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1.
Name: Todor KOLEV
Born: 08 February 1980
Current club: Spartak (Pl)- loaned from Levski
Previous clubs: Etar, Levski
Position: Striker
Last year Levski's powerhouse forward went on loan to Spartak, while the team
was still in the Bulgarian first division. Kolev instantly became Spartak's
most valuable player, and the topscorer of the championship with 45 goals in
19 games. Last fall he returned to Levski and participated in the game versus
Brann in the Champions League preliminary round. He was, however, once again
given to Spartak, and there was another deja-vu coming up with Kolev netting
11 goals in 7 games so far, this time in the Premier League.
2.
Name: Atanas BORNOSUZOV
Born: 05 October 1979
Current club: Litex
Previous clubs: Sokol, Olympic (T)-loan, Dobrudja-loan
Position: Midfielder
Rarely anyone believed that the silly-named youngster could possibly break into
Litex's first side, especially with last fall's great European ambitions. Bornosuzov
however proved that his time had finally come. After spending some time on loan,
he became one of the team's most influential stars, and even scored the first
of the two goals against German Union in Berlin in the UEFA Cup.
3.
Name: Stanislav GENTCHEV
Born: 20 March 1981
Current club: Levski
Previous clubs: Etar, Loko (Dr), Botev-Bulmex, Spartak (Vn)-loan, Velbazhd-loan
Position: Midfielder
Gentchev's story is somewhat similar to that of Bornosuzov. In early 1998, at
the age of 16, he caused a great scandal between arch rivals Levski and CSKA
with the first winning his signature. After playing a few games in the first
team, he was relegated to loan periods at Spartak and Velbazhd. This fall he
returned to Levski under manager Ljupko Petrovic and played a great part in
the team's European and championship campaign.
4.
Name: Yanko VALKANOV
Born: 25 July 1982
Current club: CSKA
Previous clubs: Naftex
Position: Right fullback
CSKA's great 3:0 victory against the continental sensation Shakhtar (Donetsk)
was marked by another surprise. At half time a young Yanko Valkanov came on for
the injured right back Antonov, and astonished the crowd with his effective
runs. This was only the start of a campaign that saw Valkanov successfully take
on the stars of AC Milan, and guarantee a place in the U-21 squad.
5.
Name: Georgi ILIEV
Born: 05 September 1981
Current club: Cherno More
Previous clubs: None
Position: Defensive midfielder
Iliev made his name at the end of the fall season when he scored against CSKA
in a cup game in Sofia. According to the critics, the defensive midfielder has
the best average rating not only among his teammates, but also everyone playing
in his position in the Premier League. The youngster has been targeted by local
giants such as CSKA and Litex.
6.
Name: Dimiter MAKRIEV
Born: 07 January 1984
Current club: Levski
Previous clubs: None
Position: Striker
The striker came on in the final couple of minutes in Levski's last game before
winning the title in the spring. Even though he does not have any experience
in professional football, many people consider him to be the best replacement
for star forward Georgi "Gonzo" Ivanov, who is likely to sign for a big European
side this year.
7.
Name: Yordan VARBANOV
Born: 15 February 1980
Current club: Spartak (Vn) - loaned from CSKA
Previous clubs: CSKA
Position: Defender
Varbanov was not given a chance to play for CSKA neither under Italian manager
Enrico Catuzzi, nor under Asparuch Nikodimov. He was loaned to Spartak, where
he instantly guaranteed his first-team place. The tall defender was a favourite
with the U-21 manager during the European championship qualifying campaign,
and hopes to return to CSKA under new manager Gigi Simoni.
8.
Name: Asen KARASLAVOV
Born: 08 June 1980
Current club: Slavia
Previous clubs: Botev
Position: Defender
He was the only shining light in Botev's miserable performance last season,
when one of Bulgaria's top teams got relegated for the first time in history.
Surprisingly Karaslavov went on to sign for Slavia rather than CSKA or Levski,
and that has influenced his poor form lately. Nevertheless, Asen is one of the
most promising defenders in the country at the moment.
9.
Name: Valeri BOZHINOV
Born: 12 June 1985
Current club: Lecce (Ita)
Previous clubs: Pieta Hotspurs (Mal)
Position: Striker
Bozhinov is the son of former Bulgarian international defender Sasho Angelov,
who now plays in Malta. Valeri is the captain of the Lecce youngsters, and was
included in the squad for this season's Seria A campaign. He holds an Italian
passport and may well play for the squadra azzurra rather than Bulgaria in the
future. Even though he is a talented prospect, critics say he may follow the
path of Krassimir Bogdanov, who was AC Milan's young team skipper a few years
ago, but ended up playing in the lower divisions.
10.
Name: Lyubomir LYUBENOV
Born: 25 August 1980
Current club: Marek - loaned from CSKA
Previous clubs: CSKA, Spartak (Pl)-loan, Minyor-loan
Position: Attacking Midfielder
He was the forward partner of Dimitar Berbatov (now of Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
in the CSKA young team, but was never given the chance to shine in the first
team. Made a good impression with Spartak last season, but has lately been as
disappointing as the whole Marek side.
Hristo Zapryanov - sports editor for "Tema" magazine.
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