Georgi Ivanov | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Георги Александров Иванов | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President of the Bulgarian Football Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 15 March 2024 – present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Emil Kostadinov (interim) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Georgi Aleksandrov Ivanov (1976-07-02)2 July 1976 (age 49) Plovdiv, Bulgaria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation |
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Georgi Alexandrov Ivanov, nicknamedGonzo (Bulgarian:Георги Александров Иванов – Гонзо; born 2 July 1976), is a Bulgarian former professionalfootballer andmanager who is the current president of theBulgarian Football Union. Aforward, Ivanov is a former Bulgarian international and is perhaps best known for his time atLevski Sofia and his goalscoring prowess in theEternal derby of Bulgarian football, netting 15 goals, having betteredNasko Sirakov's record in 2008.
Georgi Ivanov was born inPlovdiv and is ofRomani descent.[1] He started his career in his hometown Plovdiv playing for local clubLokomotiv Plovdiv. His talent soon became apparent, and he received several call-ups for theBulgaria national team. For four seasons in Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Ivanov earned 60 appearances playing in theBulgarian top division, scoring 15 goals.
"Gonzo", as he was known among the fans, signed forLevski Sofia in the summer of 1997. He is believed to have previously been twice on the radar of archrivalCSKA Sofia, but then managerGeorgi Vasilev deciding on both occasions against securing his services.[2][3] On 24 October 1997, he played in his firstEternal Derby and scored the winning goal in the 84th minute after aVladimir Ivanov assist to help the "bluemen" to a 1–0 victory.[4] In total, Ivanov has participated in 22 editions of the rivalry, scoring a record-breaking 15 goals (the last time he found the net against the "redmen" was in anA PFG match held on 1 November 2008 that finished 1:1).[5] Levski Sofia have only lost two derby matches against the "redmen" with Ivanov on the pitch.
Ivanov joined FrenchLigue 1 sideRennes for a club record transfer fee of €4,100,000 in the summer of 2002.[6][citation needed] After featuring regularly under the management ofPhilippe Bergeroo, he saw his opportunities reduced following the former's sacking in October 2002 and the appointment ofVahid Halilhodžić.[7] After less than a full year abroad Ivanov rejoined Levski on loan.
During the 2003–04 season, Ivanov played for Levski Sofia again out on loan. He made 21 league appearances and scored nine goals.
Between 2004 and 2006, Ivanov played in Turkey forSamsunspor andGaziantepspor.
Ivanov once again rejoinedLevski Sofia on a free transfer fromGaziantepspor in 2006 and won the Bulgarian title for the fourth time in his career.
In January 2007, Ivanov was transferred to Croatian clubNK Rijeka. In Croatia, Ivanov was used as a striker and as a defensive midfielder.
On 22 June 2008, Ivanov signed a contract withLevski Sofia for the fourth time. Towards the end of the first half of the season he scored six goals in four matches, including his record 15th against Sofia rivals CSKA.[8] During that season, he showed once again his strong leadership, playing even with an injury and protectors on his face because of a broken cheek-bone. He became aChampion of Bulgaria in 2009.
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.
After the fourth defeat in eight competitions,Levski Sofia have replaced the managerRatko Dostanic, with the sports manager.[9]
He took over Levski in the 10th round, but collected only 9 points. After the end of the season, Ivanov finished with the team in third place and achieved qualification for theUEFA Europa League.
On 20 May 2010, Ivanov hiredYasen Petrov as Levski's head coach, ending his coaching career.
He also became caretaker manager of Levski following the resignation ofNikolay Kostov on 26 March 2012.
On 10 October 2012, Ivanov was announced as the new manager ofLokomotiv Plovdiv, replacingEmil Velev. However, he left the team after just one day in charge of the training process.[10] Between December 2012 and the summer of 2014, Ivanov served as manager ofCherno More Varna. After that he returned to Levski Sofia, where he alternated between the positions of head coach and director of football (on occasions also holding them at the same time).
On 21 June 2016, Ivanov returned as manager ofCherno More, replacingNikola Spasov.[11] On 21 September 2017, he resigned following a streak of poor results.[12]
In August 2019, he became thesports director ofLokomotiv Plovdiv.[13]
On 6 June 2022, Ivanov took over as interim manager ofBulgaria after the resignation ofYasen Petrov.[14] In his capacity as a technical director of theBulgarian Football Union, he played a role in the decision of employingMladen Krstajić as the next permanent head coach of Bulgaria.[15] In January 2023, Ivanov affirmed that as long as he remains in an official capacity with the Football Union, naturalized players of non-Bulgarian origins will not be selected for the national team.[16] The manner in which his statements were worded attracted some controversy due to being perceived as having racial connotations.[17]
Georgi Ivanov was a part ofBulgaria national team between 1996 and 2005. He earned his first cap with Bulgaria as a 20-year-old, in a 2–1 victory overLuxembourg on 8 October 1996. For Bulgaria, Gonzo was capped 34 times, scoring 4 goals. He was part of Bulgaria's roster for the1998 FIFA World Cup in France, but did not make any appearances in the tournament.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 February 2000 | Estadio Playa Ancha,Valparaíso,Chile |  Australia | 1–1 | 1–1 | Ciudad de Valparaíso Tournament |
| 2. | 7 October 2000 | Georgi Asparuhov Stadium,Sofia,Bulgaria |  Malta | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2002 World Cup qualifier |
| 3. | 2–0 | |||||
| 4. | 2 June 2001 | Windsor Park,Belfast,Northern Ireland |  Northern Ireland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 World Cup qualifier |
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | GF | GA | GD | |||
| Levski Sofia | 19 October 2009 | 30 June 2010 | 27 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 059.26 | 46 | 23 | +23 |
| Levski Sofia | 1 June 2011 | 3 November 2011 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 061.54 | 21 | 15 | +6 |
| Levski Sofia | 27 March 2012 | 7 April 2012 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 000.00 | 0 | 2 | –2 |
| Cherno More | 17 December 2012 | 19 May 2014 | 57 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 035.09 | 63 | 52 | +11 |
| Levski Sofia | 4 August 2014 | 22 December 2014 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 047.37 | 33 | 24 | +9 |
| Cherno More | 21 June 2016 | 21 September 2017 | 49 | 19 | 10 | 20 | 038.78 | 57 | 61 | –4 |
| Bulgaria | 6 June 2022 | 12 June 2022 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 000.00 | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Total | 169 | 72 | 37 | 60 | 042.60 | 221 | 178 | +43 | ||
Levski Sofia
Individual
