Valentin Iliev
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Valentin Iliev Ivanov | ||
| Date of birth | 11 August 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Knezha, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | CSKA Sofia | ||
| Number | 14 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2001 | Botev Vratsa | 37 | (3) |
| 2002–2004 | Metalurh Zaporizhya | 21 | (1) |
| 2004–2007 | CSKA Sofia | 79 | (7) |
| 2008–2009 | Terek Grozny | 47 | (5) |
| 2010 | Universitatea Craiova | 25 | (6) |
| 2011–2012 | Steaua Bucureşti | 26 | (4) |
| 2012–2013 | Volyn Lutsk | 18 | (0) |
| 2013– | CSKA Sofia | 20 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2005–2013 | Bulgaria | 23 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:38, 16 December 2013 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Valentin Iliev (Bulgarian: Валентин Илиев; born 11 August 1980 in Knezha) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays for CSKA Sofia as a centre back.
Background
Iliev's father, Iliya Valov, was goalkeeper for CSKA and Bulgaria's national team.[1] Valentin's biggest career moment was scoring a goal (after an excellent Yordan Yurukov assist), which helped CSKA Sofia secure a historic 1–0 away win over Liverpool F.C. on 23 August 2005 in the Third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League. However, it did not help them qualify for the UEFA Champions League group phase, as the "armymen" were eliminated after an aggregate score of 2–3, having lost their home game.
Career
Beginning
Iliev started his career in his home town Vratsa, where he played for the local team Botev Vratsa.
Metalurh Zaporizhzhya
In June 2001 he signed with Ukrainian club Metalurg from Zaporizhzhya, where he played 21 matches and scored one goal.
CSKA Sofia
In November 2004 Iliev joined CSKA Sofia. For six months he was captain of the team and in 2005 Iliev played his first match for the Bulgaria national football team. Iliev developed a knack for scoring key goals for the "armymen" making good use of his powerful heading ability – some of them included a last-minute goal against Vihren Sandanski to help the "reds" to a 1–0 win and a goal against Turkish side Beşiktaş Jimnastik Kulübü in a match that ended 2–2. Despite some disciplinary issues, most notably his physical confrontation with Jose Emilio Furtado, resulting in Iliev being stripped of the CSKA captaincy,[2] he remained a cult figure for CSKA Sofia fans.
Terek Grozny
In 2008, Valentin Iliev was sold to the Russian First Division side, Terek Grozny.
Universitatea Craiova
The player signed a one year and a half contract with the Romanian club Universitatea Craiova.[3]
Steaua Bucureşti
In February 2011, Iliev signed a contract for one and a half years with Steaua Bucureşti.[4] On 19 December 2011, Iliev scored his first goal for Steaua against CSU Vointa Sibiu in a Liga 1 match, goal which proved to be decisive.
Volyn Lutsk
On 12 July 2012, Iliev joined Ukrainian club Volyn Lutsk on a two-year deal.
CSKA Sofia
On 16 July 2013 Valentin Iliev signed a contract with CSKA Sofia. Now that he signed a contract, he will be captain.
International career
In October 2010, after a long absence from the national team, Iliev was recalled to the national side by the new manager Lothar Matthäus for the Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales. On 8 October 2010, he started the match, but sustained an injury during the first half and was replaced by Pavel Vidanov.
Honours
- Bulgarian Championship – 2 times 2005, 2008
- Bulgarian Cup – 1 time 2006
- Bulgarian Super Cup – 1 time 2006
- Romanian Cup – 1 time 2011
- Best A PFG defender – 2005[5]
References
- ↑ "Валентиновците от "Ботев" Враца". Шанс Експрес (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 25 April 2009.
- ↑ "Фуртадо – аут от ЦСКА, капитанът Илиев – в тъч". Sega bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 25 April 2009.
- ↑ "Valentin Iliev a semnat pentru Craiova" (in Romanian). craiova-maxima.ro. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ↑ "Iliev a semnat cu Steaua" (in Romanian). steauafc.com. 19 February 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
- ↑ "Иван Иванов е футболист на годината" (in Bulgarian). sportni.bg. Retrieved 2013-12-28.
External links
- Official FCSB profile (Romanian)
- Valentin Iliev at National-Football-Teams.com
- Player profile on RomanianSoccer
- Player profile on Transfermarkt
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