Andrey Asenov Galabinov (; born 27 November 1988) is a Bulgarian 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 ...
who plays as a
striker.
After playing youth football 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'' ...
and
AC Omonia
Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia (; ''Athlitikós Sýllogos Omónoia Lefkosías''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia (also Romanization of Greek, transliterated as Omonoia), is a Cyprus, Cypriot professional multi-sport club, esta ...
, Galabinov moved to Italy with his parents at the age of 16. He began his career at
Serie D
The Serie D () is the highest level of semi-professional football in Italy, and the fourth tier of the Italian national league system. It sits beneath the third and lowest fully professional league, Serie C, and feeds in to it through promotion ...
club
Castellarano, before moving to
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
in 2007. Bologna then loaned him out to
Giulianova
Giulianova ( Giuliese: ' ) is a coastal town and ''comune'' in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo region, Italy. The ''comune'' also has city () status, thus also known as Città di Giulianova.
Geography
The town lies in the north of the Abruzzo regi ...
and Giacomense. In July 2009 he joined
Serie C1
Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions.
History
Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Se ...
club
Lumezzane and remained there until January 2011 when signing for
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
of
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
. He had loan spells at
Sorrento
Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...
,
Bassano,
Gubbio
Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines.
History Prehistory
The ol ...
and
Avellino
Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.
...
before leaving Livorno to join
Novara
Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
in 2015. In July 2017 he signed with
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
side
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
and stayed with the club for a one season.
Galabinov made his senior debut for
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 ...
in March 2014.
Early life
Andrey was born in
Sofia
Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
to Asen Galabinov and Polina Filipova. His father is a former
national volleyball team player and his mother also played the sport. Andrey's maternal
grandfather
Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a m ...
Yordan Filipov
Yordan Filipov (; 18 June 1946 - 27 July 1996) was a Bulgarian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He was maternal grandfather of Andrey Galabinov.
In his career Filipov played for Rozova Dolina, Spartak Plovdiv, CSKA Sofia, Sliven, Dunav ...
formerly played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
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'' ...
and the
Bulgarian national team. His paternal grandfather was a volleyball player and coach.
Club career
Early career
Galabinov began his football career with
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 2004, he moved to
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
with his family and joined
AC Omonia
Athletic Club Omonia Nicosia (; ''Athlitikós Sýllogos Omónoia Lefkosías''), commonly known as Omonia Nicosia, or simply Omonia (also Romanization of Greek, transliterated as Omonoia), is a Cyprus, Cypriot professional multi-sport club, esta ...
youth academy. A year later, his father had been appointed as a coach of
Pallavolo Modena and Andrey moved to
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. In 2006, he signed with
Castellarano.
In July 2007, Galabinov joined
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
but could not break his way into the first team and went out on loan to
Giulianova
Giulianova ( Giuliese: ' ) is a coastal town and ''comune'' in the province of Teramo, Abruzzo region, Italy. The ''comune'' also has city () status, thus also known as Città di Giulianova.
Geography
The town lies in the north of the Abruzzo regi ...
, and then to
Giacomense.
Livorno
On 1 February 2011, Galabinov signed with
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. He made his
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
debut on 7 February, in a 1–0 home loss against
Vicenza
Vicenza ( , ; or , archaically ) is a city in northeastern Italy. It is in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, where it straddles the Bacchiglione, River Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately west of Venice and e ...
. He appeared in only three league games to the end of the season. In an attempt to earn some playing time, Galabinov spent the 2011–12 season on loan in the
Serie C1
Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions.
History
Before the 1978–79 season, there were only three professional football leagues in Italy, the third being Se ...
, where he played for
Sorrento
Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...
and
Bassano.
Gubbio (loan)
In July 2012, Galabinov moved to
Gubbio
Gubbio () is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the far northeastern part of the Italian province of Perugia (Umbria). It is located on the lowest slope of Mt. Ingino, a small mountain of the Apennine Mountains, Apennines.
History Prehistory
The ol ...
. The move was agreed as a one-year loan deal.
Avellino (loan)
On 15 July 2013, newly promoted Serie B side
Avellino
Avellino () is a city and ''comune'', capital of the province of Avellino in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is situated in a plain surrounded by mountains east of Naples and is an important hub on the road from Salerno to Benevento.
...
signed Galabinov on a season-long loan deal. He made his debut in a 2–1 home win over
Novara
Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
on 24 August, playing the full 90 minutes. On 30 September, he scored his first goal, netting a 35th-minute penalty in a 1–0 win over
Empoli
Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...
. On 19 October, Galabinov scored a twice in a resounding 4–1 home victory against
Carpi. He continued his goal-scoring form with another brace against
Cittadella
Cittadella () is a medieval walled city in the province of Padua, northern Italy, founded in the 13th century as a military outpost of Padua. The surrounding wall has been restored and is in circumference with a diameter of around . There are fo ...
, ten days later. On 25 January 2014, he netted Avelino's only goal in their 2–1 defeat at Novara, taking his tally of league goals this season to 10. Galabinov made 39 appearances during the
2013–14 season finishing as the club's top scorer with 15 goals.
Return to Livorno
Galabinov returned to
Livorno
Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...
at the end of the season, scoring eight goals in six pre-season friendly games. On 17 August 2014, he scored his first competitive goal for Livorno in a 4–2
Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
loss against
Bassano Virtus. He then continued his goalscoring form by scoring his first league goal for the club on the opening day of the
2014–15 season in
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
, a 1–1 draw against
Carpi at
Stadio Armando Picchi
The Stadio Armando Picchi is a multi-purpose stadium in Livorno, Italy.
A.S. Livorno Calcio originally used the Villa Chayes Stadium, part of the nearby the Naval Academy, for matches but when the city team was promoted to the Serie A in 1928-29 ...
on 30 August. Two months later, on 1 November, Galabinov scored a penalty in a 3–2 home win over
Bologna
Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...
. He left Livorno after his contract expired in summer 2015.
Novara
On 12 August 2015, Galabinov signed as a free agent with
Novara
Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
. At first he wore no.35 shirt, but picked no.16 after
Nicolas Schiavi switched to no.20. For two seasons he scored 25 goals in 73
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
matches.
Genoa
In summer 2017, Galabinov joined
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
side
Genoa
Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
on a free transfer after his contract with Novara had expired. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 August 2017, on the second matchday of the season, converting a penalty for a 2–0 lead in a match that ended in a 2–4 home defeat to
Juventus
Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...
.
Spezia
On 17 August 2018, Galabinov joined
Serie B
The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...
side
Spezia Calcio
Spezia Calcio is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in La Spezia, Liguria, currently competing in the Serie B. Spezia Calcio was founded in 1906 by the Swiss banker Hermann Hurni (or Hurny in some documents), who ...
on a three-year deal. In his second season at Spezia he earned promotion to the
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
for the first time in club's history, scoring 7 goals in 19 league games.
On 27 September 2020, he scored Spezia's first-ever Serie A goal, in a 4–1 loss against
Sassuolo
Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.
Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...
in the 2nd round of the
2020–21 season at the
Stadio Dino Manuzzi
The Stadio Dino Manuzzi is a football stadium in Cesena
Cesena (; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy; and - with Forlì - is the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena. Served by Autostrada ...
. On 30 September, he scored a brace in a 2–0 away win against
Udinese
Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...
, to secure Spezia's first victory in Serie A.
Reggina
On 18 August 2021, Galabinov joined Serie B side
Reggina on a permanent transfer, signing a 3-year contract.
Return to Lumezzane
On 7 March 2024, Galabinov returned to Serie C club Lumezzane on a short-term contract until the end of the season.
International career
On 20 February 2014, Galabinov was called up to the
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 ...
squad, for their friendly fixture against
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
. He made his debut in the match on 5 March, playing in the first 45 minutes and hitting the woodwork after an individual effort. Galabinov opened his account for the national side on 23 May 2014, scoring the first goal in the 1–1 draw against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
.
Personal life
Since 2017 Galabinov is dating the Italian model Natasha Cinelli, the sister of his former teammate
Antonio Cinelli.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Galabinov goal''.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galabinov, Andrey
Living people
1988 births
Bulgarian men's footballers
Bulgaria men's international footballers
Men's association football forwards
AC Giacomense players
FC Lumezzane players
US Livorno 1915 players
Sorrento Calcio 1945 players
Bassano Virtus 55 ST players
AS Gubbio 1910 players
US Avellino 1912 players
Novara FC players
Genoa CFC players
Spezia Calcio players
AS Reggina 1914 players
Serie A players
Serie B players
Serie C players
Serie D players
Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
PD Castellarano players
21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen