Bozhidar Kraev
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bozhidar Boykov Kraev | ||
| Date of birth | 23 June 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Vratsa, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Winger / Second striker | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Levski Sofia | ||
| Number | 12 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2008 | Botev Vratsa | ||
| 2008–2010 | Vilafranca | ||
| 2010–2012 | Chavdar Etropole | ||
| 2012–2013 | Botev Vratsa | ||
| 2013–2014 | Levski Sofia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014– | Levski Sofia | 53 | (14) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2013 | Bulgaria U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2014– | Bulgaria U19 | 12 | (1) |
| 2016– | Bulgaria U21 | 4 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11:39, 20 September 2016 (UTC). | |||
Bozhidar Boykov Kraev (Bulgarian: Божидар Бойков Краев; born 23 June 1997 in Vratsa) is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays as a winger for Levski Sofia.
Career
Early career
Born in Vratsa, at the age of six Kraev began playing football at the local club Botev Vratsa, for whom his father Boyko Kraev had also played. In 2008 he joined the Hristo Stoichkov's academy in Vilafranca, Spain, as a part of a Gillette programme for young talented players, that was initiated by Stoichkov.[1] Two years later, Kraev returned to Bulgaria, joining Chavdar Etropole. Then he spent one year with his first club Botev Vratsa.
Levski Sofia
In January 2013, at the age of 15, Kraev joined Levski Sofia's academy.[2] He made his first team debut in a 1–1 league draw against Lokomotiv Plovdiv on 19 July 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute.[3] On 23 September, he marked his first start by scoring a hat-trick in a 7–1 away win over Spartak Varna in the Bulgarian Cup. On 14 October, Kraev was named by The Guardian as one of the forty most promising young players in the world.[4]
On 12 December 2014, Kraev signed his first professional contract, on a three-year deal.[5] Two days later, he was invited for a trial at Juventus.[6] In January 2015, Kraev also spent a week on trial at English club Manchester City.[7]
Kraev scored his first league goal for Levski in a 8–0 home win over Haskovo on 27 February 2015. On 26 May 2015, he scored his first A Group hattrick in a 6–0 win against Marek Dupnitsa. Kraev's hattrick was the 100th in Levski's history in the Bulgarian league.[8]
International career
In March 2016 Kraev was in the starting lineup of Bulgaria U19 for the 0-1 defeats from Belgium U19 and Croatia U19.[9][10] On 13 May 2016 he was included in the Bulgaria U21 squad for the 2016 Toulon Tournament.[11]
In November 2016 Kraev received his first call-up to the senior Bulgaria squad for a match against Belarus.[12] He remained on the bench for the game.[13]
Statistics
As of 27 October 2016
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | League | Season | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| Bulgaria | League | Bulgarian Cup | Europe | Other[lower-alpha 1] | Total | ||||||||
| Levski Sofia | A Group | 2014–15 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 3 | – | – | 27 | 9 | |||
| 2015–16 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 2 | – | – | 24 | 6 | |||||
| First League | 2016–17 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 3 | |||
| Total | 57 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 19 | |||
| Career statistics | 57 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 19 | |||
- ↑ Includes Bulgarian Supercup matches.
Awards
Individual
Best progressing young player in Bulgarian football - 2014, 2015[14]
References
- ↑ "Чичарито от Враца" (in Bulgarian). webcafe.bg. 13 July 2011.
- ↑ "Левски привлече и по-големият брат Краев" (in Bulgarian). viasport.bg. 8 February 2013.
- ↑ "Левски - Локомотив (Пловдив) 1–1" (in Bulgarian). sportal.bg. 19 July 2014.
- ↑ "Next Generation 2014: 40 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 14 October 2014.
- ↑ "Левски върза Краев с нов договор" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg. 12 December 2014.
- ↑ "Краев замина на проби в Ювентус" (in Bulgarian). gong.bg. 15 December 2014.
- ↑ "Levski Sofia's Bozhidar Kraev arrives for Manchester City trial". theguardian.com. 4 January 2015.
- ↑ "Краев с хеттрик № 100 в историята на Левски". sportal.bg. 26 May 2015.
- ↑ Юношите на България аут от Евро 2016
- ↑ Юношите започнаха с минимална загуба от Хърватия
- ↑ Съставът на България U21 за международния турнир "Тулон"
- ↑ "Petar Hubchev named an expanded group for Belarus". bfunion.bg. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ↑ "Bulgaria NT vs. Belarus NT 1:0". flashscore.com. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ↑ Dimitrov, Ivaylo (17 February 2015). "Владислав Стоянов е най-добрият български футболист за 2014 година! Лудогорци обраха почти всички индивидуални награди". topsport.bg. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
External links
- Bozhidar Kraev profile at Soccerway
- Profile at LevskiSofia.info