Milen Ivanov Petkov (; born 12 January 1974) is a former
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 ...
n international
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player, who played as a
defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
.
Club career
Petkov started his career in the
Dobrudzha Dobrich
FC Dobrudzha () is a Bulgarian football club based in Dobrich, that competes in the Second League, the second tier of Bulgarian football.
It plays its home matches at Stadion Druzhba with a capacity of 12,500 seats, and its team colours are gr ...
and then played with great success in
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'' ...
, where he won 1
Bulgarian League and 2
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 ...
s. In January 2000, the then new coach of
AEK Athens
A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens.
Establishe ...
,
Giannis Pathiakakis
Giannis Pathiakakis (; 15 June 1953 – 8 February 2002) was a Greek professional footballer who played as a midfielder and a later manager. After his death the stadium of Akratitos was named Yiannis Pathiakakis Stadium in his honour.
Club ca ...
brought him to the club. He had a great impact for his team in winning the
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
in , scoring in the quarter-finals in the 3–0 win against
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...
, but also with a free kick in the final against
Ionikos. The following seasons at the clun were also good where he played either as a starter or as a substitute. But affected by various injuries he his declining performances during his last seasons resulted in leaving AEK in the summer of 2005, having won 2 Greek Cups. Afterwards, he played for one season at
Atromitos Atromitos (Greek: Ατρόμητος, "fearless") may refer to:
* Atromitos F.C., a football team based in Peristeri, Greece
* Atromitos Piraeus, a football team based in Piraeus, Greece
* Atromitos Yeroskipou
Atromitos Yeroskipou () was a Cy ...
and then for two seasons in the
second division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
side, Ilysiakos. In 2008 he returned to
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 ...
and played in
Cherno More for two seasons before ending his career in Dobrudzha in 2011.
International career
Petkov was part of the Bulgarian
World Cup 1998
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
team and Bulgarian
2004 European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...
team, which was eliminated in the first round, finishing bottom of Group C, having finished top of Qualifying Group 8 in the pre-tournament phase. Between 1997 and 2004 for
Bulgaria national football team
The Bulgaria national football team () represents Bulgaria in men's international Association football, football, and is administered by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA.
Bulgaria's best achievements are reaching the ...
he had 37 caps and scored 1 goal.
After football
Petkov after the end of his career as a footballer, took up coaching and also worked as an agent.
Personal life
Petkov's son,
Aleks Petkov
Aleks Milenov Petkov (; born 25 July 1999) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Polish club Śląsk Wrocław and the Bulgaria national team.
Club career
Petkov began his career at Cherno More Varna and joined ...
, is also a professional footballer.
International goals
Honours
;CSKA Sofia
*
Bulgarian League:
1996–97
*
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 ...
:
1996–97,
1998–99
;AEK Athens
*
Greek Cup
The Greek Football Cup (), commonly known as the Greek Cup or Betsson Greek Cup for sponsorship reasons is a Greek football competition, run by the Hellenic Football Federation.
The Greek Cup is the second-most important domestic men's footba ...
:
1999–2000,
2001–02
References
External links
*
1974 births
Living people
Bulgarian men's footballers
People from General Toshevo
Sportspeople from Dobrich Province
Bulgaria men's international footballers
Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers
Men's association football midfielders
AEK Athens F.C. players
PFC CSKA Sofia players
1998 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 2004 players
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
Super League Greece players
PFC Cherno More Varna players
FC Dobrudzha Dobrich players
Atromitos F.C. players
Ilisiakos F.C. players
Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Greece
20th-century Bulgarian sportsmen
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