Valeri Emilov Bojinov (, ; born 15 February 1986) is a retired 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 ...

. Throughout his career, Bojinov has played for eighteen different clubs during his various spells in Italy, as well as in England, Portugal, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, China and Switzerland. At international level, he also played for the Bulgaria national team. His surname is sometimes transliterated as Bozhinov.

Biography

Born in

Gorna Oryahovitsa Gorna Oryahovitsa ( ) is a town in northern Bulgaria, situated in Veliko Tarnovo Province, from Veliko Tarnovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Gorna Oryahovitsa Municipality. According to the 2021 Census, the town has a pop ...

, Bulgaria, Bojinov moved to

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 ...

at the age of 12 with his mother Pepa, a former

Bulgaria women's national football team The Bulgaria women's national football team () represents Bulgaria in international women's football, and is controlled by the Bulgarian Football Union. The team's major success came in 2008 when they won the Balkan Championship and the Albe ...

player, and stepfather Sasho Angelov, who had played for the

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 ...

during the 1990s. Bojinov was discovered at the age of 14 by

Lecce Lecce (; ) is a city in southern Italy and capital of the province of Lecce. It is on the Salentine Peninsula, at the heel of the Italian Peninsula, and is over two thousand years old. Because of its rich Baroque architecture, Lecce is n ...

sports director Pantaleo Corvino while playing for Pietà Hotspurs, and signed for just 30,000,000 ITL (around €15,000).

Club career

Lecce

Bojinov settled in the city of

and continued his studies there while playing for

's youth teams. He debuted in the Italian

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 ...

on 27 January 2002 at the age of 15 years and 11 months, becoming the youngest foreign player to make an appearance at the top level of Italian football. He scored his first goal in the top division on 6 January 2004 in a 2–1 home defeat against

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 ...

, becoming the youngest non-national to score in Serie A.

Fiorentina

Bojinov was acquired by

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

in January 2005. He made his club debut against

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, playing the full match on 2 February 2005. On 26 February 2005, he scored his first goal for Fiorentina, 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 ...

. On 8 May 2005, Bojinov scored a winning goal in 79th minute against

Chievo Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige. It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona. History The name came from t ...

Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi The Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi is a stadium in Verona, Italy. It is the home of Hellas Verona of Serie A and was also the home of Chievo Verona, a former football club, until 2021. It also hosts matches of women's team Bardolino Verona, some ...

in 2–1 away win. During the 2004–05 season, Bojinov has played a total of nine matches, scoring two goals.

Juventus

For the 2006–07 season, Fiorentina loaned Bojinov 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 ...

, which had just been relegated to

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 ...

Manchester City

On 3 August 2007, it was reported that Bojinov had completed his move to English

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

club

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, signing a four-year contract in an undisclosed fee deal. On 11 August 2007, he made his debut for the club in a 2–0 away win against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

at the

Boleyn Ground Boleyn Ground, often referred to as Upton Park, was a football stadium in Upton Park, London, Upton Park, east London, England. It was the home of West Ham United F.C., West Ham United from 1904 to 2016, and was briefly used by Charlton Athletic ...

, entering as a substitute for Rolando Bianchi in the 60th minute in league play. Bojinov was ruled out of action for five months after he suffered a knee ligament injury against

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

in August 2007. He returned to full training on 22 January 2008, scoring five goals in a bounce game. On 11 February 2008, Bojinov played in a Manchester City reserve game, where he came on as a substitute and scored a header from a cross by

Émile Mpenza Émile Mpenza (born 4 July 1978) is a Belgian former footballer who played as a striker. He has been capped at international level by Belgium. His older brother, Mbo, also represented Belgium. Club career Belgium, Germany and Qatar Mpenza sta ...

. Manchester City manager

Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; 5 February 1948 – 26 August 2024) was a Swedish association football, football player and Coach (sport), manager. After a playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management ...

told Bojinov that he would not be ready to play in the game against Everton on 25 February 2008. He did not manage to make a comeback to the first-team squad in the 2007–08 season, but he did make some appearances for the reserve squad and was included in City's tour of Asia. Bojinov scored his first goal for the club in over a year in a pre-season friendly against

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...

. He also scored the winning goal in a friendly against

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

on 9 August 2008. On 17 August 2008, Bojinov was ruled out for six months after suffering an Achilles injury as he was running on to the pitch to warm up against

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...

. In mid-February 2009, Manchester City manager

Mark Hughes Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh association football, football coach and former player who is the head coach of club Carlisle United F.C., Carlisle United. During his playing career he usually operated as a Forward (asso ...

declared that Bojinov was going to play a practice match "behind closed doors", as he was nearing his return to first-team football. He played 65 minutes for the reserves on 17 February 2009. He even scored a penalty against rivals Manchester United in a reserve game while regaining match fitness. Bojinov made his return to Premier League football by coming on as an 89th-minute substitute against West Ham on 1 March 2009. He then appeared again as a late substitute for Manchester City by entering as an 83rd-minute substitute for

Elano Elano Blumer (born 14 June 1981), known as Elano, is a Brazilian football coach and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his accurate passing and precise set pieces, Elano started his senior career at Santos, and spe ...

against Aston Villa. Bojinov made his first start since 2007 in a 1–0 home win over

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

on 22 March 2009, but was substituted in the 65th minute for the return of injured

Craig Bellamy Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh football coach and former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is the current Football coach (association football), head ...

. He scored his first league goal in the 2–1 loss against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

on 16 May 2009, four minutes after coming on as a substitute for compatriot

Martin Petrov Martin Petyov Petrov (; born 15 January 1979) is a Bulgarian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder#Winger, winger, most notably for VfL Wolfsburg, VFL Wolfsburg, Atlético Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manche ...

in the 61st minute away at

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

Parma

It was announced on 29 July 2009 that Bojinov would be joining Italian side

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

on a season-long loan deal. He decided to wear number 86. On 23 September 2009 he scored his first official goal for Parma against

Lazio Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...

Stadio Olimpico Stadio Olimpico (; ), colloquially known as l'Olimpico (The Olympic), is an Italian multi-purpose sports venue located in Rome. Seating over 70,000 spectators, it is the largest sports facility in Rome and the second-largest in Italy, after ...

. He also won a penalty for his team; the match ended in a 2–1 away win. On 24 March 2010, Bojinov scored against

in 90th minute in 1–0 home win. During the 2009–10 season, Bojinov played 31 matches in all competitions, scoring eight goals. On 4 July 2010, it was confirmed that Parma had completed the permanent signing of Bojinov. However, Bojinov endured a difficult season, largely restricted to the bench thanks to a combination of his own sub-par performances; the regular use of just one forward in the team; and regular goals coming from

Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Ain. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning ...

and

Amauri Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira (born 3 June 1980), known as Amauri, is an Italian former footballer who played as a striker. His previous clubs include Bellinzona, Parma, Napoli, Piacenza, Empoli, Messina, Chievo, Palermo, Juventus, Fiorentin ...

in the early and late parts of the season, respectively.

Sporting CP

On 6 July 2011, Portuguese side

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

signed Bojinov on a five-year contract, paying €2.6million for 80% of his registration rights, which could have risen to €3.5 million depending on his performances. His transfer to Sporting saw

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Jaime Valdés Jaime Andrés Valdés Zapata ( born 11 January 1981) is a Chilean former association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Valdés was member of his Chile national under-20 football team, national under-20 national team in the 2001 F ...

move on loan to Parma as part of the exchange. During his time with the

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

outfit, he was primarily used by coach

Domingos Paciência Domingos José Paciência Oliveira, known simply as Domingos as a player (; born 2 January 1969), is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a striker, currently a manager. He achieved success with both Porto and the Portugal national te ...

as a substitute. He made his first-team debut on 25 August against Danish side Nordsjælland in a UEFA Europa League play-off tie. He would score for Sporting for the first time on 24 October against

Gil Vicente Gil Vicente (; c. 1465c. 1536), called the Trobadour, was a Portuguese playwright and poet who acted in and directed his own plays. Considered the chief dramatist of Portugal he is sometimes called the "Portuguese Plautus," often refe ...

. A brace against the Barcelos side saw Bojinov help his side demolish the opposition 6–1 in a gameweek eight

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

fixture. On 20 January 2012, Sporting declared Bojinov persona non-grata, forbidding the player from entering the stadium or the training academy, due to his actions in a

Taça da Liga The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual club football competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the top two tiers of Portuguese football – the ...

match against

Moreirense Moreirense Futebol Clube is a Portuguese professional football club based in Moreira de Cónegos, Guimarães Municipality, Minho. Founded on 1 November 1938, it plays in the Primeira Liga, holding home games at Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim d ...

played the previous day. At 92 minutes, Sporting was conceded a decisive penalty kick that would, if scored, give the team the victory. The regular penalty taker for Sporting, Matías Fernández, prepared to take the shot, but Bojinov took the ball from him, pushing him away and insisting that he would take the shot, despite him having never taken a penalty for Sporting, nor having scored a penalty in an official game since 2006. He failed to score, infuriating the supporters and Sporting's managers, who subsequently banned Bojinov on the basis that he disrespected the decision of the coach and therefore the rules of the club. He then joined his former club Lecce on a loan deal.

