PFC Levski Sofia
























Levski Sofia
Levski Sofia emblem
Full nameProfessional Football Club Levski Sofia
Nickname(s)
Сините (The Blues)
Отбора на народа (The Team of the People)
Синята лавина (The Blue Avalanche)
Founded24 May 1914; 104 years ago (1914-05-24)
Ground
Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov Stadium, Sofia
Capacity25,000
ShareholdersSpas Rusev (60%)
Vivacom (27%)
Blue Bulgaria Trust (10%)
Head coachGeorgi Dermendzhiev
LeagueFirst League
2017–18Regular Season: 3rd
Championship Round: 3rd
WebsiteClub website

















Home colours














Away colours














Third colours



Current season

Levski Sofia (Bulgarian: Левски София) is a professional association football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The team competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on May 24, 1914, as a football department of Sport Club Levski by a group of students and is named after Vasil Levski, a Bulgarian revolutionary renowned as the national hero of the country.


Levski have participated in more seasons of the Bulgarian football championship than any other team and are the only Bulgarian team to have never been relegated. They have won 26 A Group titles, 25 Bulgarian Cups and 3 Super Cups, which include a record 13 Doubles and 2 Trebles. On an international basis, Levski have reached three European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinals and two UEFA Cup quarterfinals. In 2006, they became the first Bulgarian club to reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.


The team's regular kit colour is all-blue. Levski's home ground is the Vivacom Arena - Georgi Asparuhov Stadium 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.




Contents





  • 1 History

    • 1.1 Sport Club Levski (1914–1969)


    • 1.2 Levski-Spartak (1969–1985)


    • 1.3 Vitosha Sofia (1985–1989)


    • 1.4 Levski Sofia (1989–2009)


    • 1.5 Levski Sofia (2009–present)



  • 2 Honours

    • 2.1 Domestic


    • 2.2 International


    • 2.3 Regional


    • 2.4 Doubles and Trebles



  • 3 European record


  • 4 Recent seasons

    • 4.1 League positions



  • 5 Club symbols

    • 5.1 Names and crests



  • 6 Current squad

    • 6.1 First team


    • 6.2 Out on loan


    • 6.3 Foreign players



  • 7 Sponsors and Ownership


  • 8 Club officials

    • 8.1 Board of Directors


    • 8.2 First Team


    • 8.3 Youth Academy



  • 9 Stadium


  • 10 Supporters


  • 11 UEFA & IFFHS rankings

    • 11.1 Club coefficients


    • 11.2 Club world ranking



  • 12 Shirt sponsors and manufacturers


  • 13 Player records

    • 13.1 Most appearances for Levski


    • 13.2 Most goals scored for Levski



  • 14 Managerial history


  • 15 Bulgarian Footballer of the Year


  • 16 A Group top goalscorers


  • 17 See also


  • 18 References


  • 19 External links




History



Sport Club Levski (1914–1969)

















First kit (1914–20)


[1] 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 May 24, 1914.


In 1914 Levski lost its first official match against FC 13 Sofia 0–2. Between 1914–20, 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 September 18, 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 [2]


After World War II, Levski became one of the two top clubs in Bulgaria. After winning the championship in 1946, 1947, 1949, 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 Mihailov, 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, Todor Barzov, Voyn Voynov, Ivan Tishanski, Georgi Tsvetkov, Plamen Nikolov, and Rusi Gochev not only found their place in the first team, but brought new titles in 1974, 1977 and 1979. On the international stage the quarter-final appearances in the Cup Winners Cup in 1970 and 1977, and in the UEFA Cup in 1976. Levski is up to this date the only European club to have scored five goals in a single game against Barcelona in a UEFA-sponsored international competition (UEFA CUP quarter-finals return leg, 17 March 1976).



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 fueled by the streak of consecutive victories of Levski over CSKA in the 2 years prior to the game (though CSKA won the Bulgarian Cup game 2–1). The controversial decisions of the referee led to 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 both of the Blues and the Reds 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 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 5 first team players (Petar Hubchev, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Emil Kremenliev, Zlatko Yankov and Nasko Sirakov) and three reserve players (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 AJ Auxerre, winnings 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.[3] There they faced last year's winners FC Barcelona from Spain, English champions Chelsea and German powerhouse Werder Bremen.[4]


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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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 5th and got knocked out at the Quarterfinals 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.


Despite the disappointing season 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 in both the friendly game and with money grants for the celebrations around the event.[8] On 24 May 2014 Levski marked 100 years since its founding.[9]



Honours



Domestic


Bulgarian A Group[10][11]



  • Champions (26 times): 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, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09

Bulgarian Cup[10][11][12]



  • Winners (25 times – record): 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007

Bulgarian Supercup[10][11]



  • Winners (3 times): 2005, 2007, 2009

Tsar's Cup / Cup of the Soviet Army / Cup of Bulgaria[10][11]



  • Winners (6 times – record): 1933, 1937, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988

Ulpia Serdika Cup[10][11][12]



  • Winners (4 times – record): 1926, 1930, 1931, 1932


International


Balkans Cup[10][11]



  • Runners-up (2): 1961, 1963


Regional


Sofia Championship[10][11]



  • Winners (11 times – record): 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1947–48


Doubles and Trebles



  • The Double (13 times – record): 1942, 1946, 1947, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1969–70, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1983–84, 1993–94, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2006–07


  • The Treble (twice – record): 1983–84, 2006–07


European record



Including 2018–19 season.










































































Competition

S

P

W

D

L

GF

GA

GD

UEFA Champions League / European Cup
15581514297482– 8

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup / European Cup Winners' Cup
1136145177055+ 15

UEFA Europa League / UEFA Cup
25108392544140143– 3

UEFA Intertoto Cup
162221211+ 1

Balkans Cup
3238873524+ 11

Mitropa Cup
1210115– 4
Total562337954100332320+ 12


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
Notes

2008–09

1
30
21
6
3
57:18

69

Semi-finals

Did not participate

Third qualifying round

First round

2009–10

3
30
17
6
7
57:26

57

Round of 16

Winner

Play-off round

Group Stage

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

TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA

TBA

Round of 16

Did not participate

Did not participate

First qualifying round


Club symbols



Names and crests


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 stylised 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 stylised 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.



Current squad



First team


As of 15 January 2019[update]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


































































No.

Position
Player
1

Slovakia

GK

Martin Polaček
2

France

DF

Louis Nganioni
4

Bulgaria

DF

Ivan Goranov (captain)
5

Iceland

DF

Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson
7

Brazil

MF

Paulinho
8

Switzerland

MF

Davide Mariani
9

Romania

FW

Sergiu Buș
11

France

MF

Anthony Belmonte
12

Bulgaria

GK

Petar Ivanov
13

Bulgaria

GK

Nikolay Mihaylov
14

Estonia

MF

Bogdan Vaštšuk (on loan from Riga)
17

Kazakhstan

FW

Yerkebulan Seydakhmet (on loan from Ufa)
19

Serbia

DF

Miloš Cvetković
20

Bulgaria

DF

Zhivko Milanov


























































No.

Position
Player
22

Portugal

DF

Nuno Reis
23

Senegal

MF

Khaly Thiam
24

Bulgaria

DF

Tomislav Papazov
26

Cape Verde

MF

Jerson Cabral
28

Czech Republic

DF

David Jablonský (vice-captain)
29

Bulgaria

FW

Stanislav Kostov
39

Bulgaria

DF

Deyan Ivanov
70

Bulgaria

MF

Martin Raynov
77

Bulgaria

MF

Iliya Yurukov
86

Bulgaria

FW

Valeri Bojinov
89

Bulgaria

GK

Nikolay Krastev
99

Bulgaria

FW

Stanislav Ivanov


Bulgaria

MF

Martin Petkov

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2018 and Transfers winter 2018–19.



Out on loan


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


























No.

Position
Player


Bulgaria

MF

Aleks Borimirov (at Slavia Sofia until 30 June 2019)


Bulgaria

MF

Atanas Kabov (at Tsarsko Selo until 30 June 2019)


Bulgaria

MF

Ivaylo Naydenov (at Arda until 30 June 2019)


Portugal

MF

Filipe Nascimento (at Romania Politehnica Iași until 30 June 2019)


















No.

Position
Player


Brazil

FW

Luan Viana (at Tsarsko Selo until 30 June 2019)


Brazil

FW

Rivaldinho (at Romania Viitorul until 30 June 2019)


Bulgaria

FW

Iliya Dimitrov (at Septemvri until 30 June 2019)


Foreign players


Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the A PFG 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 5 years.






EU Nationals



  • Czech Republic David Jablonský


  • France Anthony Belmonte


  • Iceland Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson


  • Portugal Nuno Reis


  • Romania Sergiu Buș


  • Slovakia Martin Polaček


  • Estonia Bogdan Vaštšuk


EU Nationals (Dual citizenship)



  • Cape Verde Netherlands Jerson Cabral


  • Switzerland Italy Davide Mariani


  • Democratic Republic of the Congo France Louis Nganioni


Non-EU Nationals



  • Brazil Paulinho


  • Senegal Khaly Thiam


  • Serbia Miloš Cvetković


  • Kazakhstan Yerkebulan Seydakhmet

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



Sponsors and Ownership









Recently, due to changes in the marketing programme and club share acquisitions and restructuring, Levski Sofia signed a contract with the largest telecommunications company in Bulgaria Vivacom who joined the government body of the club by acquiring a major stake. Other Bulgarian companies such as Gradus Ltd., Prime Sped Ltd., Bul Ins insurance company, Devin Ltd. (mineral water), Moto-Pfohe (the Bulgarian representative company for Ford Motor Company) and one of the leading betting companies in the country Efbet also enjoy sponsorship contracts with the club.



Club officials



Board of Directors










Stadium



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 honor 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 meters. 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 main stand of Georgi Asparuhov Stadium also known as Sector A was officially opened on 23 April 2016 at a special ceremony.



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 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%). [13]



UEFA & IFFHS rankings










Shirt sponsors and manufacturers







Player records


Players in bold are currently playing for the team. Statistic is correct as of match played 26 Juny 2016.









Managerial history










Bulgarian Footballer of the Year





Kiril Ivkov, 1968 Summer Olympics Football Tournament Finalist


  • 1931 – Bulgaria Asen Peshev

  • 1942 – Bulgaria Lyuben Stamboliev

  • 1948 – Bulgaria Vasil Spasov

  • 1965 – Bulgaria Georgi Asparuhov

  • 1970 – Bulgaria Stefan Aladzhov

  • 1974 – Bulgaria Kiril Ivkov

  • 1975 – Bulgaria Kiril Ivkov

  • 1977 – Bulgaria Pavel Panov

  • 1984 – Bulgaria Plamen Nikolov

  • 1986 – Bulgaria Borislav Mikhailov

  • 1987 – Bulgaria Nikolay Iliev

  • 1999 – Bulgaria Aleksandar Aleksandrov

  • 2000 – Bulgaria Georgi Ivanov

  • 2001 – Bulgaria Georgi Ivanov


A Group top goalscorers





Nasko Sirakov, Levski's top goalscorer of all-time (206 goals)


  • 1940 – Bulgaria Yanko Stoyanov (14 goals)

  • 1950 – Bulgaria Lubomir Hranov (11 goals)

  • 1957 – Bulgaria Hristo Iliev (14 goals)

  • 1960 – Bulgaria Dimitar Yordanov (12 goals)

  • 1965 – Bulgaria Georgi Asparuhov (27 goals)

  • 1974 – Bulgaria Kiril Milanov (19 goals)

  • 1976 – Bulgaria Pavel Panov (18 goals)

  • 1977 – Bulgaria Pavel Panov (20 goals)

  • 1979 – Bulgaria Rusi Gochev (19 goals)

  • 1982 – Bulgaria Mihail Valchev (24 goals)

  • 1984 – Bulgaria Emil Spasov (19 goals)

  • 1987 – Bulgaria Nasko Sirakov (36 goals)

  • 1988 – Bulgaria Nasko Sirakov (28 goals)

  • 1992 – Bulgaria Nasko Sirakov (26 goals)

  • 1993 – Bulgaria Plamen Getov (26 goals)

  • 1994 – Bulgaria Nasko Sirakov (30 goals)

  • 2001 – Bulgaria Georgi Ivanov (21 goals)

  • 2003 – Bulgaria Georgi Chilikov (22 goals)

  • 2011 – Mali Garra Dembele (26 goals)

  • 2013 – Guinea-Bissau Basile de Carvalho (19 goals)

  • 2015 – Spain Añete (14 goals)


See also


  • Levski Sofia (sports club)

  • Bulgarian Footballer of the Year


  • ECA and EMCA


References




  1. ^ "Levski – 94 years of joy, pains and hopes". Levski.bg. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em


  2. ^ "Bulgarian Football Union History". Retrieved 4 March 2012.


  3. ^ "Levski make Bulgarian history". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2006-08-23.


  4. ^ "Levski land to heroes' welcome". Uefa.com. Retrieved 2006-08-24.


  5. ^ "Levski set to replace CSKA in Champions League". Football24.bg. Retrieved 2008-07-30.


  6. ^ "Dundalk way out of depth in Sofia". irishtimes.com. July 7, 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-16.


  7. ^ "Levski Sofia fans humiliate new coach by removing his shirt". bbc.com. Retrieved 2013-10-09.


  8. ^ "Зрелищен обрат украси празника на вековния Левски! (видео+галерии)". sportal.bg. Retrieved 2014-05-23.


  9. ^ "Левски стана на 100 години!". sportal.bg. Retrieved 2014-05-24.


  10. ^ abcdefg "PFC Levski Club History". pfclevski.eu. Retrieved 6 November 2015.


  11. ^ abcdefg "PFC Levski Club History". levskisofia.info. Retrieved 6 November 2015.


  12. ^ ab "Bulgaria Cups Overview". rsssf. Retrieved 8 September 2015.


  13. ^ "Concentration of people supporting the most popular club (page 41)" (PDF).


  14. ^ "UEFA Club Rankings". UEFA.com. 2018-10-27. Retrieved 2018-01-24.


  15. ^ "Club World Ranking". IFFHS.de. 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2018-01-01.




External links


Official websites


  • Official website

  • UEFA Profile

Fan websites


  • Sector B website

  • Levski Sofia forum


  • Levski Sofia – statistics (in English)

  • PFCLEVSKI.eu











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