 Trajanov in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1978-08-09)9 August 1978 (age 47) | ||
| Place of birth | Delčevo,SR Macedonia,SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bregalnica Delčevo | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–1999 | Pelister | 1 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | Napredok | 15 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Velbazhd Kyustendil | 25 | (3) |
| 2001–2004 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 72 | (4) |
| 2004–2006 | Arminia Bielefeld | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2009 | Chernomorets Burgas | 59 | (1) |
| 2009–2010 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 21 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | Minyor Pernik | 50 | (2) |
| 2013–2014 | Chernomorets Burgas | 37 | (1) |
| 2014–2018 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 95 | (1) |
| 2018–2019 | Oborishte | 6 | (0) |
| Total | 382 | (13) | |
| International career | |||
| 2001–2009 | Macedonia | 36 | (2) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Vančo Trajanov (Macedonian:Ванчо Трајанов; born 9 August 1978) is a Macedonian former professionalfootballer who played as adefensive midfielder.
He was the first – and, to date, only – non-Bulgarian to have made more than 300Bulgarian First League appearances (making him the highest-appearing non-Bulgarian in the First League's history). At international level, Trajanov played for theMacedonian national team 35 times between 2001 and 2009.
Trajanov began his career inFK Bregalnica Delčevo.
In 2002, Trajanov was signed by fellowBulgarian A Group clubLokomotiv Plovdiv with whom he would win theleague in the season of2003–04.
After success in Bulgaria, he moved to Germany to play forArminia Bielefeld but failed to establish himself within the first team. Trajanov made his début for Arminia in a 4–2 win over1. FC Köln II in theDFB-Pokal on 21 September 2004, coming on as a substitute. He made hisBundesliga début on 12 December 2004 as a second-half substitute in a 5–0 defeat toVfL Wolfsburg atVolkswagen Arena. This was to be his last appearance for Arminia.
In October 2006, Trajanov returned to Bulgaria to play forChernomorets Burgas.[1] For two-and-a-half seasons, he earned 59 appearances and scored one goal in a 1–0 home win againstMarek Dupnitsa on 26 October 2007.[2]
On 15 September 2010, Trajanov joinedMinyor Pernik; fourth Bulgarian team in his career.[3] At the start of the2012–13 season he was selected as the new team captain. On 6 November 2012, Trajanov dissolved his contract due to financial reasons.[4]
On 8 January 2013, Trajanov re-signed forChernomorets Burgas on a free transfer.[5] On 20 February 2017, he reached a historic milestone - Trajanov became the first foreign player to appear in 300 matches in thetop Bulgarian division.SerbianNebojša Jelenković (with 293 games) is in second place among foreign footballers.[6]
On 14 June 2018, Trajanov announced his retirement as an active footballer,[7] though he subsequently made a few appearances forOborishte.
Trajanov made his senior debut forMacedonia in a June 2001FIFA World Cup qualification match againstMoldova in Skopje. On 16 October 2002, Trajanov scored goal during Macedonia'sEuro 2004 qualifying match againstEngland atSt Mary's Stadium, which finished 2–2.[8] In all Trajanov gained 36 caps, making his final appearance forMacedonia in the 4–0 loss againstNetherlands on 1 April 2009.[9][10]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 5 September 2001 | Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan | 1–1 | World Cup 2002 Qual. |
| 2. | 16 October 2002 | Southampton, England |  England | 2–2 | UEFA Euro 2004 Qual. |
Lokomotiv Plovdiv