udinese and Elche respectively. This reflected on the team's performance and Levski finished fifth and got knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup by Botev Plovdiv. Antoni Zdravkov was sacked in March 2014 and club legend Elin Topuzakov took charge as a caretaker until the end of season. For the first time since 1990–91 the club did not participate in European competitions.

On 23 May, the club supporters organized a friendly game against Lazio, marking the 100th anniversary of the club. Club icons like Georgi Ivanov, Dimitar Ivankov, Aleksandar Aleksandrov, Hristo Yovov, Elin Topuzakov and many other ex-players and celebrities took participation by playing in the friendly game, as well as donating money for the event's organization.[13] On 24 May 2014, Levski marked 100 years since its founding.[14] As of 2020, the results from a decade of incompetent management have finally come out, putting the club in a financial crisis and on the verge of bankruptcy. In the summer of 2020, club legend Nasko Sirakov took charge of the majority of shares and the club made some financial cuts, forcing a big part of the players (mainly foreigners) to leave. Levski also changed its transfer policy, signing mainly Bulgarian and homegrown players with lower salaries, allowing the club to start paying off some of the debt accumulated throughout the years. Sirakov set a target for the club to clear most of the debt by 2023, mostly through sponsorship deals, outgoing transfers, TV rights and the fans' financial support.[15]

Honours

Type Competition Achievement Seasons
Domestic Bulgarian First League[16] 26 titles 1933, 1937, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948–49, 1950, 1953, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09
Bulgarian Cup[17] 25 titles (record) 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1958–59, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07
Sofia Championship[18] 11 titles (record) 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1947–48
Cup of Bulgaria[19] 1 title 1981–82[a]
Cup of the Soviet Army[20] 3 titles 1983–84, 1986–87, 1987–88
Ulpia Serdika Cup[21] 4 titles
(record) 		1926, 1930, 1931, 1932
Bulgarian Supercup[22] 3 titles 2005, 2007, 2009
International UEFA Europa League[b] 2 times
Quarter-finals 		1975–76, 2005–06
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 3 times
Quarter-finals 		1969–70, 1976–77, 1986–87
Balkans Cup[23] 2 times Runners-up 1960–61, 1961–63
Doubles The Double[17][24] 13 times (record) 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1969–70, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1993–94, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2006–07
Trebles The Treble[17][24][25] 1 time 1983–84[c]
  1. ^ Unofficial tournament
  2. ^ Known as the UEFA Cup before 2009
  3. ^ Bulgarian A Professional Football Group, Bulgarian Cup, and Cup of the Soviet Army

European record

Main article: PFC Levski Sofia in European football

As of the 2019–20 season.

Competition S P W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Champions League / European Cup 15 58 15 14 29 74 82 – 8
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup 11 36 14 5 17 70 55 + 15
UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup 26 112 41 25 46 144 150 – 6
UEFA Intertoto Cup 1 6 2 2 2 12 11 + 1
Balkans Cup 3 23 8 8 7 35 24 + 11
Mitropa Cup 1 2 1 0 1 1 5 – 4
Intertoto Cup Ernst Thommen 1 4 3 0 1 12 5 + 7
Total 58 241 84 54 103 348 332 + 16

Recent seasons

League positions

First Professional Football LeagueBulgarian A Football Group
Season Position M W D L G.D. P Bulgarian Cup Bulgarian Super Cup UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League
2010–11 2 30 23 3 4 67:24 72 Quarter-finals Did not participate Did not participate Group Stage
2011–12 3 30 20 2 8 61:28 62 Quarter-finals Did not participate Did not participate Third qualifying round
2012–13 2 30 22 5 3 59:20 71 Finalist Did not participate Did not participate Second qualifying round
2013–14 5 38 19 5 14 59:39 62 Quarter-finals Did not participate Did not participate First qualifying round
2014–15 7 32 17 5 10 66:33 56 Finalist Did not participate Did not participate Did not participate
2015–16 2 32 16 8 8 36:18 56 Quarter-finals Did not participate Did not participate Did not participate
2016–17 3 36 18 9 9 50:31 63 Round of 16 Did not participate Did not participate Second qualifying round
2017–18 3 36 18 10 8 55:27 64 Finalist Did not participate Did not participate Second qualifying round
2018–19 3 36 20 6 10 64:37 66 Round of 16 Did not participate Did not participate First qualifying round
2019–20 4 31 15 8 8 50:30 53 Semi-finals Did not participate Did not participate Second qualifying round
2020–21 TBA 31 TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA Did not participate Did not participate Did not participate

