Georgi Ivanov (footballer, Born 1976)
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Georgi Alexandrov Ivanov, nicknamed Gonzo (; born 2 July 1976), is a Bulgarian former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
and
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
who is the current president of the
Bulgarian Football Union The Bulgarian Football Union ( BFS) is the governing body of association football in Bulgaria, and a member of UEFA since 1954. It organizes a football league, Bulgarian Parva Liga, and fields its Bulgaria national football team in UEFA and F ...
. A
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
, Ivanov is a former Bulgarian international and is perhaps best known for his time at
Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () 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 by a group of high sc ...
and his goalscoring prowess in the
Eternal derby of Bulgarian football The Eternal derby of Bulgarian football or simply The Eternal derby () is the name of the local derby Association football, football match between the two most popular and successful football clubs in Sofia and Bulgaria: PFC Levski Sofia, Levski ...
, netting 15 goals, having bettered
Nasko Sirakov Nasko Petkov Sirakov (; born 26 April 1962) is a Bulgarian retired professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as a forward (association football), striker. He is the major shareholder of PFC Levski Sofia, Levski Sofia. Par ...
's record in 2008.


Playing career


Lokomotiv Plovdiv

Georgi Ivanov was born in
Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...
and is of
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...
descent. He started his career in his hometown Plovdiv playing for local club
Lokomotiv Plovdiv PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv (), commonly known as Loko Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Plovdiv. Lokomotiv's home ground is the Stadion Lokomotiv (Plovdiv), Lokomotiv Stadium which is situated in Lauta Park and ha ...
. His talent soon became apparent, and he received several call-ups for the Bulgaria national team. For four seasons in Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Ivanov earned 60 appearances playing in the Bulgarian top division, scoring 15 goals.


Levski Sofia first period

"Gonzo", as he was known among the fans, signed for
Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () 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 by a group of high sc ...
in the summer of 1997. He is believed to have previously been twice on the radar of archrival
CSKA Sofia CSKA Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia and currently competing in the country's premier football competition, the First League. ''CSKA'' is an abbreviation for ''Central Sports Club of the Army'' ...
, but then manager Georgi Vasilev deciding on both occasions against securing his services. On 24 October 1997, he played in his first Eternal Derby and scored the winning goal in the 84th minute after a Vladimir Ivanov assist to help the "bluemen" to a 1–0 victory. In total, Ivanov has participated in 22 editions of the rivalry, scoring a record-breaking 15 goals (the last time he found the net against the "redmen" was in an
A PFG The First Professional Football League (), commonly known as Parva Liga or Bulgarian First League (currently known as the efbet League for sponsorship reasons), is a professional association football league in Bulgaria and the highest level of t ...
match held on 1 November 2008 that finished 1:1). Levski Sofia have only lost two derby matches against the "redmen" with Ivanov on the pitch.


Rennes

Ivanov joined French
Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
side
Rennes Rennes (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in Northwestern France at the confluence of the rivers Ille and Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the Brittany (administrative region), Brittany Regions of F ...
for a club record transfer fee of €4,100,000 in the summer of 2002. After featuring regularly under the management of Philippe Bergeroo, he saw his opportunities reduced following the former's sacking in October 2002 and the appointment of
Vahid Halilhodžić Vahid Halilhodžić (; born 15 May 1952) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He is regarded as one of the most controversially successful Bosnian football managers, due to his successful tenure in coaching various nation ...
. After less than a full year abroad Ivanov rejoined Levski on loan.


Levski Sofia second period

During the 2003–04 season, Ivanov played for Levski Sofia again out on loan. He made 21 league appearances and scored nine goals.


Turkish period

Between 2004 and 2006, Ivanov played in Turkey for
Samsunspor Samsunspor Kulübü, officially known as Samsunspor Football Club Joint Stock Company, or as Reeder Samsunspor due to sponsorship agreements, is a Turkey, Turkish Football club (association football), professional football club that competes in t ...
and
Gaziantepspor Gaziantepspor was a Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969 and dissolved in 2020, Gaziantepspor were nicknamed the ''Şahinler'' (The Falcons). The club colours were black and red, and they played their home matc ...
.


Levski Sofia third period

Ivanov once again rejoined
Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () 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 by a group of high sc ...
on a free transfer from
Gaziantepspor Gaziantepspor was a Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969 and dissolved in 2020, Gaziantepspor were nicknamed the ''Şahinler'' (The Falcons). The club colours were black and red, and they played their home matc ...
in 2006 and won the Bulgarian title for the fourth time in his career.


NK Rijeka

In January 2007, Ivanov was transferred to Croatian club
NK Rijeka Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka (), commonly referred to as HNK Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football club from the city of Rijeka. HNK Rijeka competes in Croatia's top division, Supersport HNL, of which they have been members ...
. In Croatia, Ivanov was used as a striker and as a defensive midfielder.


Levski Sofia fourth period

On 22 June 2008, Ivanov signed a contract with
Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () 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 by a group of high sc ...
for the fourth time. Towards the end of the first half of the season he scored six goals in four matches, including his record 15th against Sofia rivals CSKA. During that season, he showed once again his strong leadership, playing even with an injury and protectors on his face because of a broken cheek-bone. He became a Champion of Bulgaria in 2009.


Coaching career


Executive director

Because of injuries, Ivanov did not start the 09/10 season. On 23 July 2009, Ivanov became a manager and head of the sport technical issues in PFC Levski Sofia, but he said that when he is ready he could play again.


