Nikolay Pavlov (; born 12 November 1987, in

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

) is a

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 ...

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 midfielder and forward.

Career

Born in

, Pavlov started his career with local side

Spartak Plovdiv PFC Spartak Plovdiv () is a Bulgarian football club based in Plovdiv, which plays in the third tier of Bulgarian football, the Third League. The club was established in 1947 and folded its senior team in 2016, before being 'refounded' in 2017. ...

. Because of his good displays he caught eye of

Lokomotiv Sofia FC Lokomotiv Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently plays in the First League, the top tier of Bulgarian football. Founded as Railway Sports Club in 1929, and refounded in 2015, following ...

scouts and signed for the club in June 2007 for fee of 50 000 € together with Ivaylo Dimitrov and Rumen Tinkov. After a match in UEFA Cup qualification against Borac Cacak on August 14, 2008, Pavlov was tested positive for

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

. Although he was substitute who did not play in that match, he was suspended from all official football competitions for a period of two years by

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

. In June 2011, it was officially announced that Pavlov had signed a contract with Lyubimetz 2007. He spent successful one and a half years at the club, playing a total of 36 games in the second division, scoring 20 goals. Pavlov finished the 2011–12 season as the league's top goal scorer with 13 goals. On 5 January 2013, Pavlov joined

Botev Plovdiv Profesionalen Futbolen Klub Botev AD, commonly referred to as Botev Plovdiv (, ), or simply Botev (within its associated city), is a Bulgarian professional Association football, football club based in Plovdiv. It competes in the First Professiona ...

on a three-year contract.

References

External links

* 1987 births Living people Bulgarian men's footballers First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players PFC Spartak Plovdiv players FC Lokomotiv 1929 Sofia players Botev Plovdiv players FC Lyubimets players PSFC Chernomorets Burgas players FC Maritsa Plovdiv players Doping cases in association football Bulgarian sportspeople in doping cases Men's association football midfielders 21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen {{Bulgaria-footy-midfielder-stub