 Dyakov in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Svetoslav Atanasov Dyakov | ||
| Date of birth | (1984-05-31)31 May 1984 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2005 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 73 | (2) |
| 2005–2008 | Pirin 1922 | 62 | (9) |
| 2008–2011 | Lokomotiv Sofia | 79 | (2) |
| 2011–2021 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 242 | (7) |
| 2015–2021 | Ludogorets Razgrad II | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Pirin Blagoevgrad | 24 | (0) |
| Total | 484 | (20) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004–2005 | Bulgaria U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2012–2017 | Bulgaria | 36 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022 | Pirin Blagoevgrad (caretaker) | ||
| 2022–2024 | Ludogorets Razgrad (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:34, 23 May 2022 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 June 2017 (UTC) | |||
Svetoslav Dyakov (Bulgarian:Светослав Дяков; born 31 May 1984) is aBulgarian professional retiredfootballer who played as amidfielder, and now a manager.[1] He was the clubcaptain ofLudogorets Razgrad and, between 2015 and 2017, was the captain of the national team as well.
Born inBlagoevgrad, Dyakov began his football career with a local club,Pirin. In 2005, he signed withPirin 1922.
On 18 June 2008, Dyakov becameLokomotiv Sofia's first summer signing. He signed a three-year contract.[2] He made his debut on 9 August 2008, in a 1–0 away win overMinyor Pernik. Dyakov made a further 24 league appearances in the2008–09 season without scoring.
His first goal came in a 3–0 home win againstSliven 2000 on 6 November 2010. During his three years at Lokomotiv, Dyakov made 79 appearances, scoring two goals.
After his contract with Lokomotiv expired, Dyakov joinedLudogorets Razgrad on a free transfer. He signed a two-year contract on 4 June 2011.[3] Dyakov made hisleague debut againstLokomotiv Plovdiv in a 0–0 home draw on 6 August. He enjoyed a successful first season at Ludogorets and quickly established himself as a first team regular. On 19 May 2012, Dyakov scored his first goal as a Ludogorets player in the team's league match againstKaliakra Kavarna after scoring a penalty. Ludogorets won the match 4–0. In his first season with Ludogorets, Dyakov collected his firstA Group title winner's medal. He also won for first time in his careerBulgarian Cup andBulgarian Supercup.
On 18 June 2013, Dyakov was appointed the club captain of Ludogorets for the2013–14 season.[4] He scored his first-ever European goal on 3 October, in a 3–0 home win overDinamo Zagreb in thegroup stage of Europa League. On 19 December, he was named the best midfielder of the year in Bulgaria.[5] On 4 October 2018, Dyakov was in the starting line-up for Ludogorets in a 1–0 away loss againstFC Zürich in thegroup stage of the UEFA Europa League and together with teammateCosmin Moți became the player with the joint most appearances for (a) Bulgarian team(s) in European club tournaments, alongsideHristo Yovov whose record of 66 matches they equaled.[6] He has (as of 14 April 2020) made 79 appearances (78 in the colors of Ludogorets and one as a footballer ofLokomotiv Sofia), trailing teammateMarcelinho who has 80 (all for Ludogorets).[7] In May 2020, Dyakov extended his contract with the team.[8]
On 19 May 2021, Ludogorets announced that Dyakov would leave the club after almost ten years of service, offering him a position in the club administrative, but Dyakov showed a desire to play for one more season at another club, before retiring and joining Ludogorets' technical body.[9]
In May 2021, Dyakov announced that he would joinPirin, the team where he started his career, which had just gotten promoted to the First League.[10][11] He officially retired on 21 May 2022, when he played his last match againstBotev Vratsa, when he was substituted in the 18th minute, his playing number for the most of his career.[12]
On 14 February 2012, Dyakov was called up to theBulgaria squad, for their friendly fixture againstHungary.[13] Two weeks later, he marked his international début at the age of 27, with an assist[14] to aValeri Bojinov goal in the 1–1 draw atETO Park. On 11 September 2012, Dyakov wassent off for a secondyellow card in a2014 World Cup qualifier againstArmenia that was won 1–0 by Bulgaria.[15] On 11 October 2013, he received ared card after being cautioned twice against the same opponent – Bulgaria lost the match held inYerevan 2–1.[16] On 7 February 2015, Dyakovcaptained his country in the 0–0 draw withRomania in a non-official friendly match, asIvelin Popov andNikolay Bodurov were absent from the team.[17]
Dyakov is also enrolled as a student at theSouth-West University, where he is pursuing coaching studies.[18]
| Club | Season | League | Cup / Supercup | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Pirin | 2002–03 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | 22 | 2 | |
| 2003–04 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 27 | 1 | ||
| 2004–05 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | ||
| Total | 73 | 2 | 6 | 1 | – | 79 | 3 | ||
| Pirin Blagoevgrad | 2005–06 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | |
| 2006–07 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 1 | – | 25 | 6 | ||
| 2007–08 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 29 | 3 | ||
| Total | 62 | 9 | 5 | 1 | – | 67 | 10 | ||
| Lokomotiv Sofia | 2008–09 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | 27 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 28 | 2 | ||
| Total | 79 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 84 | 2 | |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2011–12 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | 33 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 3 | |
| 2013–14 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 40 | 4 | |
| 2014–15 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 40 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| 2016–17 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2018–19 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 242 | 7 | 27 | 2 | 78 | 2 | 350 | 11 | |
| Career total | 456 | 20 | 42 | 4 | 79 | 2 | 580 | 26 | |
As of 12 November 2017[update]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 2012 | 8 | 0 |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 0 | |
Ludogorets
Individual