Georgi Ivanov (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Georgi Ivanov, nicknamed Gonzo , born 2 July 1976 in Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...

), is a former Bulgarian football striker who is the current manager of FC Levski Sofia. Ivanov is a former Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

n international and is perhaps best known for his goal-scoring prowess in The Eternal Derby
The Eternal Derby
The Eternal Derby of Bulgarian Football or simply The Eternal Derby is the name of the local derby football match between the two most popular and successful football clubs in Sofia and Bulgaria - PFC Levski Sofia and PFC CSKA Sofia...

 of Bulgaria, netting 15 goals, having bettered Nasko Sirakov
Nasko Sirakov
Nasko Petkov Sirakov is a retired Bulgarian footballer who played mainly as a striker.Part of the Bulgarian team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup as it finished fourth, he was one of the most important footballers in the country in the 80's/90's, being a legend at Levski Sofia, a club he represented in...

's record in 2008.

Lokomotiv Plovdiv

Georgi Ivanov started his career in his home town Plovdiv playing for local club Lokomotiv Plovdiv. His talent soon became apparent, and he received several call ups for the Bulgarian national football team. For four seasons in Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Georgi earned 60 appearances playing in the Bulgarian top division, scored 15 goals.

PFC Levski Sofia 1st period

"Gonzo" as he was known among the fans signed for Levski Sofia in 1999.

Stade Rennais FC

Ivanov joined French Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....

 side Stade Rennais FC
Stade Rennais FC
Stade Rennais Football Club is a French association football club based in Rennes. The club was founded in 1901 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Rennes plays its home matches at the Stade de la Route de Lorient located within the city...

 for a club record transfer fee of 4 100 000 euro in 2002. After only a year abroad he rejoined Levski.

PFC Levski Sofia 2nd period

During 2003/2004 season, Gonzo played for Levski Sofia again out on loan. He made 21 league appearances and scored 9 goals.

Turkish period

Between 2004 and 2006, Georgi Ivanov played in Turkey for Samsunspor
Samsunspor
Samsunspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Samsun. The club was formed through a merger of five clubs: 19 Mayıs, Akınspor, Fener Gençlik, Samsunspor, and Samsunspor Galatasaray. The club colours are red and white, and they play their home matches at Samsun 19 Mayıs...

 and Gaziantepspor
Gaziantepspor
Gaziantepspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969, Gaziantepspor are nicknamed the Şahinler . The club colours are black and red, and they play their home matches at Kamil Ocak Stadyumu....

.

PFC Levski Sofia 3rd period

Ivanov once again rejoined Levski Sofia on a free transfer from Gaziantepspor
Gaziantepspor
Gaziantepspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969, Gaziantepspor are nicknamed the Şahinler . The club colours are black and red, and they play their home matches at Kamil Ocak Stadyumu....

 in 2006 and won the Bulgarian title for the fourth time in his career.

NK Rijeka

In January 2007, Georgi Ivanov was transferred to Croatian club NK Rijeka
NK Rijeka
HNK Rijeka is a Croatian football club, from Rijeka on the Croatian coast.-History:The club was founded as NK Kvarner in 1946, after Rijeka passed from Italy to Yugoslavia following the end of World War II. During its early period in Yugoslavia, the club had moderate success in various Yugoslav...

. In Croatia, Gonzo was used as a striker and as a defensive midfielder.

PFC Levski Sofia 4th period

On 22 June 2008, he signed a contract with PFC Levski Sofia
PFC Levski Sofia
"Levski Sofia" redirects here. For the sports club, see Levski Sofia .PFC Levski Sofia, otherwise simply known as Levski or Levski Sofia, is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria...

 for the fourth time. In the end of the half season for four matches he scored 6 goals, including his record 15th against Sofia rivals CSKA. During that season, Gonzo showed once again his strong leadership, playing even with an injury and protectors on his face because of a broken cheek-bone. He became a Champion of Bulgaria in 2009.

Executive Director

Because of injuries, Ivanov did not start the 09/10 season. On 23 July 2009, Ivanov became a manager and head of the sport technical issues in PFC Levski Sofia, but he said that when he is ready he could play again.

Head coach

After the fourth defeat in eight competitions, Levski Sofia have replaced the manager Ratko Dostanic
Ratko Dostanic
Ratko Dostanić is a Serbian football coach and former player.-Playing career:Ratko Dostanić started his youth career as a member of FK Partizan....

, with the Sports manager

He took Levski in the 10th round, collected only 9 points. After the end of the season, Ivanov took the team to the third place and achieved qualifying for UEFA Europa League.

On 20 May 2010, Ivanov hired Yasen Petrov
Yasen Petrov
Yasen Petrov is a Bulgarian former football player and the current football manager. His nickname is Gianini.- Career :...

 for Levski's head coach, ending his coaching career.

International career

Georgi Ivanov was a part of Bulgaria national football team
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...

 between 1996 and 2005. He earned his first cap with Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...

 as a 20-year old, in a 1-0 victory over Luxembourg
Luxembourg national football team
The Luxembourg national football team is the national football team of Luxembourg, and is controlled by the Luxembourg Football Federation. The team play most of their home matches at the Stade Josy Barthel, in Luxembourg.- History :...

 on 8 October 1996. For Bulgaria, Gonzo was capped 34 times, scoring 4 goals. He was part of Bulgaria's roster for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...

 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.

Awards

  • Topscorer of A PFG
    Bulgarian A Professional Football Group
    The Bulgarian A Professional Football Group commonly known as A PFG is the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The league is sponsored by Victoria FATA Insurance and therefore is officially known as Victoria A Football Group since 2011...

     2001
  • Champion of Bulgaria 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009
  • Bulgarian Cup
    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. It is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank....

     1998, 2000, 2002
  • Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
    Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
    Bulgarian Footballer of the Year is an annual title awarded to the best Bulgarian football player of the year. The award has been given since 1961, and the winner is elected by authorized journalists from the leading Bulgarian media....

    2000, 2001
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK