Aleksandar Blagov Tunchev (; born 10 July 1981) is a Bulgarian professional

football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

and former

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

. He is currently in charge of Arda Kardzhali.

Club career

Bulgaria

Tunchev started his career in his hometown of

Pazardzhik Pazardzhik ( ) is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, southern Bulgaria. It is the centre of Pazardzhik Province and Pazardzhik Municipality. It is located in the Upper Thracian Plain and in the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv Field, a ...

with local team Hebar. After that he played for

Belasitsa Petrich OFC Belasitsa () is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Petrich, currently playing in the Second League. The team was founded in 1923. They play at the Stadion Tsar Samuil in Petrich, which has a capacity of 9,500. The club last played ...

, later joining

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 ...

in June 2002. With Lokomotiv they became Champions of Bulgaria in 2004 and also won the Bulgarian Super Cup that same year. In 2006, he signed for

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'' ...

. In 2007, he was appointed captain after

Valentin Iliev Valentin Iliev Ivanov (; born 11 August 1980) is a Bulgarian football manager and former professional player. Personal life Iliev's father, Iliya Valov, was goalkeeper for CSKA and Bulgaria's national team. Playing career Early career Iliev ...

was stripped of the CSKA captaincy. They were crowned champions in 2008, and also won the

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 ...

and Supercup in 2006. In June 2008, CSKA was in a deep financial crisis and were forced to sell their key players, including Tunchev.

Leicester City

2008–09 season

Tunchev joined

Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

on 5 July 2008 for a fee of £375,000, signing a three-year contract. He made his debut in a 2–0 home win over

MK Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

on 9 August 2008, scoring his first league goal in a 2–2 home draw against

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...

on 21 October. Tunchev was peerless as he guided the club's defence through the first half of the 2008–09 season, losing just two league games.

Knee injury

His season was cut short when he suffered a partial tear of his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation. In ...

in his right knee during a 2–1

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

replay defeat to

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

on 14 January 2009. It was Tunchev's "first big injury", his previous being a pulled hamstring. Nonetheless, he was awarded a medal after Leicester finished the season as League One champions, winning promotion to the

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

. On 20 July 2009, Tunchev was back in full training after recovering from injury. He played his first game a day later as a substitute in a pre-season friendly against

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system. The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...

. He made his first competitive appearance in a 2–1 League Cup defeat to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...

on 25 August. However, he suffered an injury to his left knee in a 2–1 defeat to Preston on 26 September. Tunchev had managed two league games before undergoing another operation on his right knee on 30 September. Restricted to

crutches A crutch is a mobility aid that transfers weight from the human leg, legs to the upper body. It is often used by people who cannot use their legs to support their weight, for reasons ranging from short-term injuries to lifelong disabilities. Hi ...

ever since, he returned to the training ground in early October for his rehabilitation. It was thought that Tunchev could return to training in November. Then-manager

Nigel Pearson Nigel Graham Pearson (born 21 August 1963) is an English association football, football coach (sport), manager and former professional player. He last managed EFL Championship, Championship club Bristol City F.C., Bristol City. During his playi ...

however, refused to rush him back into the first team, instead wanting him to be "absolutely spot on" before returning. Suffering several setbacks during rehabilitation, Tunchev flew to

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain in early February 2010 to see the specialist who originally treated his injury problem. He returned to England after undergoing the last of a series of injections to his knee in the hope of avoiding another operation. On 4 February 2010, Pearson said it was unlikely Tunchev would play again in the 2009–10 season. He was ruled out for six months after undergoing another knee operation on 2 March 2010.

Return to fitness

Tunchev made his return against

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional association football, soccer club based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Origin ...

in a behind-closed-doors friendly on 24 February 2011 at Belvoir Drive. He played for 65 minutes before being

substituted Substitution may refer to: Arts and media *Substitution (poetry), a variation in poetic scansion *Substitution (theatre), an acting methodology Music *Chord substitution, swapping one chord for a related one within a chord progression *Tritone ...

. He finally played his first competitive game since September 2009 in a 4–2 win over

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

on 25 April 2011, albeit as a substitute during stoppage time. On 7 May 2011, Tunchev came on as a 30th-minute substitute in a 4–2 win over

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The club currently competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. Ipswich Town were founded in 1878 but did not turn ...

