The English Premier League is pointed to as the best championship by many. It features high-paid players and in recent years several English representatives have reached the final stages of European competitions. Manchester City beat Inter in Istanbul, Chelsea beat the Citizens in Lisbon in 2021 and two years earlier Liverpool won another British final - this one against Tottenham.
Unfortunately, there has been a lack of Bulgarian presence in the Premier League recently, but on the other hand, this is not surprising. Bulgarian players have failed to make a name for themselves on the Western European stage, and there is a noticeable difference in the national level matches compared to players from the leading championships.
Going back in time, however, we will find that nine Bulgarians recorded matches in the Premier League. Some of them left a lasting mark, participating in over 100 matches in the English elite. Here's who they are:
Martin Petrov
The offensive footballer, born in Vratsa in 1979, started his career in the local team - Botev. He later moved to CSKA, where he impressed with his performances and won a transfer abroad.
Before playing in the Premier League, Martin Petrov went through Servetus Geneva, Wolfsburg and Atletico Madrid. His strong performances with the 'Dushechi' team led to a bombastic transfer to Manchester City in the summer of 2007.
It was in this period that the "citizens" began more massive investments. The Bulgarian established himself in the first squad and within 3 years recorded 72 appearances for the "sky blue", scoring 12 goals.
Next came a transfer to another team from the English elite - Bolton. By this time Wanderers was a fixture in the Premier League and regularly finished in the middle of the standings. Two years after Martin Petrov's arrival, however, things took a turn for the worse and the club was relegated to the Championship in 2012. The footballer, born in Vratsa, has 86 matches and 12 goals for Bolton.
Martin Petrov's total assets in the Premier League are 118 matches and 16 goals.
Radostin Kishishev
Bulgarian presence in England's elite division dates back earlier. One of our first representatives in the league was Radostin Kishishev.
The Burgas player passed through the schools of the two local clubs - Chernomorets and Neftohimik (Naftex). In 1997 he was transferred to Bursaspor, but a few months later he was loaned out to Litex, and then moved to the Orange permanently.
Strong games for the team from Lovech led to a landmark transfer to Charlton in the summer of 2000. The Londoners' management then paid 4.5 million euros for the defensive player's services.
For 7 years Radostin Kishishev wore the team of the Redshirts. He managed to establish himself in the squad from London, became an invariable holder and played 179 matches in one of the strongest championships on the Old Continent.
Stilyan Petrov
On the second position in the English Elite is Stiliyan Petrov. The Montana teenager joined CSKA in 1996 and after three seasons was sold to Celtic for nearly 3.5 million euros.
Petrov had his ups and downs in the beginning due to the difficult adjustment to the new environment. He was 20 years old and did not speak English when he joined the Clovers' ranks. However, with time the young midfielder adapted to Scotland, became a leader on the pitch and earned himself a transfer to Aston Villa for €10 million.
Villa also saw a slump and Stiliyan spent several months on the substitutes' bench. However, he still managed to take advantage of a teammate's injury in a skilful way and forced his way into the first team.
The Bulgarian became a gladiator in the centre of the pitch, recording 185 games for Aston Villa in the Premier League and winning the sympathy of the local supporters.
Sadly, in 2012, he became the first player to win the title. Stiliyan Petrov ended his career due to an insidious illness. We all remember the applause on the British pitches in the 19th minute that gave full support to the Bulgarian.
Dimitar Berbatov
Naturally, the Blagoevgrad-born striker is the Bulgarian with the most games in the Premier League. Berbatov gained the attention of British clubs thanks to his strong performances with Bayer Leverkusen and in 2006 he moved to Tottenham.
The Pirin and CSKA youth played over 100 games for the Spurs, in which he scored 46 goals. In addition, he helped to triumph in the League Cup in the 2007/2008 season.
We all remember the summer of 2008, when Manchester United paid 38 million euros for the Bulgarian striker. Dimitar Berbatov spent 4 years at Old Trafford, during which he won the title 2 times and became the Championship's top scorer (2010/2011 season).
The striker played for another club on the Island - Fulham. His stay at Craven Cottage was memorable, as Berbatov scored 20 goals in 54 games for the Londoners.