PFC Levski Sofia
893469
225990564
2008-07-16T10:20:16Z
Zevs pz
3603623
/* Recent transfers */
{{Redirect|Levski Sofia|the sports club|Levski Sofia (sports club)}}
{{Football club infobox |
clubname = Levski Sofia |
image = [[Image:Levski.JPG|150px]] |
fullname = PFC Levski Sofia |
nickname = ''Сините'' (The Blues)|
founded = [[May 24]],[[1914 in football (soccer)|1914]] |
ground = [[Georgi Asparuhov Stadium]], [[Sofia]] |
capacity = 29,980 |
chairman = {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Todor Batkov]] |
executive director = {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} VACATED |
director at the fiscal questions {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Kostadin Bazhdekov]] |
manager = {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Velislav Vutsov]] |
league = [[TBI A Football Group]] |
season = 2007-08 |
position = Bulgarian A PFG, 2nd|
pattern_la1=_uhlsport_mythos_whitelines|pattern_b1=_levski_sofia|pattern_ra1=_uhlsport_mythos_whitelines
| leftarm1= 436EEE |body1= 436EEE |rightarm1= 436EEE |shorts1= 436EEE |socks1= 436EEE
| pattern_la2=_uhlsport_mythos_bluelines|pattern_b2=_levski_sofia_away|pattern_ra2=_uhlsport_mythos_bluelines
| leftarm2= FFFF00 |body2= FFFF00 |rightarm2= FFFF00 |shorts2= FFFF00 |socks2= FFFF00
}}
'''Levski Sofia''' or simply Levski is one of the most popular clubs in Bulgaria. Levski has won 25 [[Bulgarian A Professional Football Group|League titles]] and 26 [[Bulgarian Cup|National cups]]. Levski is the only team that has never been relegated from the Bulgarian top division, and to have a positive balance against all teams in the national competitions. Internationally Levski has reached three [[Cup Winners' Cup]] quarter-finals and two [[UEFA Cup]] quarter-finals. In [[2006 in football (soccer)|2006]], it became the first club from the country to reach the group stage of the [[UEFA Champions League]]. Levski is the only Bulgarian club, together with [[CSKA Sofia]], that is introduced into [[European Club Association]].
==History==
===Early years and Reforms===
Sport Club Levski from Sofia was founded in [[1911 in football (soccer)|1911]] by a group of students at the Second Male High School in Sofia, with football as the major [[sport]] practiced. The club was officially registered on [[May 24]], 1914, the date now celebrated as its birthday. The club's name was chosen in honor of the [[wikt:apostle|Apostle]] of Bulgarian [[Freedom (political)|freedom]] [[Vasil Levski]]. It was proposed by one of its founders – [[Boris Vasilev]].
In 1914, the first officially elected management of the club was the following: [[Vladimir Grigorov]] – Chairman; [[Georgi Manolov]] – Deputy Chairman; [[Krum Dinkov]] – Secretary; Boris Vasilev – Cashier; [[Stefan Toshkov]] and [[Atanas Yankov]] – Members; [[Kostadin Manolov]] – Manager. During the first few years Levski consisted of the following key players: K. Gigorov – Goalkeeper; K. Manolov and K. Dinkov – Defenders; S. Stoyanov and B. Vasilev – Midfielders; V. Grigorov, C. Genev, P. Stoyanovich, G. Manolov and D. Sirakov – Forwards.
In 1914 Levski lost its first official match against [[FC 13 Sofia]] by 0:2. The next documented match of Levski was played on 1st April 1915 against [[PFC Slavia Sofia|Slavia Sofia]], another defeat - this time by 0:1. In that period (1914-1920) football wasn't a popular sport in Bulgaria, so there isn't any other information from the period concerning the club. In the summer of 1921, the [[Sofia Sports League]] was founded. It united 10 clubs from Sofia, marking the beginning of organized football competitions in the city. The Blues won the first match in the championship for the season 1921/1922, held on [[September 18]], [[1921 in football (soccer)|1921]], against [[Athletic Sofia]] with the score of 3:1. Levski captured the first place in the league in 1923 after a dramatic 3:2 win over bitter rival [[Slavia Sofia]] and successfully defended the title in the following season.
The first [[Bulgarian A Professional Football Group|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 one of the most popular football clubs 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. In 1936 the club toured [[Germany]], [[Poland]] and the [[Baltic countries]]. Some of the most notable players to wear the blue shirt in the pre-war years were [[Asen Peshev]], [[Asen Panchev]], [[Nikola Dimitrov]], [[Petar Ivanov]], [[Vasil Spasov]], [[Borislav Tsvetkov]] and [[Lyubomir Aldev]].
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 back 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 became first seen in the likes of [[Georgi Asparuhov]], [[Georgi Sokolov]], [[Biser Mihailov]], [[Kiril Ivkov]], [[Ivan Vutsov]], [[Stefan Aladzhov]] and [[Alexandar 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 Lisbon]] in the [[European Cup]] in 1965 remained memorable for the [[Eusebio]] versus Georgi Asparuhov clash, and the recognition that the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] great gave to his Bulgarian counterpart.
Following the new wave of political reform in the [[Eastern Block]] after the [[Prague Spring]], in 1969 and against the wishes of the majority of its supporters, Levski was merged with [[Spartak Sofia]] and put under the auspice of the Bulgarian interior ministry. The name of the club was once again changed, this time to Levski - Spartak.
This controversy, along with the untimely and tragic death of club icon Georgi Asparuhov together with teammate and fellow great [[Nikola Kotkov]] in a car crash in 1971, did not diminish seriously the success of the club or its fan base in the next decade. A new crop of youngsters in the likes of [[Kiril Milanov]], [[Dobromir Zhechev]], [[Pavel Panov]], [[Todor Barzov]], [[Voin Voinov]], [[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 quarterfinal appearances in the [[Cup Winners Cup]] in 1970 and 1977, and in the [[UEFA Cup]] in 1976, together with the victories over [[AFC Ajax|Ajax Amsterdam]], [[FC Barcelona]] and [[Atletico de Madrid]] demonstrated the new international competitiveness of Levski.
Levski's youth academy received the full credit of the whole Bulgarian football community by sending during the 1980s into the national team the new stars of The Blues: [[Petar Kurdov]], [[Emil Spasov]], [[Mihail Valchev]], [[Emil Velev]], [[Nasko Sirakov]], [[Nikolay Iliev]], [[Borislav Mikhailov]] and [[Bozhidar Iskrenov]], who won the domestic championship in 1984 (an unprecedented domestic treble), 1985 and 1988. The back to back triumphs over [[VfB Stuttgart]] in 1983 and 1984, along with the quarterfinal appearance in the Cup Winners Cup in 1988, were especially celebrated by Levski's supporters.
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 of both The Blues and the Reds were suspended from the sport for life. The championship title of the club for 1985 was suspended.
===Normalization and New era===
The suspensions were lifted shortly after, but regardless of the universal refusal of supporters to recognize and chant the new name of the team, it wasn't until 1989 and the [[Fall of the Berlin Wall]] that the club officially abolished the artificially imposed and hated title Vitosha and returned to being simply Levski. The normalization of sport activities in the country and the removal of the political influences on the football community were especially favorable to the results of The Blues. 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 F.C.|Rangers FC]] 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 Bulgarian national team that ended on fourth place in the unforgettable American summer of the [[World Cup 1994]].
Financial distress and the increasing interest of the Bulgarian [[mafia]] into the game troubled Levski in the following few years. Players like [[Marian Hristov]] and [[Doncho Donev]] did well for the club, but failed to win the domestic title or record success Aleksandrov]] and [[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]] won the title in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The club once again became a force to be reckoned with in Europe, and had memorable clashes with [[Hajduk Split]], [[Juventus Turin]], [[Galatasaray Istanbul]], [[Dynamo Kyiv]], [[Slavia Prague]] and [[Liverpool FC]].
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Marian-scoring-Chelsea.jpg|thumb|left|225px|Marian Ognyanov after his goal against Chelsea F.C.]] -->Another relatively unsuccessful 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 quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Cup, knocking out [[AJ Auxerre]], winning against [[Olympique de Marseille]] and finishing ahead of the reigning title holder [[PFC CSKA Moscow|CSKA Moscow]] in the group stage, triumphing over [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] participants [[Artmedia Bratislava]] and [[Udinese Calcio]], before being knocked out by [[Schalke 04]] in a controversial tie.
[[Image:PFC Levski Sofia vs Chelsea FC, UEFA Champions League 2006-07, Sofia, Bulgaria.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Levski playing [[Chelsea F.C.]] at the [[Vasil Levski National Stadium]] in the [[UEFA Champions League 2006-07]]]]
Levski, as the champions of Bulgaria, started their [[UEFA Champions League 2006-07]] participation from the second qualiftying round, where they eliminated [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] champions [[Sioni Bolnisi]], defeating them 2-0 both home and away. In the third round, Levski faced [[Italy|Italian]] team [[Chievo Verona]] who are taking part in the tournament because of other clubs' sanctions as part of the [[2006 Serie A scandal|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, thus becoming the first Bulgarian club to ever reach the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. There they face last year's winners [[FC Barcelona]] from [[Spain]], [[FA Premier League|English champions]] [[Chelsea F.C.]] and [[Germany|German]] powerhouse [[Werder Bremen]]. They first played Barcelona at [[Camp Nou]], and lost 5-0 to a classy Spanish team. They then lost 1-3 to Chelsea in their own ground, [[Didier Drogba]] scoring three times for the visitors and [[Marian Ognyanov]] being the author of Levski and Bulgaria's first Champions League goal later in the match. The team lost twice by Werder Bremen and then suffered a 0-2 loss in Sofia versus the champion Barcelona by both teams playing very good match in a full stadium.
== 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 the outskirts of the city, and a decade later the stadium named “Levski” 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 would move to the “Dinamo” ground, which was located at the site of the modern [[Spartak swimming complex]]. In 1961 after districting the team moved to “Gerena” neighborhood. There a [[Georgi Asparuhov Stadium|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 as an all-seater for 29,280 spectators. The field measures 120x90 meters. However, the team plays most of its important games versus foreign teams on the national stadium "Vasil Levski".
The club president Todor Batkov has recently demanded that Levski should receive "Rakovski" stadium on loan. This should be done on account that the first club stadium was nationalized and Levski have never been repaid.
==Honors and records==
=== Tournaments ===
*[[Bulgarian A Professional Football Group|Champion of Bulgaria]] 25 times: 1933, 1937, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007.
*[[Bulgarian Cup|National Cup Winner]] 26 times: 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007.
*[[Soviet Amy cup]](Unofficial) 3 times: 1984, 1987, 1988.
*[[The Double|Doubles]] 13 times: 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1984, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2007.
*[[Ulpia Serdika Cup]] (Cup of capital city Sofia) holder - 4 times: 1926, 1930, 1931, 1932
*[[Bulgarian Supercup]] holder - 2 times: 2005, 2007
*[[Treble]] 2 times: 1984, 2007
*[[UEFA Cup]] - 1/4 Final: 1975/1976, 2005/2006
*[[Cup Winners' Cup]] - 1/4 Final: 1969/1970, 1976/1977, 1986/1987
=== Sofia's leading team ===
In the matches between Sofia's leading 4 football clubs, Levski has positive balance against the others.
Up to 10.05.2008:
'''Levski''' - '''CSKA'''* :<br>
'''121''' matches; '''48''' wins, '''34''' draws, '''39''' defeats; '''181:168''' goals
'''Levski''' - '''Slavia''' :<br>
'''119''' matches; '''56''' wins, '''40''' draws, '''23''' defeats; '''202:125''' goals
'''Levski''' - '''Lokomotiv''' :<br>
'''114''' matches; '''67''' wins, '''26''' draws, '''21''' defeats; '''212:104''' goals
Note: The statistics includes only the League results.
<nowiki>*</nowiki>matches ever played between:
'''Levski''' - '''CSKA'''<br>
'''168''' matches; '''74''' wins, '''44''' draws, '''50''' defeats; '''258:220''' goals
== Team Trivia ==
*"The Bulgarian derby", the most notorious Bulgarian football rivalry is Levski Sofia vs CSKA Sofia. It is also known as Вечното Дерби/The Eternal Derby. Both teams' fans have been often involved in feuds and acts of vandalism.
*Levski Sofia and [[CSKA Sofia]] are the two most dominant teams in Bulgarian football's new history. Often the battle for the championship is between these two teams.
*The team's name was given by the name of the Bulgarian national hero [[Vasil Levski]]. This is also the name of [[Vasil Levski National Stadium|Bulgaria's National stadium]], where the club plays most of its international matches.
*Levski is the only team that has never been relegated from the Bulgarian top division.
*Levski is the only team in Bulgaria that has a positive balance against every other present club in the country.
*Levski holds the record for having won most times the National cup: 26 times
*Levski is the Bulgarian team that sells most season tickets to its supporters - for season 2006-2007 they were about 4000!
*Levski is the Bulgarian team that holds the record for most played matches in one season in the European Club Tournaments - 14 [[UEFA Cup]] matches in 2005/2006
*Levski is the Bulgarian team that has achieved biggest home and away victories in the European Club Tournaments - 12:2 in [[Sofia]] versus Reipas (Finland) and 7:1 in Lahti versus the same team. Both scores comprise the European competitions record for most goals scored in tie (22 in total).
*Levski is the only team that has managed to score 5 goals in one match against [[FC Barcelona]] in the European tournaments - 5:4 in [[Sofia]] on March 17, 1976 - [[UEFA Cup]] 1/4 final.
*Levski holds the domestic record for most scored goals in one season - 96 in 2006/2007
*Levski is the only Bulgarian club, together with [[CSKA Sofia]], that is introduced into [[European Club Association]].
==Colours==
{|
|valign="top"|
At first, the club colours were red and yellow. With bough from Romania kit, the team played till 1920 - shirts with vertical red and yellow lines, black shorts and black socks. In the years after the First World War the fabric became too expensive, so the yellow-red coloured shirt was switched with the cheaper in that time blue one, which is still used today.
|valign="top"|
|valign="top"|
|}
==Historical results==
*'''Levski''' 6-3 [[CSKA Sofia]], 1962
*'''Levski''' 7-2 [[CSKA Sofia]], 1968
*'''Levski''' 2-1 [[MSV Duisburg]], 1975 [[Uefa Cup]]
*'''Levski''' 2-1 [[AFC Ajax|Ajax]], 1975 [[Uefa Cup]]
*'''Levski''' 5-4 [[Barcelona]], 1976 [[Uefa Cup]] quarter final
*'''Levski''' 12-2 [[Reipas Lahti]], 1976 record win in the Cup Winners' Cup tournament
*'''Levski''' 2-0 [[Boavista F.C.|Boavista]], 1976 [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]]
*'''Levski''' 2-1 [[Atletico Madrid]], 1977 [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]]
*'''Levski''' 1-0 [[Stuttgart]], 1983 [[Uefa Cup]]
*'''Levski''' 2-1 [[Rangers F.C.]], 1993 [[Uefa Champions League]]
*'''Levski''' 7-1 [[CSKA Sofia]], 1994
*'''Levski''' 3-1 [[Bayern Munchen]] , 1994 , a match played for the 80-th anniversary of Levski
*'''Levski''' 5-0 [[CSKA Sofia]], 1998 Bulgarian Cup Final, 50-th anniversary of the rival
*'''Levski''' 1-0 [[AJ Auxerre]], 2005 [[Uefa Cup]] First Round
*'''Levski''' 1-0 [[Olympique de Marseille]], 2005 [[Uefa Cup]] Group stage
*'''Levski''' 2-1 [[Udinese]], 2006 [[Uefa Cup]] Round of 16
*'''Levski''' 2-0 [[A.C. ChievoVerona|Chievo]], 2006 [[Uefa Champions League]] Third qualifying round
*'''Levski''' 10-0 [[Chernomorets Burgas Sofia]], Levski's biggest win in [[Bulgarian A Professional Football Group|A PFG]]
== Current squad ==
<table style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; width: 180px; border: #123CCC solid 1px">
<tr><td><div style="position: relative;">
[[Image:Soccer.Field Transparant.png|175px]]
{{Image label|x=0.20|y=0.05|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">1.Petkov</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.02|y=0.20|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">3.Milanov</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.10|y=0.15|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">5.Rabeh</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.29|y=0.15|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">4.Tomašić</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.39|y=0.20|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">14.Minev</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.10|y=0.33|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">7.Borimirov</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.30|y=0.35|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">22.Tasevski</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.02|y=0.46|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">11.Zé Soares</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.39|y=0.46|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">24.Dimitrov</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.11|y=0.54|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">27.Krastovchev</font>}}
{{Image label|x=0.33|y=0.52|scale=350|text=<font size=1 color="Blue">18.Ivanov</font>}}
</div></td></tr>
<tr><td><small>Levski Sofia 2007/2008 line-up</small></td></tr>
</table>
{{Football squad start}}
{{Football squad player|no=1|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Georgi Petkov]]|pos=GK}}
{{Football squad player|no=3|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Zhivko Milanov]]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=5|nat=Morocco|name=[[Youssef Rabeh]]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=6|nat=Morocco|name=[[Rachid Tiberkanine]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=7|nat=Brazil|name=[[Jean Carlos Sales Bemvindo|Jean Carlos]]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=8|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Georgi Sarmov]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=9|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]]|pos=FW}} ([[Captain (football)|C]])
{{Football squad player|no=10|nat=Brazil|name=[[João Natailton Ramos dos Santos|Joãozinho]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=11|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Georgi Hristov (forward)|Georgi Hristov]]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=12|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Bozhidar Mitrev]]|pos=GK}}
{{Football squad player|no=13|nat=Israel|name=[[Eli Zizov]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=14|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Veselin Minev]]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=15|nat=Morocco|name=[[Chakib Benzoukane]]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad mid}}
{{Football squad player|no=16|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Marian Ognyanov]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=18|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Miroslav Ivanov (footballer)|Miroslav Ivanov]]|pos=MF|}}
{{Football squad player|no=19|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Vladimir Gadzhev]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=20|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Juneit Yashar]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=21|nat=Brazil|name=[[José Soares da Silva Filho|Zé Soares]]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=22|nat=Macedonia|name=[[Darko Tasevski]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=23|nat=Czech Republic|name=[[David Bystroň]]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=24|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Nikolay Dimitrov]]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=25|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Lucio Wagner]]|pos=DF}}
{{Football squad player|no=27|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Enyo Krastovchev]]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=29|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Ismail Isa Mustafa|Ismail Isa]]|pos=FW}}
{{Football squad player|no=30|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Lachezar Baltanov]]|pos=MF}}
{{Football squad player|no=31|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Tzvetan Dimitrov]]|pos=GK}}
{{Football squad end}}
===Reserve Squad===
''See [[PFC Levski Sofia B]]''
===Recent transfers===
'''In:'''
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Georgi Hristov (forward)|Georgi Hristov]]|pos=FW|other=free-agent}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]]|pos=FW|other=From [[NK Rijeka]]}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=Czechoslovakia|name=[[David Bystroň]]|pos=DF|other=From [[Baník Ostrava]]}} - Transfer fee 430 000 euros
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Vladimir Gadzhev]]|pos=MF|other=From [[Panathinaikos]]}} on loan
{{Fs player|no=6|nat=Morocco|pos=FW|name=[[Rachid Tiberkanine]]|other=From [[FK Daugava Daugavpils]]}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Juneit Yashar]]|pos=MF|other=From [[PFC Kaliakra Kavarna]]}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Martin Dimov (defender)|Martin Dimov]]|pos=DF|other=From [[Rodopa Smolyan]]}}
{{Fs end}}
'''Out:'''
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Daniel Borimirov]]|pos=MF|other='''retired'''}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Croatia|name=[[Igor Tomašić]]|pos=DF|other=to [[Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C.]]}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Valeri Domovchiyski]]|pos=FW|other=to {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Hertha BSC Berlin]]}} - Transfer fee 1 600 000 euros
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Bulgaria|name=[[Borislav Stoychev]]|pos=DF|other='''dismissed'''}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=Nigeria|name=[[Ekundayo Jayeoba]]|pos=FW|other='''dismissed'''}}
{{Fs end}}
==Technical staff==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Name
!Role
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Velislav Vutsov]]
|Coach
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Antony Zdravkov]]
|Assistant Coach
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Emil Velev]]
|Assistant Coach
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Valentin Zahariev]]
|Goalkeeping Coach
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} Yasen Ekimov
|Fitness Coach
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Daniel Borimirov]]
|Manager / Head of the sport technical issues in Levski
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} Konstantin Bazhdekov
|Manager / Head of financial issues in Levski
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Rusi Gochev]], [[Bozhidar Iskrenov]]
|Academy Technical Manager
|-
|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Jan Filipov]]
|Doctor
|}
==Player records==
====Most appearances for Levski====
''As of match played 10 January 2008.''
