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PFC Ludogorets Razgrad

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Ludogorets
Full nameProfessional Football Club Ludogorets 1945
Nickname(s)Орлите (The Eagles)
FoundedNovember 1945; 78 years ago (1945-11)[1]
GroundHuvepharma Arena
Capacity10,423[2]
OwnerKiril Domuschiev
ChairmanTemenuga Gazdova[3]
Head coachGeorgi Dermendzhiev
LeagueFirst League
2023–24First League, 1st of 16 (champions)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Professional Football Club Ludogorets 1945 (Bulgarian: Професионален Футболен Клуб „Лудогорец 1945", romanizedProfesionalen Futbolen Klub „Ludogorets 1945"), commonly known as Ludogorets Razgrad or simply Ludogorets, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First Professional Football League, the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system.

In their inaugural 2011–12 season in A Group after promotion, Ludogorets won the double by capturing the league championship and the Bulgarian Cup. Subsequently, the club made a significant continental impact in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League when they reached the Round of 16 in only their second European run. To date they have reached the knockout stages of the Europa League four times, more than any other club in Bulgaria. Ludogorets are also only the second Bulgarian team after Levski Sofia to enter the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, a feat which they achieved in the following 2014–15 season. During that same campaign, they became the first Bulgarian team to score points in the modern Champions League group stage following a 1–0 win over Basel in Sofia.

Since their introduction to the Bulgarian top-flight in 2011, Ludogorets have established themselves as a dominant force in Bulgarian football, claiming every possible league title since then.[4] They have also won the Bulgarian Cup three times, as well as the Bulgarian Supercup on seven occasions.[5] The latter is a record in Bulgarian football.

The club’s traditional home colours are green and white. The club's home ground is the Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad, a stadium with a capacity of 10,500 spectators.[6] Their current manager is Georgi Dermendzhiev.

History

Foundation and beginning

Established in November 1945[7] after the merging of several rural football clubs from the Ludogorie Region, Ludogorets Razgrad was initially participating in the Third football division of Bulgaria. They promoted to the Second division in 1961. In 1997 the club merged with FC Antibiotic Razgrad and was renamed to FC Antibiotic-Ludogorets. In 2005 the club was defunct. The rise of Ludogorets started in season 2009/10 when Aleksandar Aleksandrov, director of FC Razgrad 2000, inherited the history and traditional club records of the former Antibiotic-Ludogorets, returning the name to PFC Ludogorets 1945 Razgrad. The team managed to enter Second division when Ivaylo Petev was designated as a Head Coach.[8]

Domuschiev era (2010–present)

In September 2010 the club was purchased by a Bulgarian pharmaceutical entrepreneur Kiril Domuschiev, with the clear intention of bringing Ludogorets to the top division. This happened in May 2011 with Ivaylo Petev as a Head Coach when the team promoted to top division for the first time in the club's history.[9]

First title

In May 2012, Ludogorets completed the domestic double when they won their first Bulgarian Cup title following a 2:1 victory against Lokomotiv Plovdiv at Lazur Stadium in Burgas,[10] and in August 2012, they won the Bulgarian Supercup, defeating Lokomotiv 3:1, thus becoming the first team to win a treble in its first season in A Group and one of the few in the history of international football to do so.

Second title

Ludogorets started the 2012–13 season with eight straight wins and nine matches without a loss, and finished the half-season in first place, as in the previous season, with just one loss and seven goals conceded out of 15 matches. However, in the 2012–13 Bulgarian Cup, the club was eliminated in the round of 32 by CSKA Sofia 2:2 on aggregate, losing on away goals. In the spring half-season, Ludogorets occupied the first place with just three matches to play before the end of the season. Nevertheless, they were defeated 1:0 by Levski Sofia and they took the lead of A Group. On the final day of the season, Ludogorets had to beat the already relegated team of Montana and hope that Slavia Sofia would prevent Levski from winning their match. In the last minutes of the Levski–Slavia match, Levski conceived an own goal which subsequently led to a 1:1 draw, allowing Ludogorets to win their second championship title in dramatic fashion again. In the 2013 Supercup, they lost 5:3 on penalties to Beroe Stara Zagora after a 1:1 draw in regular time.