Club symbols

Names and crests

Vasil Levski, club's patron
First emblem of the club (1914–1934)

The first club crest was designed by Mincho Kachulev in 1922. Initially in the size of a square with a blue background, it was intentionally written in a stylized letter "Л" (Bulgarian letter "L"; shortened for Levski). The inner space of the letter was filled vertically equally in yellow and red colours. In a later period of time, the Cyrillic letters "С" (Sport) and "К" (club) were added at the top of the square, while the bottom side was inscribed with the name "Sofia". This badge was used by the club until 1949, when it was renamed to Dinamo.

From 1949 to 1956, the emblem of the club was an irregular hexagon filled with vertical red, white, blue and yellow colours, with an inscribed handwritten Cyrillic letter "Д", alongside a five-pointed red star above it and the word "Sofia" underneath. From 1957 to 1968 the original logo of the club was restored, however the letters C" and "К" were replaced with "Ф" (Athletic) and "Д" (union).

After the merger with Spartak Sofia in 1969, the club crest has been a shield in blue and white with a horizontal red bar above. The shield spawned the letters "Л" and "C", an abbreviation of the new name Levski-Spartak. The football club used this crest until 1985, when it was renamed Vitosha. Vitosha's crest was in the form of a stylized letter "C" surrounding the football in the upper curve of the letter, coloured in blue and white.

In January 1990, the club restored its original name and original logo, and the letters "C" and "K" in the upper corner of the blue square were replaced with the initials "Ф" (football) and "K" (club). However, due to legal issues with the ownership of the rights to the historic crest, the club was forced to change it in 1998, when a brand new shield logo was introduced, entirely in blue. At its centre, an inscription of the letter "Л" was introduced, alongside the year of establishment – 1914. The dome of the shield was labelled "PFC Levski".

After winning the legal dispute for the rights to the historic emblem in 2006, the club decided to use the two different logos simultaneously for a brief period of time. Later that year, the shield crest was completely removed and the classic square emblem has been used since.

Players

First team

As of 1 March 2021[26] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Croatia CRO Zvonimir Mikulić
3 DF Bulgaria BUL Zhivko Atanasov
4 MF Bulgaria BUL Martin Raynov (vice-captain)
5 DF Iraq IRQ Rebin Sulaka
6 DF Bulgaria BUL Ivaylo Naydenov
8 MF Bulgaria BUL Simeon Slavchev
9 FW Bulgaria BUL Steven Petkov (on loan from Feirense)
10 MF Bulgaria BUL Borislav Tsonev
11 MF Bulgaria BUL Zdravko Dimitrov
12 GK Bulgaria BUL Nikolay Krastev
13 GK Bulgaria BUL Nikolay Mihaylov (captain)
14 DF Bulgaria BUL Mateo Stamatov
15 DF Bulgaria BUL Bogdan Kostov
17 FW Curaçao CUW Nigel Robertha
18 MF Ghana GHA Nasiru Mohammed
19 FW Morocco MAR Bilal Bari
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF Spain ESP Nacho Monsalve
21 MF Bulgaria BUL Radoslav Tsonev
22 MF Bulgaria BUL Patrick-Gabriel Galchev
23 DF Morocco MAR Faycal Rherras
28 DF France FRA Thomas Dasquet
37 MF Bulgaria BUL Todor Naydin
41 DF Bulgaria BUL Georgi Aleksandrov
45 FW Bulgaria BUL Iliya Dimitrov
70 MF Bulgaria BUL Ivaylo Hristov
77 MF Bulgaria BUL Iliya Yurukov
79 FW Bulgaria BUL Martin D. Petkov
86 FW Bulgaria BUL Valeri Bojinov
88 MF Bulgaria BUL Marin Petkov
89 FW Bulgaria BUL Andrian Kraev
91 DF Switzerland SUI Dragan Mihajlović
99 MF Bulgaria BUL Nikolay Arahangelov

For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2020–21.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Bulgaria BUL Ivan Andonov (at Fiorentina Primavera until 30 June 2021)
— GK Bulgaria BUL Petar Ivanov (at Sportist Svoge until 30 June 2021)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Bulgaria BUL Martin P. Petkov (at Kariana until 30 June 2021)

Foreign players

Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League however only three can be used during a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for five years.