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Name
!Career
!Appearances
!Goals
|-
|1
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Stefan Aladzhov]]
|1967 - 1981
|483
|4
|-
|2
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Emil Spasov]]
|1974 - 1990
|415
|111
|-
|3
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Pavel Panov]]
|1969 - 1981
|383
|177
|-
|4
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Kiril Ivkov]]
|1967 - 1978
|375
|15
|-
|5
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Aleksandar Kostov]]
|1956 - 1971
|344
|85
|-
|6
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Hristo Iliev]]
|1954 - 1968
|326
|132
|-
|7
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Elin Topuzakov]]
|1996 - 2008
|313
|23
|-
|8
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Stefan Abadzjiev]]
|1953 - 1968
|299
|45
|-
|9
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Plamen Nikolov]]
|1977 - 1992
|296
|6
|-
|10
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Voin Voinov]]
|1971 - 1981
|295
|50
|}
====Most goals scored for Levski====
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="3" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!#
!Name
!Career
!Appearances
!Goals
!Goals/Game<br />Ratio
|-
|1
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Nasko Sirakov]]
|1981 - 1994
|258
|206
|0.80
|-
|-
|2
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Pavel Panov]]
|1969 - 1981
|383
|177
|0.46
|-
|3
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Georgi Asparuhov]]
|1959 - 1971
|238
|153
|0.64
|-
|4
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]]
|1997 - 2007
|197
|116
|0.59
|-
|6
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Emil Spasov]]
|1974 - 1990
|415
|111
|0.27
|-
|7
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Dimitar Yordanov]]
|1956 - 1965
|207
|104
|0.50
|-
|8
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Misho Velchev]]
|1981 - 1987
|169
|102
|0.60
|-
|9
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Aleksandar Kostov]]
||0.24
|-
|10
|align="left"|{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Georgi Sokolov]]
|1958 - 1969
|237
|83
|0.35
|}
==Recent history==
:{|class="wikitable"
|-bgcolor="#efefef"
! Season
!
! Pos.
! Pl.
! W
! D
! L
! GS
! GA
! P
![[Bulgarian Cup|Cup]]
!colspan=2|Europe
!Notes
|-
|[[A PFG - 1997/1998|1997/1998]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=silver|'''2'''
|align=right|30||align=right|19||align=right|7||align=right|4
|align=right|73||align=right|27||align=right|'''64'''
|bgcolor=gold|winner
|[[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1997-98|CWC]]
|Qualifying Round
|
|-
|[[A PFG - 1998/1999|1998/1999]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=silver|'''2'''
|align=right|30||align=right|23||align=right|5||align=right|2
|align=right|55||align=right|11||align=right|'''74'''
|Third Round
|[[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1998-99|CWC]]
|First Round
|
|-
|[[A PFG 1999-00|1999/2000]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=gold|'''1'''
|align=right|30||align=right|23||align=right|5||align=right|2
|align=right|66||align=right|17||align=right|'''74'''
|bgcolor=gold|winner
|[[UEFA Cup 1999-00|UC]]
|Second Round
|
|-
|[[A PFG 2000-01|2000/2001]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=gold|'''1'''
|align=right|30||align=right|22||align=right|3||align=right|1
|align=right|63||align=right|13||align=right|'''69'''
|bgcolor=#CC9966|Semi-final
|[[UEFA Champions League 2000-01|CL]]
|Qualifying Phase 2
|
|-
|[[A PFG 2001-02|2001/2002]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=gold|'''1'''
|align=right|36||align=right|27||align=right|7||align=right|2
|align=right|77||align=right|27||align=right|'''56'''
|bgcolor=gold|winner
|[[UEFA Champions League 2001-02|CL]]
|Qualifying Phase 3
|Then [[UEFA Cup 2001-02|UC]] - First Round
|-
|[[A PFG 2002-03|2002/2003]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=silver|'''2'''
|align=right|26||align=right|19||align=right|3||align=right|4
|align=right|61||align=right|19||align=right|'''60'''
|bgcolor=gold|winner
|[[UEFA Champions League 2002-03|CL]]|||Qualifying Phase 3
|Then [[UEFA Cup 2002-03|UC]] - Second Round
|-
|[[A PFG 2003-04|2003/2004]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=silver|'''2'''
|align=right|30||align=right|22||align=right|6||align=right|2
|align=right|59||align=right|18||align=right|'''72'''
|Quarter-final
|[[UEFA Cup 2003-04|UC]]
|Third Round
|-
|[[A PFG 2004-05|2004/2005]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=silver|'''2'''
|align=right|30||align=right|24||align=right|4||align=right|2
|align=right|76||align=right|19||align=right|'''76'''
|bgcolor=gold|winner
|[[UEFA Cup 2004-05|UC]]
|First Round
|
|-
|[[A PFG 2005-06|2005/2006]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=gold|'''1'''
|align=right|30||align=right|21||align=right|5||align=right|2
|align=right|71||align=right|23||align=right|'''68'''
|Third Round
|[[UEFA Cup 2005-06|UC]]
|Quarter-Final
|[[Bulgarian Super Cup]] holder
|-
|[[A PFG 2006-07|2006/2007]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=gold|'''1'''
|align=right|30||align=right|24||align=right|5||align=right|1
|align=right|96||align=right|13||align=right|'''77'''
|bgcolor=gold|winner
|[[UEFA Champions League 2006-07|CL]]
|Group Stage
|-
|[[A PFG 2007-08|2007/2008]]
|1D
|align=right bgcolor=silver|'''2'''
|align=right|30||align=right|19||align=right|5||align=right|6
|align=right|56||align=right|19||align=right|'''62'''
|Quarter-final
|[[UEFA Champions League 2007-08|CL]]
|Qualifying Phase 2
|[[Bulgarian Super Cup]] holder
|-
|[[A PFG 2008-09|2008/2009]]
|1D
|align=right|
|align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right|
|align=right| ||align=right| ||align=right|
|
|[[UEFA Champions League 2008-09|CL]]
|
|ongoing
|}
'''Color:'''
{|class="wikitable"
|-
|bgcolor=gold |'''Gold'''
| Winner
|-
| bgcolor=silver |'''Silver'''
| Runners-Up
|-
| bgcolor=#CC9966 |'''Bronze'''
| 3rd place (Semi-final)
|}
==UEFA ranking==
''As of 20 May 2008''
* 78 {{flagicon|Portugal}} [[Sporting Braga]]
* 79 {{flagicon|Spain}} [[Real Sociedad]]
* '''80''' {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} '''Levski Sofia'''
* 81 {{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk]]
* 82 {{flagicon|Austria}} [[FK Austria Wien]]
*[http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/data/method3/trank2008.html Full List]
'''Current National League ranking'''
* 15 {{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Czech Liga|Czechian League]]
* 16 {{flagicon|Switzerland}} [[Axpo Super League|Swiss League]]
* '''17''' {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} '''[[Bulgarian A Professional Football Group|Bulgarian League]]'''
* 18 {{flagicon|Norway}} [[Norwegian Premier League|Norwegian League]]
* 19 {{flagicon|Denmark}} [[Danish Superliga]]
* [http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/data/method3/crank2008.html Full List]
==Distinguished managers==
{|
|valign="top"|
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Ivan Radoev]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Dimitar Mutafchiev]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Georgi Pachedziev]]
*{{flagicon|Czech Republic}} [[Rudolf Vitlacil]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Krasimir Chakarov]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Yordan Arsov]]
|width="33"|
|valign="top"|
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Ivan Vutsov]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Dobromir Zhechev]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Vasil Metodiev]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Kiril Ivkov]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Pavel Panov]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Georgi Vasilev]]
|width="33"|
|valign="top"|
*{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Vyacheslav Grozny]]
*{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Vladimir Fedotov]]
*{{flagicon|Serbia|civil}} [[Ljupko Petrović]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Dimitar Dimitrov (football manager)|Dimitar Dimitrov]]
*{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Rudiger Abramczik]]
*{{flagicon|Serbia|civil}} [[Slavoljub Muslin]]
*{{flagicon|Bulgaria}} [[Stanimir Stoilov]]
|}
==Selected former players==
{|
|valign="top"|
'''[[1960s]]'''
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Stefan Abadzjiev]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Georgi Sokolov]] †
'''[[1970s]]'''
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Georgi Asparuhov]] †
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Kiril Ivkov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Aleksandar Kostov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Nikola Kotkov]] †
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Biser Mihaylov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Kiril Milanov]]
|width="33"|
|valign="top"|
'''[[1980s]]'''
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Stefan Aladzhov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Nikolay Iliev]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Bozhidar Iskrenov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Borislav Mikhailov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Pavel Panov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Emil Spasov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Mihail Valchev]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Voyn Voynov]]
'''[[1990s]]'''
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Plamen Getov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Marian Hristov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Petar Hubtchev]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Zdravko Zdravkov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Plamen Nikolov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Vladko Shalamanov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Nasko Sirakov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Zlatko Yankov]]
* {{flagicon|Serbia}} [[Predrag Pažin]]
|width="33"|
|valign="top"|
'''[[2000s]]'''
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Aleksandar Aleksandrov (footballer born 1975)|Aleksandar Aleksandrov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Dimitar Ivankov]]
* {{flagicon|Nigeria}} [[Garba Lawal]]
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Vladislav Radimov]]
* {{flagicon|Gambia}} [[Njogu Demba-Nyrén]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Stanislav Angelov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Nikolay Mikhailov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Elin Topuzakov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Hristo Yovov]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Dimitar Telkiyski]]
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Cedric Bardon]]
* {{flagicon|Nigeria}} [[Richard Eromoigbe]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Daniel Borimirov]]
* {{flagicon|Croatia}} [[Igor Tomašić]]
* {{flagicon|BUL}} [[Valeri Domovchiyski]]
|}
==[[Bulgarian Footballer of the Year]] winners==
* 1965 – [[Georgi Asparuhov]]
* 1970 – [[Stefan Aladzhov]]
* 1974 – [[Kiril Ivkov]]
* 1975 – [[Kiril Ivkov]]
* 1977 – [[Pavel Panov]]
* 1984 – [[Plamen Nikolov]]
* 1986 – [[Borislav Mikhailov]]
* 1999 – [[Aleksandar Aleksandrov (footballer born 1975)|Aleksandar Aleksandrov]]
* 2000 – [[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]]
* 2001 – [[Georgi Ivanov (footballer)|Georgi Ivanov]]
== See also ==
* [[Bulgarian Football Union]]
* [[PFC Levski Sofia B]]
== External links ==
* [http://www.levski.bg/ Official club website]
* [http://levskisofia.info LevskiSofia.info]
* [http://www.levski.com/ '''Levski.com''' - the old official site]
* [http://site-forum.levski.com/ The biggest Levski Sofia forum with over 5000 registered users]
* [http://www.pfclevski.eu/ PFC '''Levski.eu''' - The Best unofficial website entirely in English]
* [http://www.ultraslevski.org/ UltrasLevski.org - A site dedicated to the ultras history of the most numerous and strongest Bulgarian supporters]
* [http://clubs.bul-foot.org/html/a/a/Levski(Sofia).htm Bulgarian clubs - Levski (Sofia)]
{{fb start}}
{{Champions League 2006-07}}
{{fb end}}
{{fb start}}
{{BG A PFG}}
{{Template:Football in Bulgaria table cells}}
{{Bulgarian A Professional Football Group seasons}}
{{fb end}}
[[Category:Bulgarian football clubs|Levski Sofia]]
[[Category:Levski Sofia]]
[[Category:Football (soccer) clubs established in 1914]]
[[Category:Multi-sport clubs]]
[[ar:ليفسكي صوفيا]]
[[bg:ПФК Левски (София)]]
[[ca:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[cs:PFK Levski Sofija]]
[[de:Lewski Sofia]]
[[es:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[fr:PFK Levski Sofia]]
[[ko:PFC 레프스키 소피아]]
[[hr:Levski Sofija]]
[[id:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[it:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[he:לבסקי סופיה]]
[[lt:PFK Levski Sofiâ]]
[[mr:लेव्हस्की सोफिया]]
[[nl:Levski Sofia]]
[[ja:レフスキ・ソフィア]]
[[no:Levski Sofia]]
[[pl:Lewski Sofia]]
[[pt:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[ro:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[ru:Левски (футбольный клуб)]]
[[sr:ФК Левски Софија]]
[[fi:PFK Levski Sofia]]
[[sv:PFC Levski Sofia]]
[[tr:Levski Sofya]]
[[zh:索菲亚列夫斯基]]