, the final game of the 2010–11 season as Leicester finished in 10th place. By this time, he had played only five games in two seasons as a result of his two knee injuries.

Loan to Crystal Palace

After a successful pre-season with

, on 5 August 2011 Tunchev signed a one-year contract extension which was set to expire in 2012 and was sent originally on a month's loan to

, though this was later extended to a 3-month loan. Tunchev made 10 appearances in total in his brief stint at Palace.

Return to Leicester

Tunchev returned to Leicester after his loan spell at Crystal Palace had come to an end, with

, who originally brought him to England having returned to manage the Foxes. After a couple of months of trying to prove his fitness following a further groin injury, Pearson recalled Tunchev to the first team on 2 January 2012 to face the Crystal Palace side he had been on loan with earlier in the season. Leicester won the game 2–1. Tunchev was released by the club on 19 May 2012 after failing to do enough to earn an extension to his contract.

Zagłębie Lubin

In the summer of 2012, Tunchev was also on trial with

Ludogorets Razgrad Professional Football Club Ludogorets 1945 (), commonly known as Ludogorets Razgrad or simply Ludogorets, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First Professional Football League ...

, catching the eye of then manager

Ivaylo Petev Ivaylo Bogdanov Petev (; born 9 July 1975) is a Bulgarian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Petev spent his whole career playing in Bulgaria, apart from a season at Greek club Trikala. He was most successful early i ...

, but the

Razgrad Razgrad ( ) is a city in Northeastern Bulgaria in the valley of the Beli Lom river that falls within the historical and geographical region of Ludogorie (Deliorman). It is an administrative center of Razgrad Province. Etymology The suffix "gra ...

team eventually decided against offering him a contract. In September 2012, Tunchev joined Polish

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

side

Zagłębie Lubin Zagłębie Lubin S.A. () is a Polish professional association football, football club based in Lubin. Founded in 1945 as ''OMTUR Lubin'', the club competes in the Ekstraklasa. History The football team was founded in 1945 as OMTUR Lubin by lo ...

as defensive cover, following injuries to other players. He signed for an initial one-year period, with the option of a second year.

Return to Bulgaria

Loko Plovdiv

In June 2013, Tunchev once again became part of the

Loko 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 ...

team.

CSKA Sofia

In May 2014, Tunchev rejoined

for a period of one year, becoming the team's first summer signing.

Loko Plovdiv

In June 2016, Tunchev announced his retirement but was restored as a player by

's manager

Eduard Eranosyan Eduard Antranik Eranosyan (; born 8 February 1961), nicknamed ''"Edo"'' ''()'', is a Bulgarian football manager and a former player who played as a striker. Eranosyan played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Vitória de Setúbal, Leixões and Boavista. ...

in February 2017. He finally retired in June 2017.

International

Tunchev used to be part of the Bulgaria national side. He made his debut in a 3–1 win over

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

on 18 August 2005, playing for six minutes. The defender was a regular for the Bulgarian team since making his official debut against

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

in a

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA ( ...

qualifying match. On 11 October 2006, Tunchev scored his first international goal in a 1–0 away win 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 ...

during a

qualifying match. In November 2014, he was recalled to the national side for a

Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe o ...

qualifier against

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

after a long absence from international duty, but remained on the bench.

International goals

Honours

Player

Lokomotiv Plovdiv *

A Group 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 ...

: 2003–04 *

Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup () is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match and the holder of the Bulgarian Cup at that time. ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

CSKA Sofia *A Group: 2007–08 *

: 2005–06 *Bulgarian Supercup:

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

Leicester City *

League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...

: 2008–09

Manager

Lokomotiv Plovdiv *A Group runner-up:

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tunchev, Aleksandar 1981 births Living people Footballers from Pazardzhik Men's association football defenders Bulgarian men's footballers Bulgaria men's international footballers Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers FC Hebar Pazardzhik players OFC Belasitsa Petrich players PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv players PFC CSKA Sofia players Leicester City F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Zagłębie Lubin players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players English Football League players Ekstraklasa players Expatriate men's footballers in England Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Bulgarian football managers PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv managers First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) managers 21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen