Podcast in English
Audio Player
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Kiril Despodov named Bulgaria's Footballer of the Year for the 5th time

Evdokiya Popadinova from Lazio took the award for No. 1 in women's football.

Kiril Despodov
Photo: BTA

The striker of the Greek club PAOK Kiril Despodov has been named Footballer No. 1 of Bulgaria for 2024. He wins the award for the 4th consecutive time and 5th time in total. 

Despodov was honored for the first time in 2018, and in the last 4 years he has been consistently at the top. This brings him level with football legend Hristo Stoichkov in terms of the number of awards. 

Despodov is only behind Bulgarian football star Dimitar Berbatov, who has been elected Footballer of the Year 7 times.

Despodov's runners-up are Iliya Gruev ("Leeds") and Dimitar Mitov ("Aberdeen").

Before the awards were presented, a minute of silence was held to honor the victims of the tragedy at a nighclub in Kocani, North Macedonia.

Evdokiya Popadinova
Evdokiya Popadinova from Lazio was honored for the No. 1 in women's football.

Stanimir Stoilov
Coach of the Year is the former coach of Levski and current coach of the Turkish club Göztepe Stanimir Stoilov.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian national football team will face Spain in World Cup Qualifiers match in Valladolid

Another tough test for the Bulgarian national football team is coming up on October 14 against Spain in a match from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The match will take place in Valladolid at 9:45 p.m., with the European champion being the absolute..

published on 10/14/25 9:55 AM

Photo finish determines winner in Sofia Marathon

Just 3 tenths of a second determined the champion in the 2025 Sofia Marathon. Kenyan runners Shedrack Kimaiyo and Abraham Kiplimo crossed the finish line at the same time and the use of photo finish was needed. Last year's winner..

published on 10/13/25 11:42 AM

42nd Sofia Marathon set to begin with record turnout

The 42nd edition of the Wizz Air Sofia Marathon 2025, Bulgaria’s largest athletics event, will take place on 11–12 October, with the capital’s streets set to host thousands of runners. Organisers have reported a record level of interest this year,..

published on 10/11/25 7:05 AM