PFC Levski Sofia

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 24 May 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 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 [2]

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.

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 quarterfinal) 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 quarterfinal, 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 quarterfinal with Barcelona). In 1977–78 European Cup The Blues 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 colos 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 has also achieved the milestone of being the only European team to have scored five goals in a single UEFA competitions match against FC Barcelona [3][4] and the only Bulgarian club to eliminate a German champion – (VfB Stuttgart in 1984–85 European Cup).

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 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. Other Bulgarian Cup and national league titles were won in 1986 and 1988 respectively. The fourth European quarterfinal came in 1987, when the Sofia's Blue knocked out Danish Cup winners Boldklubben 1903 and 1985–86 Yugoslav Cup holders FK Velež Mostar, before lose to 1985–86 Copa del Rey champions Real Zaragoza.

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.[5] There they faced last year's winners FC Barcelona from Spain, English champions Chelsea and German powerhouse Werder Bremen.[6]

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.[7] Levski lost to BATE Borisov of Belarus in the third qualifying round.

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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] On 24 May 2014 Levski marked 100 years since its founding.[11]

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.

As of 14 June 2020 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Milan Mijatović 4 DF Ivan Goranov (3rd captain) 5 DF Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson 6 DF Ivaylo Naydenov 7 MF Paulinho 8 MF Simeon Slavchev 9 FW Deni Alar (on loan from Rapid Wien) 10 MF Franco Mazurek 11 MF Zdravko Dimitrov 12 GK Petar Ivanov 13 GK Nikolay Mihaylov (vice-captain) 14 MF Filipe Nascimento 17 FW Nigel Robertha 18 MF Nasiru Mohammed

No. Position Player 19 DF Giannis Kargas 20 DF Zhivko Milanov (captain) 23 MF Khaly Thiam 26 DF Deyan Lozev 27 GK Georgi Georgiev 29 FW Stanislav Kostov 31 DF Kostadin Iliev 40 MF Stijn Spierings 70 MF Martin Raynov 77 MF Iliya Yurukov 79 FW Martin D. Petkov 88 MF Marin Petkov 91 DF Tomislav Papazov 99 MF Stanislav Ivanov

For recent transfers, see Transfers winter 2019–20 and Transfers summer 2020.

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

No. Position Player DF Tomislav Papazov (at Hebar until 30 June 2020) DF Deyan Ivanov (at Botev Vratsa until 30 June 2020) MF Martin P. Petkov (at Lokomotiv GO until 30 June 2020)

No. Position Player MF Atanas Kabov (at Vitosha Bistritsa until 30 June 2020) FW Iliya Dimitrov (at Vitosha Bistritsa until 30 June 2020)

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 5 years.

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