Third title

In season 2013/14 Ludogorets became a hegemon in the Bulgarian club football. The "Eagles" earned their third consecutive title two rounds before the end of the championship on 7 May 2014. On 15 May 2014 Ludogorets achieved a treble after winning the Cup of Bulgaria against Botev (Plovdiv) 1-0 and the Super Cup. Both matches were played at the "Lazur" stadium in Burgas.[11]

Fourth title

Ludogorets' fourth title came after a home win against Lokomotiv (Sofia) with 4:1 on 15 May 2015. A new tribune, named after their defender Cosmin "Moti", and the 70th anniversary of the "Eagles" were celebrated at that time.

Fifth title

On 11 May 2016 Ludogorets became the Bulgarian Champion for the fifth time in a row.

Sixth title

The 2016/2017 season was the most successful in the history of Ludogorets. They became champions of Bulgaria for the sixth consecutive time with 16 points advantage over the runner-up. For the second time in the Bulgarian's football history the team entered the Champions League groups with Georgi Dermendzhiev as a Head Coach. They ranked third in the groups by winning 2 points and continued their European tournament participation in Europa League.

Seventh title

The 2017/2018 season was another successful one for Ludogorets. The team won their domestic league Champion's Title and performed well at both European Tournaments – Champions League and Europa League.

Eighth title

Ludogorets earned their 2018/2019 season title after a 4–1 home win over PFC Cherno More in May 2019.

Ninth title

Ludogorets' domination in Bulgaria continue. The champions won their record-breaking 9th consecutive title after a 2:1 win against Beroe in May 2020.[12]

Tenth title

Ludogorets claimed their record-breaking 10th consecutive title after a 3–1 home win against Beroe Stara Zagora in May 2021. This phenomenal achievement led to the club putting star on the club's badge/crest to represent 10 league titles in the domestic Bulgarian football league.

Eleventh title

Ludogorets' domination continued. An eleventh consecutive domestic championship title, no one but them has such an achievement in Bulgarian league football history.

Twelfth title

After a long hard season and a change in head coach in the middle of the season, with the return of former manager Ivaylo Petev back at helm, Ludogorets managed to achieve a domestic double (their 3rd similar feat since being promoted to the Bulgarian First League) by winning firstly the Bulgarian Cup by beating CSKA 1948 3:1 in the final, and eventually also winning the Bulgarian League once again for a record twelfth time by one point over CSKA Sofia by beating Cherno More Varna away from home 1:0 on the last day/match of the domestic championship season.

Thirteenth title

Georgi Dermendzhiev returned as Head Coach of Ludogorets Razgrad after the sacking of Ivaylo Petev back in October 2023. At the end of the 2023-24 campaign, the club managed to once again retain their domestic championship title for a record thriteenth time in row by beating PFC CSKA Sofia 3-1 in Razgrad to make it mathematically impossible for anyone to catch them in the race.

European

After winning the 2011–12 Bulgarian title, Ludogorets entered the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League for the 2012–13 season, but were eliminated 3:4 on aggregate with a last minute away goal by Dinamo Zagreb.

As Bulgarian champions in 2012–13 season, Ludogorets played in the UEFA Champions League where they came through the qualifiers, eliminating subsequently Slovan Bratislava and Partizan en route. Ludogorets then lost to Basel in the play-offs, but earned the right to play in the UEFA Europa League.

Ludogorets played in Group B of the 2013–14 Europa League. They were unbeaten in the group stage finishing first in the group with five wins in six games, including both home and away victories over the prominent PSV and Dinamo Zagreb.[13] Their only dropped points were a 1:1 home draw with Chornomorets Odesa. In the knockout phase, Ludogorets beat the Italian cup holders Lazio 1:0 away and drew 3:3 at home for a 4:3 aggregate win,[14] but then lost 0:3 at home and 0:4 on aggregate to Valencia in the round of 16.[15]

In the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, Ludogorets again won both their qualifiers, against F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg and Partizan.[16][17] In the play-off, they defeated Steaua București to reach the group stage for the first time. Goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov was dismissed for a second yellow card in the last minute of extra time in the second leg, when Ludogorets had used all their substitutes. In the penalty shoot-out, centre-back Cosmin Moți, having converted the first penalty, went in goal and made two saves to put Ludogorets through 6:5 on penalties.[18]

Ludogorets playing against Steaua in a second leg play-off for the 2014–15 Champions League at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.