Head coach

After the fourth defeat in eight competitions,
Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () 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 by a group of high sc ...
have replaced the manager Ratko Dostanic, with the sports manager. He took over Levski in the 10th round, but collected only 9 points. After the end of the season, Ivanov finished with the team in third place and achieved qualification for the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
. On 20 May 2010, Ivanov hired
Yasen Petrov Yasen Petrov Petrov (; born 23 June 1968) is a Bulgarian former football player. His nickname is ''Giuseppe Giannini, Giannini from Plovdiv''. Career Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Petrov played for the PFC Botev Plovdiv, PFC Levski Sofia, PFC Slav ...
as Levski's head coach, ending his coaching career. He also became caretaker manager of Levski following the resignation of
Nikolay Kostov Nikolay Nikolov Kostov (; born 2 July 1963) is a Bulgarian former footballer and current manager. Career Much of his coaching career has taken place in Cyprus. His first coaching role in the country was at Anorthosis, where he won the Cyprio ...
on 26 March 2012. On 10 October 2012, Ivanov was announced as the new manager of
Lokomotiv Plovdiv PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv (), commonly known as Loko Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Plovdiv. Lokomotiv's home ground is the Stadion Lokomotiv (Plovdiv), Lokomotiv Stadium which is situated in Lauta Park and ha ...
, replacing Emil Velev. However, he left the team after just one day in charge of the training process. Between December 2012 and the summer of 2014, Ivanov served as manager of
Cherno More Varna Cherno More () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in the city of Varna, which currently competes in Bulgaria's primary football competition, the First League. Founded on 3 March 1913, as an association football branch ...
. After that he returned to Levski Sofia, where he alternated between the positions of head coach and director of football (on occasions also holding them at the same time). On 21 June 2016, Ivanov returned as manager of Cherno More, replacing
Nikola Spasov Nikola Spasov (; 15 December 1958 – 23 November 2020) was a Bulgarian professional footballer and coach. Playing career Born in Sofia, Spasov played for PFC Lokomotiv Sofia, FC Dunav Ruse, PFC Cherno More Varna and PFC Spartak Varna in his co ...
. On 21 September 2017, he resigned following a streak of poor results.


Executive director

In August 2019, he became the
sports director Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
of
Lokomotiv Plovdiv PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv (), commonly known as Loko Plovdiv, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Plovdiv. Lokomotiv's home ground is the Stadion Lokomotiv (Plovdiv), Lokomotiv Stadium which is situated in Lauta Park and ha ...
.


Bulgaria

On 6 June 2022, Ivanov took over as interim manager of
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
after the resignation of
Yasen Petrov Yasen Petrov Petrov (; born 23 June 1968) is a Bulgarian former football player. His nickname is ''Giuseppe Giannini, Giannini from Plovdiv''. Career Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Petrov played for the PFC Botev Plovdiv, PFC Levski Sofia, PFC Slav ...
. In his capacity as a technical director of the
Bulgarian Football Union The Bulgarian Football Union ( BFS) is the governing body of association football in Bulgaria, and a member of UEFA since 1954. It organizes a football league, Bulgarian Parva Liga, and fields its Bulgaria national football team in UEFA and F ...
, he played a role in the decision of employing
Mladen Krstajić Mladen Krstajić ( sr-cyr, Младен Крстајић, ; born 4 March 1974) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who played as a centre-back. He represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. From Janua ...
as the next permanent head coach of Bulgaria. In January 2023, Ivanov affirmed that as long as he remains in an official capacity with the Football Union, naturalized players of non-Bulgarian origins will not be selected for the national team. The manner in which his statements were worded attracted some controversy due to being perceived as having racial connotations.


International career

Georgi Ivanov was a part of Bulgaria national team between 1996 and 2005. He earned his first cap with Bulgaria as a 20-year-old, in a 2–1 victory over
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
on 8 October 1996. For Bulgaria, Gonzo was capped 34 times, scoring 4 goals. He was part of Bulgaria's roster for the
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...
in France, but did not make any appearances in the tournament.


Career statistics

:''Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first.''


Managerial statistics


Honours

Levski Sofia *
A PFG The First Professional Football League (), commonly known as Parva Liga or Bulgarian First League (currently known as the efbet League for sponsorship reasons), is a professional association football league in Bulgaria and the highest level of t ...
: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009 *
Bulgarian Cup The Bulgarian Cup () is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. The tournament's format is ''single-elimination'', with all matche ...
: 1998, 2000, 2002, 2007 Individual *
Bulgarian Footballer of the Year Bulgarian Footballer of the Year (, ''Futbolist №1 na Balgariya'') is an annual title awarded to the best Bulgarian association football player of the year. The award has been given since 1961, and the winner is elected by authorized journalists ...
: 2000, 2001 * A PFG top scorer: 2001


References


External links


Profile at LevskiSofia.info
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanov, Georgi 1976 births Living people Bulgarian men's footballers Stade Rennais FC players PFC Levski Sofia players PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv players HNK Rijeka players Samsunspor footballers Gaziantepspor footballers 1998 FIFA World Cup players Bulgaria men's international footballers First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Ligue 1 players Süper Lig players Croatian Football League players Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in France Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Bulgarian football managers PFC Levski Sofia managers PFC Cherno More Varna managers PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv managers Men's association football forwards 20th-century Bulgarian sportsmen