Nikola Iliyanov Iliev (; born 6 June 2004) is a Bulgarian
footballer who plays as an
attacking midfielder and
forward for
Bulgarian First League club
Botev Plovdiv and the
Bulgaria national team. He was included in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' "Next Generation" list for 2021.
Career
Born in the village of
Yudelnik near
Ruse, Iliev began his football career at
Botev Plovdiv. He made his professional debut for the team in a league match against
Slavia Sofia on 29 September 2019. In June 2020, he completed his move to
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
, signing a 4-year contract.
On 31 May 2022, Iliev scored the winning goal for
Inter U19 against
Roma U19, making Inter Serie A Primavera champions.
On 26 October 2022, he scored all 4 goals in Inter's 4–2 win against
Viktoria Plzeň in the
UEFA Youth League.
On 5 February 2023, he was announced as
Bulgarian Youth Footballer of 2022.
On 10 August 2023, Iliev joined
CSKA 1948 on a one-year loan with an option to make the transfer permanent.
International career
Iliev received his first call-up for 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 ...
senior national team on 5 September 2022, for the
UEFA Nations League games against
Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
and
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...
on 23 and 26 September 2022. He made his debut in the match against Gibraltar, won 5–1 by Bulgaria.
Career statistics
Club
;Notes
International
Honours
Individual
*
Bulgarian Youth Footballer of the Year: 2022
References
2004 births
Living people
People from Rousse Province
Bulgarian men's footballers
Bulgaria men's youth international footballers
Men's association football forwards
First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
Botev Plovdiv players
Inter Milan players
Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers
Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen
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