Loan spells to Verona and Vicenza

On 31 August 2012, it was announced that Bojinov became an official

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

player, joining on a year-long loan deal. On 17 January 2013, however, he signed with second-division side

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 ...

on a separate six-month loan deal. He scored his first goal in his second game for Vicenza against

Juve Stabia Società Sportiva Juve Stabia is an Italian professional football club based in Castellammare di Stabia, Campania. Juve Stabia plays in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football system, following their promotion ahead of the 2024–25 seas ...

on 2 February. Bojinov would score again on 26 February, a brace against

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...

in a 2–1 away win. On 6 September 2013, the contract between Bojinov and Sporting was terminated.

Levski Sofia

On the last day of January 2014, it was confirmed that Bojinov had signed with Bulgarian side

Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 by a group of high sc ...

, the first time in his career he would play for a club in his home country. He scored a goal on his unofficial debut on 7 February in a 4–2 loss in a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against Czech side

Teplice Teplice (, until 1948 Teplice-Šanov; , ''Teplitz-Schönau'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 51,000 inhabitants. It is the most populous Czech spa town, followed by Karlovy Vary. The historic city cen ...

. Bojinov netted his first goal in an official match on 12 March in a 3–1 win over

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 ...

in a

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 ...

game. On 11 May 2014, Bojinov scored two goals in the 3–2 home loss against champions

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 ...

Ternana

In September 2014, Bojinov cancelled his contract with Levski and joined Italian

side

Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria and currently compete in the Serie C. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A ...

as a free agent on a one-year contract. He made his debut against Bologna on 23 September, playing the full 90 minutes. On 4 November, against

Virtus Entella Virtus Entella, commonly referred to as Entella, is an Italian professional Association football, football club based in Chiavari, Liguria. Founded in 1914, the club currently competes in the . Entella will play in Serie B 2025/26 after winning ...

at the Stadio Comunale, Bojinov scored his first goal for Ternana with a 49th-minute equaliser in a 2–1 loss. On 17 January 2015, Bojinov scored a brace in 2–1 home win over

Crotone Crotone (; ; or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Calabria, Italy. Founded as the Achaean colony of Kroton ( or ; ), it became a great Greek city, home of the renowned mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras amongst other famous citizens, and one ...

; the second goal was a fantastic 40-meter strike.

Partizan

On 14 June 2015, Bojinov signed a two-year contract with

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n team Partizan. Former Partizan player and Bulgarian international Ivan Ivanov recommended Partizan to Bojinov. Bojinov took number 86 on the jersey and said that it was his lucky number and chose to wear it on the jersey. He made his official debut for the club in a second qualifying round

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

against Dila Gori on 14 July 2015. In the match, he spent 77 minutes on the field without scoring. On 17 July 2015, against Metalac, Bojinov scored his first goal for Partizan. In that match, he scored one goal and had two assists in a 4–0 home win. On 25 July 2015, Bojinov scored twice against

Jagodina Jagodina ( sr-cyrl, Јагодина, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Pomoravlje District in central Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Belica (river), Belica River, in the geographical region of � ...

in a 6–0 home win. On 22 October 2015, Bojinov was in the starting XI against

Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club (; ), commonly known as Athletic Bilbao (), or simply Athletic, is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in the city of Bilbao in the Southern Basque Country, Basque Country, Spain. They are known ...

in his first time

2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage The 2015–16 UEFA Europa League group stage was played from 17 September to 10 December 2015. A total of 48 teams competed in the group stage to decide 24 of the 32 places in the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League knockout phase, knockout phase of the ...

. On 13 December 2015, Bojinov entered the game as a substitute for

Ivan Šaponjić Ivan Šaponjić (Serbian Cyrillic: Иван Шапоњић; born 2 August 1997) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Fehérvár FC. At international level, Šaponjić won the gold medal for Serbia at the 2015 FIFA ...

in the 59th minute and scored a brace against Rad. In the winter of 2016, Partizan declined separate €2 million offers from both

Sporting de Gijón Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting is a Spanish professional association football, football club from Gijón, Principality of Asturias. Founded on 1 July 1905, it plays in the ...

and

Rayo Vallecano Rayo Vallecano de Madrid, S.A.D. (), often abbreviated to Rayo (Spanish for "thunderbolt"), is a Spanish professional football club based in the Villa de Vallecas district of Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish foot ...

for Bojinov. In January 2016, during an interview, he promised to any teammate who would assist one of his goals that he would give them €500. On 17 February 2017, he terminated his contract with Partizan by mutual consent.

Meizhou Hakka

In March 2017 he signed with Chinese second level club Meizhou Hakka.

Lausanne

In July 2017, Bojinov signed a two-year contract with Swiss side

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

; however, in October, he cancelled his contract with the club.

Rijeka

In February 2018, Bojinov signed for

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

in Croatia as a free agent. He was initially signed until June 2018 with an extension option. He made his official debut for the club in the semi-final of the

2017–18 Croatian Football Cup The 2017–18 Croatian Football Cup was the twenty-seventh season of Croatia's football knockout competition. The defending champions were Rijeka, having won their fourth title the previous year by defeating Dinamo Zagreb in the final. Calendar ...

against

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...

on 4 April 2018, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute. In his league debut against Inter Zaprešić on 8 May 2018, Bojinov came on as a substitute in the 76th minute and within three minutes on the field made an assist for Rijeka's fifth goal. On 5 June 2018, Bojinov's contract was extended for another season. On 20 August 2018, HNK Rijeka and Bojinov mutually agreed to terminate his contract with the club.

Return to Bulgaria

Bojinov played for

during the spring of 2019, scoring the decisive playoff goal against Etar that helped the team qualify for the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. His time at the "bluemen" was sandwiched between two spells with

Botev Vratsa Botev () is a Bulgarian professional association football, football club based in Vratsa, that competes in the First Professional Football League (Bulgaria), First League, the top division of Bulgarian football. The club was founded in 1921. Si ...

- one in the second half of 2018, during which he established himself as an important player for the club, and a short, disappointing stint in the autumn of 2019.

Pescara

In February 2020, Bojinov joined

club

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

. On 23 February 2020, he was sent off before being able to make his debut (while sitting on the substitutes' bench against

) by the match referee for insulting language. He appeared for the first time in an official match on 4 March, after coming on as a second half substitute in the 2–0 away loss against

Spezia La Spezia (, or ; ; , in the local ) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second-largest city in the Liguri ...

Third spell at Levski Sofia

In September 2020, Bojinov rejoined

for the third time in his career. Although he did not play regularly, he became fan favorite due to his dedication to the club and his leadership qualities. On 21 October 2020, he scored his first goal of the season in his first start since his return against Partizan Cherven Bryag in the Round of 32 of the Bulgarian Cup. On 23 May 2021, he scored the winning goal against Cherno More. On 16 July 2021, his contract with the team was extended for one more season.

Managerial career

On 25 June 2022 Bojinov was announced as the new assistant manager to

Slavko Matić Slavko Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Славко Матић; born 2 July 1976) is a Serbian football manager. He is a holder of the UEFA Pro Licence. He played for OFK Beograd OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фу ...

at Septemvri Sofia while still playing for the club.

International career

Bojinov made his 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 ...

UEFA Euro 2004 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 ...

; on 22 June 2004, he came on as a substitute in the 1–2 loss against

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 ...

. He earned his second cap on 19 August 2004 in the 1–1 away draw against the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

in a

during which he also scored his first international goal. On 17 November 2005, Bojinov scored a goal against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in a friendly match in the United States at

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium (previously known as Reliant Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to h ...

, contributing to a 3–0 win. On 6 September 2006, Bojinov scored his first international goal in a competition match, against

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

, in 3–0 home win in

UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying Qualifying for the UEFA Euro 2008 finals tournament took place between August 2006 and November 2007. Fifty teams were divided into seven groups. In a Round-robin tournament, double round-robin system, each team played against each of the others ...

. It was also Bulgaria's first goal in the Euro 2008 qualifying.

Style of play

Once considered to be a highly promising prospect in his youth, Bojinov is known for his skill and goalscoring abilities as a striker, and is capable of scoring with either foot, due to his powerful and accurate striking ability, which also enabled him to play alongside another forward as a

second striker In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

, or as winger on either flank, as well as in the

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

of the pitch; a fast footballer in his prime, he was also known for his speed over short distances, agility, and explosive acceleration, as well as his quick feet, and close control in limited spaces. In spite of his talent, however, he has also garnered a reputation throughout his career for being inconsistent.

Personal life

Bojinov dated Bulgarian singer Alisia. On 12 September 2007, he became father of a baby son. His son is also named Valeri. He was married to Bulgarian

Playboy Playmate A Playmate is a female Model (person), model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biograph ...

from 2011 to 2015.

Literature

* ''Il bulgaro che fu re di Parma per un giorno'' (The Bulgarian who was king of Parma for a day), by Luca Farinotti,

, Diabasis, 2019, Anthology Parma The Capital of Culture 2020. ISBN 978-8881039487. The novel of the true story of

's farewell football match has Valeri Bojinov as its hero; after an incredible game, with a crazy action at last second, he manages to give the assist to Crespo for his last career goal. The Tardini Stadium blows up and Bojinov is forever remembered in Parma.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bojinov goal.''

Honours

Juventus *

: 2006–07 Partizan *

Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...

: 2016–17 *

Serbian Cup The Serbian Cup ( Serbian: Куп Србије / Kup Srbije), also known as Mozzart Serbian Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the national football cup of Serbia. The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round. ...

(2): 2015–16, 2016–17

References

External links