Ludogorets made their debut in the 2014–15 Champions League group phase on 16 September 2014, grabbing a 1:1 equalizer away against Liverpool in the 90th minute scored by Dani Abalo, but in an eventual 1:2 loss,[19] as the newly signed goalkeeper Milan Borjan gave away a penalty with a foul on Javier Manquillo, which Steven Gerrard converted to give Liverpool the victory.[19] Ludogorets made their home debut in the 2014–15 Champions League group phase on 1 October 2014, scoring a stunning goal in the sixth minute through' attacking midfielder Marcelinho against Real Madrid, but in an eventual 1:2 loss.[20] In this match, Cristiano Ronaldo took two penalties – the first was saved by goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov, while the second was scored for a 1:1 equalizer.[20] On 22 October 2014, Yordan Minev scored his first goal for Ludogorets, scoring a crucial last-minute winning goal in a 1:0 home win over Basel in the group stage of the Champions League.[21] On 26 November 2014, Dani Abalo scored in the third minute and Georgi Terziev scored his first goal in the 88th minute, grabbing a 2:2 equalizer against Liverpool, in an eventual 2:2 draw.[22]

Ludogorets won their 4th consecutive A Group title, but were left by several main squad players at the end of the season. Georgi Dermendziev was also replaced with Portuguese manager Bruno Ribeiro. The late changes saw Ludogorets being eliminated in the second qualifying round of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League by the underdog Moldovan champions Milsami Orhei.

With Georgi Dermendzhiev returning at the helm of the squad, during the 2016–17 Champions League, Ludogorets won the qualifiers against Mladost Podgorica and Red Star Belgrade respectively, followed by a success in the play-off against Viktoria Plzeň. Eventually, they became the first Bulgarian team to qualify twice for the group stage of the tournament. In the group stage, Ludogorets achieved two draws against Basel and one against Paris Saint-Germain, which were enough to secure them the third place and a transfer to the knockout phase of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. Ludogorets however shortly exited the competition after failing to overcome Copenhagen with an initial 1:2 home loss and a 0:0 away draw.

Ludogorets failed to qualify for the groups of the next two editions of the Champion League, but however in both cases managed to enter the groups of Europa League. In the 2017–18 season they finished second in the group behind Braga, eliminating İstanbul Başakşehir and 1899 Hoffenheim, before losing in both matches to Milan in the round of 32.

In 2019–20, they were eliminated by Ferencváros in the first Champions League qualifying round, but made their way to the group stage of the Europa League, following successful matches against Valur, The New Saints and Maribor in the qualifiers. Ludogorets were subsequently drawn again with Ferencváros, next to CSKA Moscow and Spanish club Espanyol. A 5–1 home win against CSKA Moscow was followed-up by a 3–0 away win against Ferencváros.[23][24] They lost twice to Espanyol, 1–0 at home and 6–0 away, but finished second, following two 1–1 draws against both CSKA and Ferencváros, eventually securing a place in the knockout stage.[25]

75th Anniversary

Ludogorets earned their record-breaking 9th Bulgarian Premier League Title during their 75th Anniversary celebration on 8 July 2020 after their win 3:0 vs Levski Sofia. Ludogorets wore their special green and yellow retro kit which was used in 1945 when the club was founded. The logo with the "Л" letter over a yellow background is how the original looked like. The same design was used for a couple of decades, according to the archives. A limited edition of the retro kits were available for the fans. They feature the names of all the important team players over the course of 75 years.[26]

Crest, shirt and mascot

Previous crest used until 2016.

Ludogorets' main kit colour is forest green and the away kit is white. In addition, a black alternative kit is also used in some domestic matches.

The club's current crest was introduced for the beginning of the 2016–17 season. Ludogorets' supporters chose the new crest, after a poll held on the club's official website, a total of 130 different crest variants were present. A second poll was then held, to pick one from the five most voted logos.[27] However, some of Ludogorets' supporters expressed their dissent with the new crest, which they described as "lacking identity" and "unprofessional", a lack of continuity between the old and new club crests was also noted. Lastly, the supporters pointed out the striking similarity between the new crest and that of Sporting CP.[28] After winning their tenth championship title, Ludogorets added a golden star above their crest.

In June 2017, Ludogorets reached a sponsorship agreement with English sportswear manufacturer Umbro for the following two seasons.[29] In June 2019, they reached a new long-term agreement with American sportswear manufacturer Nike.

