Nikola_Iliev
Nikola Iliev
Bulgarian footballer
Nikola Iliyanov Iliev (Bulgarian: Никола Илиянов Илиев; born 6 June 2004) is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and forward for Bulgarian First League club CSKA 1948, on loan from Serie A club Inter Milan, and the Bulgaria national team. He was included in The Guardian's "Next Generation" list for 2021.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikola Iliyanov Iliev[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2004-06-06) 6 June 2004 (age 19) | ||
| Place of birth | Yudelnik, Bulgaria[2] | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
CSKA 1948 (on loan from Inter Milan) | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2020 | Botev Plovdiv | ||
| 2020–2023 | Inter Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2020 | Botev Plovdiv | 2 | (0) |
| 2022– | Inter Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 2023– | → CSKA 1948 II (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2023– | → CSKA 1948 (loan) | 17 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2023 | Bulgaria U19 | 14 | (3) |
| 2023– | Bulgaria U21 | 6 | (2) |
| 2022– | Bulgaria | 8 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:22, 10 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 08:28, 22 November 2023 (UTC) | |||
Born in Yudelnik, Slivo Pole Municipality, Iliev began his football career at Botev Plovdiv.[4] He made his professional debut for the team in a league match against Slavia Sofia on 29 September 2019.[5] In June 2020, he completed his move to Inter Milan, signing a 4-year contract.[6]
On 31 May 2022, Iliev scored the winning goal for Inter U19 against Roma U19, making Inter Serie A Primavera champions.[7]
On 26 October 2022, he scored all 4 goals in Inter's 4–2 win against Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Youth League.[8]
On 5 February 2023, he was announced as Bulgarian Youth Footballer of 2022.[9]
On 10 August 2023, Iliev joined CSKA 1948 on a one-year loan with an option to make the transfer permanent.[10]
Iliev received his first call-up for the Bulgaria senior national team on 5 September 2022, for the UEFA Nations League games against Gibraltar and North Macedonia on 23 and 26 September 2022.[11] He made his debut in the match against Gibraltar, won 5–1 by Bulgaria.[12]
Club
- As of 7 October 2021[13]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Botev Plovdiv | 2019–20 | First League | 2 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
- Notes
- Appearances in the Bulgarian Cup
International
- As of 20 June 2023
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 |
Individual
- "Nikola Iliev - Stats and titles won". footballdatabase.eu. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- Nikola Iliev at WorldFootball.net
- "Next Generation 2021: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- "Ботев (Пловдив) получил от Интер парите за Никола Илиев" (in Bulgarian). bnr.bg. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- "Nikola Iliev joins CSKA 1948 Sofia" (Press release). Inter Milan. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- Nikola Iliev at Soccerway
- Kichukov, Simeon (5 February 2023). "За трети път Кирил Десподов беше избран за Футболист №1 на България". dnevnik.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
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