EU Nationals

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Note: For a complete list of Levski Sofia players, see Category:PFC Levski Sofia players.

Club officials

Board of Directors

Youth academy

Levski's youth academy has developed some of the most successful Bulgarian footballers. Notable academy graduates are Georgi Asparuhov, Nasko Sirakov, Bozhidar Iskrenov, Borislav Mikhailov, Emil Spasov, Nikolay Iliev, Hristo Yovov, Dimitar Ivankov and many others. At the 1994 FIFA World Cup where Bulgaria reached the semi-finals, the Bulgarian squad included four players which came through Levski's youth system, making it the most represented club in the Bulgarian squad. In 2020, Levski was included in the CIES Football Observatory annual rankings, which ranks the clubs that trained the most players active in 31 top divisions of UEFA member associations. In these countries there were 33 footballers from Levski's youth academy, and Levski was ranked 35th in Europe.[29]

Stadium

Main article: Stadion Georgi Asparuhov
Gerena

Initially, the club did not possess a field of its own and training was held on an empty space called The Hillock (Могилката/Mogilkata), where the National Palace of Culture was built later. In 1924, the Sofia Municipality provided the club with the rights to an empty field on what were then the outskirts of the city, and a decade later the stadium named Levski Field was finally completed. It provided for 10,000 spectators and was regarded as the finest sport facility in the city.

In 1949, the stadium was nationalized and later the Vasil Levski National Stadium was built on the site. The team played in various locations (including the nearby Yunak Stadium) before moving to the "Dinamo" ground, which was located at the site of the modern Spartak swimming complex. In 1961 after districting the team moved to "Suhata Reka" neighborhood. There a new stadium was completed in 1963, renamed in 1990 in honour of Levski's most beloved former player Georgi Asparuhov.

In 1999, the stadium emerged from serious reconstruction for 29,000 spectators. The field measures 105 x 68 metres. However, the team plays most of its important games versus foreign teams on the national stadium "Vasil Levski". On one occasion the former club president Todor Batkov had demanded that Levski should receive "Rakovski" stadium on loan. The demand was on grounds that the first club stadium was nationalized and Levski had never been repaid.

In October 2012, it was announced that Levski is rebuilding its stadium. The first phase of the planned reconstruction was to be completed in 2014, on the centennial of the club's foundation. As of 2013, the capacity was reduced to 19,000 due to the undergoing reconstruction of the main stand. On 5 July 2013, the first step was made in the construction of the main stand, which has a capacity of 6000 spectators and meets all the requirements of UEFA for the convenience of fans. Contractor of the "blue" building is the leading Bulgarian company in the construction of road infrastructure and other important rehabilitation projects, “Avtomagistrali – Tcherno more” AD. The stadium's main stand was officially opened on 23 April 2016 at a special ceremony. Since 2019, the Museum of Glory of Levski Sofia is also located at the stadium.

Supporters

Sector B

Historically, Levski Sofia fans gathered in the south stand of the stadium. This tradition is believed to have its roots in the Sofia Derby when Levski fans met before the games at the area close to the south end of the Vasil Levski National Stadium. Due to the orientation of the stadium and the naming conventions of stands at most Bulgarian stadiums, Sector B became synonymous with Levski fans. More recently the fans in Sector B are seen as part of the Ultras movement popular in the Balkans. Today Sector B initiates most of the songs, choreography and pyrotechnic displays at Levski games. Levski supporters are organized by fanclubs, most notably the National Supporters Club which helps and coordinates fans from all around Bulgaria and supports the organization of events. There are also notable groups from Sofia (Sofia-West, South Division, Blue Junta, HD Boys, LSL and many more) and other cities across Bulgaria and around the World (such as Ultra Varna, Blue Huns Pernik, OCB Veliko Tarnovo, Torcida Kyustendil, Ultras Vidin, Iron Pazardzhik, Youth Brigade 034 Pazardzik, Blue Warriors Plovdiv, Blue Boys Blagoevgrad, Blue Lads Sliven, Vandals Pleven, Levski Club Dobrich, Ultras Radomir, Ultras Burgas, Levski 1914 Karlovo, Yambol Boys, Levski UK, Levski Chicago and many more) Ultras Levski have a very strong long-standing friendship with SS Lazio fans. According to a study performed for UEFA, Levski is the most popular Bulgarian club and share the sixth position in Europe with Juventus, by percentage of support in its own country (31%).[30]

UEFA & IFFHS rankings

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Player records

Statistic is correct as of matches played 26 June 2016.

Managerial history and notable players

Managers

Notable Bulgarian players

Former Levski players with at least one appearance for the Bulgarian national team.

Notable foreign players

Former foreign Levski players with at least 30 games for the club or have broken records.

Bulgarian Footballer of the Year

Kiril Ivkov, the 1968 Summer Olympics football tournament finalist

A Group top goalscorers

Nasko Sirakov, Levski's all-time top goalscorer with 206 goals

See also

References

  1. ^ "Coventric!". rsssf.com. The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ "ECA Members – Bulgaria". European Club Association. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. ^ "LEVSKI – Sport For All – EMCA". European Multisport Club Association. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Levski – 94 years of joy, pains and hopes". Levski.bg. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18.
  5. ^ "Bulgarian Football Union History". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Levski Sofia 5:4 Barcelona". levskisofia.info.
  7. ^ "Levski-Barcelona 1976 History". uefa.com.
  8. ^ "Levski make Bulgarian history". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2006-08-23.
  9. ^ "Levski land to heroes' welcome". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2006-08-24.
  10. ^ "Levski set to replace CSKA in Champions League". Football24.bg. Retrieved 2008-07-30.
  11. ^ "Dundalk way out of depth in Sofia". irishtimes.com. July 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  12. ^ "Levski Sofia fans humiliate new coach by removing his shirt". BBC Sport. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
  13. ^ "Зрелищен обрат украси празника на вековния Левски! (видео+галерии)". sportal.bg. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
  14. ^ "Левски стана на 100 години!". sportal.bg. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
  15. ^ "Наско Сираков: Задачата е през 2023 г. "Левски" да няма дългове". dnevnik.bg. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  16. ^ "Bulgaria – List of Champions". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  17. ^ a b c "Bulgaria Cups Overview". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Sofia Championship". levskisofia.info. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Cup of Bulgaria (non-official)". levskisofia.info. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Cup of the Soviet Army (non-official)". levskisofia.info. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Ulpia Serdika Cup". levskisofia.info. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Bulgarian Supercup". levskisofia.info. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  23. ^ "Balkan Cup". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Doing the Double!". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Which football teams have won the treble?". goal.com. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Клубът" [The Club] (in Bulgarian). PFC Levski Sofia. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  27. ^ https://levski.bg/the_club
  28. ^ "Таксите за "футбол 11" в ДЮШ отпадат, "Левски" налага система 4-3-3" (in Bulgarian). ПФК Левски София. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  29. ^ "Левски пак влезе в топ 50 на една от най-престижните европейски класации". Sportal.bg (in Bulgarian). 9 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  30. ^ "Concentration of people supporting the most popular club (page 41)" (PDF).
  31. ^ "UEFA Club Rankings". UEFA.com. 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  32. ^ "Club World Ranking". IFFHS.de. 2019-01-22. Retrieved 2020-01-15.
  33. ^ "Левски намали дълговете си с 3 милиона лева и намери нов генерален спонсор". offnews.bg (in Bulgarian). 17 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  34. ^ "Левски с ново спонсорско лого за мача с ЦСКА". Gong.bg (in Bulgarian). 3 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.

Official websites

Fan websites

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