PeriodKit supplierShirt sponsor (chest)
2006–2010Tomy SportNo sponsor
2010–2011AdidasHuvepharma
2011–2014Navibulgar
2014–2016MacroneCasino.bg
2016–2017bet365
2017–2018Umbro
2018–2019Efbet
2019–Nike

Players

First-team squad

As of 1 May 2024[30]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos. NationPlayer
18MFBulgaria BULIvaylo Chochev
21FWBrazil BRARaí
24DFBenin BENOlivier Verdon
26DFThe Gambia GAMNoah Sonko Sundberg
30MFBrazil BRAPedro Naressi
37FWGhana GHABernard Tekpetey
44DFGermany GERMarcel Heister
77FWBrazil BRACaio Vidal
82MFBulgaria BULIvan Yordanov
88MFBulgaria BULTodor Nedelev
90FWBulgaria BULSpas Delev
99FWBrazil BRARwan Cruz

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2023 and Transfers winter 2023–24.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos. NationPlayer
15DFBrazil BRAPedro Henrique (to Guarani until 31 December 2024)
22DFArgentina ARGFranco Russo (to OH Leuven until 30 June 2024)

Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the First League, however only five non-EU/EEA nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU/EEA nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for five years.

EU/EEA Nationals

EU/EEA Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU/EEA Nationals

Retired numbers

No.PlayerNationalityPositionTenureRef
84MarcelinhoBulgaria BulgariaAttacking midfielder2011–2020[31]

Second-team squad

Club staff

As of 10 February 2024
NamePosition
Coaching staff
Bulgaria Georgi DermendzhievHead coach[32]
Bulgaria Svetoslav DyakovAssistant coach[33]
Bulgaria Todor ZhivondovAssistant coach[32]
Bulgaria Ivan TsvetkovAssistant coach[32]
Bulgaria Zdravko ZdravkovGoalkeeping coach[32]
Greece Stergios FotopoulosFitness coach[34]
Brazil Kaio FonsecaVideo analyst[32]
Medical department
Bulgaria Valentin VelikovFirst team doctor[32]
Romania Iulian MirceaPhysiotherapist[32]
Bulgaria Encho ZlatanovPhysiotherapist[32]
Romania Gabriel NiculescuKinesiotherapist[32]
Scouting & analysis
Bulgaria Dimitar BozhkilovHead of recruitment[35]
Bulgaria Yakov PaparkovScout[35]
Bulgaria Ivan TsvetkovScout[35]
Bulgaria Ivaylo DimitrovScout[35]
Bulgaria Lilcho ArsovScout[36]
Organisation & management
Bulgaria Nikolay KirchevTeam manager[32]
Upper management
Bulgaria Temenuga GazdovaChairman[37]
Bulgaria Aleksandar AleksandrovPresident[37]
Bulgaria Angel PetrichevExecutive director[37]
Bulgaria Georgi KaramandzhukovSports director[37]
Romania Cosmin MoțiTechnical director[37]
Bulgaria Radoslav KomitovYouth academy director[37]
Bulgaria Anna PenchevaMarketing director[37]

Honours

Domestic

European

European campaigns

As of 23 February 2023
COMPETITION M W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Champions League (UCL)642315269689+7
UEFA Europa League (UEL)712321279691+5
UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL)105141314-1
T O T A L 145 51 37 57 205 194 +11

Matches

As of 23 February 2024

Ludogorets have played against 64 teams from 39 federations. They have faced 57 teams once and additional 7 teams more than once.

Ludogorets is the first and only Bulgarian team to have played in all three European tournaments.

Ludogorets have qualified to the group stage of the European tournaments 10 times:UCL - 2 times (2014-2015, 2016-2017);UEL - 7 t1imes (2013-2014, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023);UECL - 1 time (2023-2024)

SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
2012–13UEFA Champions League2QCroatia Dinamo Zagreb1–12–33–4
2013–14UEFA Champions League2QSlovakia Slovan Bratislava3–01–24–2
3QSerbia Partizan2–11–03–1
POSwitzerland Basel2–40–22–6
UEFA Europa LeagueGroup BNetherlands PSV2–02–01st
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb3–02–1
Ukraine Chornomorets Odesa1–11–0
Round of 32Italy Lazio3–31–04–3
Round of 16Spain Valencia0–30–10–4
2014–15UEFA Champions League2QLuxembourg F91 Dudelange4–01–15–1
3QSerbia Partizan0–02–22–2 (a)
PORomania Steaua București1–00–11–1 (6–5 p.)
Group BSpain Real Madrid1–20–44th
Switzerland Basel1–00–4
England Liverpool2–21–2
2015–16UEFA Champions League2QMoldova Milsami Orhei0–11–21–3
2016–17UEFA Champions League2QMontenegro Mladost Podgorica2–03–05–0
3QSerbia Red Star Belgrade2–24–26–4
POCzech Republic Viktoria Plzeň2–02–24–2
Group AFrance Paris Saint-Germain1–32–23rd
England Arsenal2–30–6
Switzerland Basel0–01–1
UEFA Europa LeagueRound of 32Denmark Copenhagen1–20–01–2
2017–18UEFA Champions League2QLithuania Žalgiris4–11–25–3
3QIsrael Hapoel Be'er Sheva3–10–23–3 (a)
UEFA Europa LeaguePOLithuania Sūduva Marijampolė2–00–02–0
Group CPortugal Braga1–12–02nd
Germany 1899 Hoffenheim2–11–1
Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir1–20–0
Round of 32Italy Milan0–30–10–4
2018–19UEFA Champions League1QNorthern Ireland Crusaders7–02–09–0
2QHungary MOL Vidi0–00–10–1
UEFA Europa League3QBosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar1–01–12–1
POGeorgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi4–01–05–0
Group AGermany Bayer Leverkusen2–31–14th
Switzerland Zürich1–10–1
Cyprus AEK Larnaca0–01–1
2019–20UEFA Champions League1QHungary Ferencváros2–31–23–5
UEFA Europa League2QIceland Valur4–01–15–1
3QWales The New Saints5–04–09–0
POSlovenia Maribor0–02–22–2 (a)
Group HRussia CSKA Moscow5–11–12nd
Spain Espanyol0–10–6
Hungary Ferencváros1–13–0
Round of 32Italy Inter Milan0–21–21–4
2020–21UEFA Champions League1QMontenegro Budućnost Podgorica3–13–1
2QDenmark Midtjylland0–10–1
UEFA Europa LeaguePOBelarus Dynamo Brest2–02–0
Group JEngland Tottenham Hotspur1–30–44th
Austria LASK1–33–4
Belgium Royal Antwerp1–21–3
2021–22UEFA Champions League1QBelarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk1–01–02–0
2QSlovenia Mura3–10–03–1
3QGreece Olympiacos2–21–13–3 (4–1 p)
POSweden Malmö FF2–10–22–3
UEFA Europa LeagueGroup FPortugal Braga0–12–44th
Serbia Red Star Belgrade0–10–1
Denmark Midtjylland0–01–1
2022–23UEFA Champions League1QMontenegro Sutjeska Nikšić2–01–03–0
2QRepublic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers3–01–24–2
3QCroatia Dinamo Zagreb1–22–43–6
UEFA Europa LeaguePOLithuania Žalgiris1–03–34–3
Group CItaly Roma2–11–33rd
Spain Real Betis0–12–3
Finland HJK2–01–1
UEFA Europa Conference LeagueKPOBelgium Anderlecht1–01–22–2 (0–3 p)
2023–24UEFA Champions League1QKosovo Ballkani4–00–24–2
2QSlovenia Olimpija Ljubljana1–11–22–3
UEFA Europa League3QKazakhstan Astana5–11–26–3
PONetherlands Ajax1–41–02–4
UEFA Europa Conference LeagueGroup HTurkey Fenerbahçe2–01–32nd
Slovakia Spartak Trnava4–02–1
Denmark Nordsjælland1–01–7
KPOSwitzerland Servette0–10–00–1
2024–25UEFA Champions League1Q
Notes
  • 1Q: First Qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round

UEFA club coefficient ranking

As of 24 February 2024[38]

20242023Mvmt.Club2019–202020–212021–222022–232023–242024 Coeff.
65650Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv6.0010.005.003.002.5026.500
66660Romania CFR Cluj10.004.003.008.001.5026.500
677811 +11Bulgaria Ludogorets6.003.003.005.009.0026.000
6863-5 –5Denmark FC Midtjylland2.006.007.008.002.5025.500
6964-5 –5Serbia FK Partizan6.002.007.008.002.5025.500

All-time European performance

As of 23 February 2024

  Positive  Neutral  Negative

Opponents by countryPlayedWonDrawnLostGD
 Austria20024:7
 Belgium41034:7
 Belarus33004:0
 Bosnia and Herzegovina21102:1
 Croatia621311:11
 Cyprus20201:1
 Czech Republic21104:2
 Denmark71334:11
 England60156:20
 Finland21103:1
 France20113:5
 Georgia22005:0
 Germany41216:6
 Greece20203:3
 Hungary61237:7
 Iceland21105:1
 Israel21013:3
 Italy82158:15
 Kazakhstan21016:3
 Kosovo21014:2
 Lithuania632111:6
 Luxembourg21105:1
 Moldova20021:3
 Montenegro550011:1
 Netherlands43016:4
 Northern Ireland22009:0
 Portugal41125:6
 Republic of Ireland21014:2
 Romania21011:1
 Russia21106:2
 Serbia833211:9
 Slovakia430110:3
 Slovenia61417:6
 Spain80083:21
 Sweden21012:3
  Switzerland101455:14
 Turkey41124:5
 Ukraine21102:1
 Wales22009:0

Records and notable stats

Club records

  • Biggest home win in First League: Ludogorets 7–0 Beroe Stara Zagora (18 April 2018), Ludogorets 8–1 Botev Vratsa (8 April 2023)
  • Biggest away win in First League: Minyor Pernik 0–7 Ludogorets (18 April 2012)
  • Biggest home loss in First League: Ludogorets 0–2 Cherno More Varna (29 March 2012), Ludogorets 2–4 Litex Lovech (20 October 2013), Ludogorets 0–2 Beroe Stara Zagora (20 May 2016), Ludogorets 3–5 Pirin Blagoevgrad (13 December 2021)
  • Biggest away loss in First League: CSKA Sofia 4–1 Ludogorets (12 May 2021)
  • Most consecutive matches without a loss in First League: 35 (2018–19 - 5, 2019–20 - 30)
  • Most consecutive matches without a win in First League (single season): 4 (2017–18)
  • Most consecutive wins in First League (single season): 14 (2017–18)
  • Most consecutive losses in First League (single season): 3 (2011–12)
  • Biggest European home win: Ludogorets 7–0 Northern Ireland Crusaders (11 July 2018, UEFA Champions League First qualifying round first leg)
  • Biggest European away win: Wales The New Saints 0–4 Ludogorets (15 August 2019, UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round second leg)
  • Biggest European home defeat: Ludogorets 0–3 Spain Valencia (13 March 2014, UEFA Europa League Round of 16), Ludogorets 0–3 Italy Milan (15 February 2018, UEFA Europa League Round of 32)
  • Biggest European away defeat: England Arsenal 6–0 Ludogorets (19 October 2016, UEFA Champions League group stage), Spain Espanyol 6–0 Ludogorets (7 November 2019, UEFA Europa League group stage)

Individual records

Other records

  • Ludogorets is the second team (along with Levadia Tallinn from Estonia) to win a domestic treble after being promoted from the second to the first level of the football league pyramid of its country.
  • Ludogorets is the first team in Bulgaria to win 2 promotions in a row and then succeed in achieving a treble.
  • The Bulgarian club with the most consecutive domestic league titles – 12 (2012–present).
  • During the UEFA Europa League 2013–14 season Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to win a group in European competitions, recording 5 wins and 1 draw.
  • Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to begin their group stage participation in European tournaments with 3 consecutive wins, when in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage they recorded consecutive wins against PSV (2–0), Dinamo Zagreb (3–0) and Chornomorets Odesa (1–0), without conceding a goal in any of the games.
  • After the end of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage, Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to record 9 wins in European competitions in a single season, as well as the first Bulgarian team to record 5 away wins in European competitions in a single season.
  • After the end of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage, Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to record points in that competition when they defeated Basel 1–0 at home. This was also the first home win for a Bulgarian team in the UEFA Champions League.
  • Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to qualify twice for the Champions League group stage, achieving the feat during the 2016–17 season of the tournament. During that season, the team set a new record for most goals scored (6), and became the first Bulgarian team to avoid finishing last in their group.
  • On 19 September 2019 Ludogorets defeated CSKA Moscow 5–1 in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage, recording the biggest group stage win by a Bulgarian team.
  • On 3 October 2019 Ludogorets defeated Ferencváros 0–3 in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage, recording the biggest away group stage win by a Bulgarian team.

Goalscoring and appearance records

As of 21 April 2024

Most appearances for the club in all competitions

RankNameCareerAppearances
1Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov2011–2021350
2Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho2011–2020347
3Romania Cosmin Moți2012–2021298
4Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson2014–2022270
5Bulgaria Brazil Cicinho2015–2023245
6Romania Claudiu Keșerü2015–2021244
7Madagascar Anicet Abel2014–2021226
8Bulgaria Georgi Terziev2013–221
9Netherlands Virgil Misidjan2013–2018206
10Bulgaria Anton Nedyalkov2018–181


Most goals for the club in all competitions

RankNameCareerGoals
1Romania Claudiu Keșerü2015–2021139
2Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho2011–202098
3Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson2014–202269
4Netherlands Virgil Misidjan2013–201849
5Brazil Juninho Quixadá2011–201842
6Bulgaria Kiril Despodov2020–202339
6Ghana Bernard Tekpetey2020–39
8Poland Jakub Świerczok2018–202137
9Romania Cosmin Moți2012–202136
10Bulgaria Ivan Stoyanov2011–201330
10Democratic Republic of the Congo Jody Lukoki2015–202030
As of 21 April 2024

Most appearances for the club in First League

RankNameCareerAppearances
1Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov2011–2021242
2Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho2011–2020234
3Romania Cosmin Moți2012–2021191
4Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson2014–2022176
5Romania Claudiu Keșerü2015–2021169
6Bulgaria Brazil Cicinho2015–2023159
7Bulgaria Georgi Terziev2013–156
8Madagascar Anicet Abel2014–2021148
9Brazil Juninho Quixadá2011–2018132
9Netherlands Virgil Misidjan2013–2018132


Most goals for the club in First League

RankNameCareerGoals
1Romania Claudiu Keșerü2015–2021113
2Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho2011–202075
3Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson2014–202253
4Netherlands Virgil Misidjan2013–201835
5Brazil Juninho Quixadá2011–201834
6Ghana Bernard Tekpetey2020–30
7Bulgaria Kiril Despodov2020–202327
8Romania Cosmin Moți2012–202126
9Bulgaria Ivan Stoyanov2011–201325
10Poland Jakub Świerczok2018–202124
  • Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.
As of 5 April 2024

Most appearances for the club in European competitions

RankNameCareerAppearances
1Romania Cosmin Moți2012–202181
2Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho2011–202080
3Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov2011–202178
4Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson2014–202270
5Bulgaria Brazil Cicinho2015–202365
6Bulgaria Anton Nedyalkov2018–60
7Romania Claudiu Keșerü2015–202157
8Madagascar Anicet Abel2014–202153
9Netherlands Virgil Misidjan2013–201851
10Ghana Bernard Tekpetey2020–47
10Benin Olivier Verdon2020–47

Most goals for the club in European competitions

RankNameCareerGoals
1Romania Claudiu Keșerü2015–202116
2Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho2011–202015
3Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson2014–202214
4Democratic Republic of the Congo Jody Lukoki2015–202010
4Poland Jakub Świerczok2018–202110
6Bulgaria Kiril Despodov2020–20239
7Slovenia Roman Bezjak2012–20158
8Netherlands Virgil Misidjan2013–20187
8Cyprus Pieros Sotiriou2021–20227
10Romania Cosmin Moți2012–20216
10Spain Dani Abalo2013–20156
10Brazil Cauly2020–20236
10Netherlands Elvis Manu2020–20226
10Argentina Matías Tissera2022–6
10Poland Jakub Piotrowski2022–6
  • Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.

Recent seasons

League positions

First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Bulgarian A Football GroupBulgarian B Football GroupBulgarian V AFGRegional Amateur Football Groups (Bulgaria)
SeasonPositionGPGWGDGLG+G–GDPoints
2011–123022447316+5770
2012–133022625813+4572
2013–143825947420+5484
2014–153218956324+3960
2015–163221745521+3470
2016–173625838728+5983
2017–183627729122+6988
2018–1936231036719+4879
2019–203121915918+4172
2020–213122456929+4070
2021–223126147725+5279
2022–233526728127+5485
Total12 Titles3982788139854262+592912

Cup history

SeasonBulgarian CupBulgarian Super CupUEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Europa LeagueUEFA Europa Conference LeagueNotes
2010–11Round of 32did not participatedid not participatedid not participateNot heldPromoted
2011–12WinnerWinnerdid not participatedid not participateNot heldAchieved treble
2012–13Round of 32FinalistSecond qualifying rounddid not participateNot held2nd consecutive title
2013–14WinnerWinnerPlay-off roundRound of 16Not heldAchieved treble
2014–15Semi-finalFinalistGroup stagedid not participateNot held4th consecutive title
2015–16Round of 16Not heldSecond qualifying rounddid not participateNot held5th consecutive title
2016–17FinalistFinalistGroup stageRound of 32Not held6th consecutive title
2017–18Quarter-finalWinnerThird qualifying roundRound of 32Not held7th consecutive title
2018–19Quarter-finalWinnerSecond qualifying roundGroup stageNot held8th consecutive title
2019–20Quarter-finalFinalistFirst qualifying roundRound of 32Not held9th consecutive title
2020–21Semi-finalWinnerSecond qualifying roundGroup stageNot held10th consecutive title
2021–22Semi-finalWinnerPlay-off roundGroup stagedid not participate11th consecutive title
2022–23WinnerWinnerThird qualifying roundGroup stageKnockout play-offsAchieved treble

Rivalries

Rivalry with CSKA Sofia

Updated 10 December 2023

CompetitionPlayedLudogoretsDrawsCSKAGoal Difference
First League392115353:22
Bulgarian Cup61143:8
Bulgarian Supercup11004:0
Total462316760:30

Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.

  Ludogorets win  Draw  CSKA win

Ludogorets vs CSKACSKA vs Ludogorets
League
SeasonDivision / RoundDateScoreDateScore
2011–12A PFG23 May 20121–028 November 20112–2
2012–1322 September 20121–011 April 20130–0
2013–1410 August 20133–010 November 20130–2
30 April 20141–026 March 20140–1
2014–1516 August 20142–022 November 20141–1
4 April 20154–09 May 20150–0
2016–17First League5 November 20162–11 April 20170–2
20 May 20171–123 April 20171–1
2017–185 November 20171–222 July 20170–1
6 April 20183–25 May 20180–0
2018–1919 August 20181–06 December 20181–1
6 April 20190–011 May 20190–0
2019–2011 August 20190–01 December 20190–0
5 July 20201–1
2020–2127 February 20211–020 September 20202–2
12 May 20214–1
2021–2229 November 20212–020 December 20211–0
30 April 20225–0
2022–2310 October 20222–130 April 20230–1
20 May 20232–2
2023–2413 August 20233–010 December 20230–1
11 May 2024
Bulgarian Cup
2012–13Round of 1631 October 20121–224 November 20120–1
2017–18Quarter-final14 December 20172–1 (aet)
2018–19Quarter-final3 April 20190–1
2020–21Semi-final14 April 20211–27 April 20211–1
Bulgarian Supercup
2021–22Final17 July 20214–0

Rivalry with Levski Sofia

Updated 3 April 2024

CompetitionPlayedLudogoretsDrawsLevskiGoal Difference
First League39278463:24
Bulgarian Cup61234:6
Bulgarian Supercup10102:2
Total462910769:32

Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.

  Ludogorets win  Draw  Levski win

Ludogorets vs LevskiLevski vs Ludogorets
League
SeasonDivision / RoundDateScoreDateScore
2011–12A PFG25 September 20112–12 April 20120–1
2012–1318 November 20122–118 May 20131–0
2013–147 December 20130–115 September 20130–2
9 April 20142–011 May 20142–3
2014–158 March 20151–027 September 20143–2
2015–161 August 20152–018 October 20151–1
21 February 20162–123 April 20160–0
2016–17First League30 November 20162–113 August 20161–0
14 April 20170–016 May 20171–3
2017–1829 October 20172–06 September 20170–0
12 May 20182–214 April 20180–1
2018–1920 October 20182–19 March 20190–2
18 May 20191–114 April 20190–2
2019–206 October 20192–05 June 20200–1
8 July 20203–0
2020–211 November 20201–018 April 20210–3
2021–2213 March 20222–13 October 20212–4
21 May 20220–1
2022–231 December 20220–028 February 20230–0
3 June 20233–2
2023–243 April 20245–11 October 20230–1
25 May 2024
Bulgarian Cup
2014–15Semi-final8 April 20150–029 April 20151–0
2019–20Quarter-final5 March 20200–0 (6–5p.)
2021–22Semi-final13 April 20222–322 April 20221–0
2022–23Round of 164 December 20222–1
Bulgarian Supercup
2022–23Final1 September 20222–2 (4–3p.)

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries, or held any club record. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

Notable managers

DatesNameHonours
2010–2013Bulgaria Ivaylo Petev99992 A Group titles
1 B Group title
1 Bulgarian Cup title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2013–2014Bulgaria Stoycho Stoev99991 A Group title
1 Bulgarian Cup
2014–2015
2015–2017
Bulgaria Georgi Dermendzhiev99991 A Group title
2 First League titles
1 Bulgarian Supercup
2017–2018Bulgaria Dimitar Dimitrov99991 First League title
2018Brazil Paulo Autuori99991 Bulgarian Supercup title
2019Bulgaria Stoycho Stoev99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2019–2020Czech Republic Pavel Vrba99991 First League title
2021Lithuania Valdas Dambrauskas99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2022–2023Slovenia Ante Šimundža99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2023Bulgaria Ivaylo Petev99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Cup title
2023–Bulgaria Georgi Dermendzhiev

References

External links

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