Todor Diev

Todor Diev

Personal information
Full name	Todor Nedyalkov Diev
Date of birth	28 January 1934
Place of birth	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Date of death	6 January 1995 (aged 60)
Place of death	Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Playing position	Forward Winger
Number	7
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1950–1952	Spartak Plovdiv
1952–1953	Spartak Sofia
1953–1966	Spartak Plovdiv
Total		308	(146)
National team^‡
1955–1965	Bulgaria	55	(16)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 November 2012. † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 22 November 2012

Todor Nedyalkov Diev (Bulgarian: Тодор Недялков Диев) (28 January 1934 – 6 January 1995) was a Bulgarian footballer, part of the Bulgarian squad that won the bronze medals in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

Career

Diev began his career at the local Spartak Plovdiv. He made his professional debut in 1950 and since then he played in 308 matches and scored 146 goals. He had a brief period in Spartak Sofia in 1952–1953. He won the Bulgarian A Professional Football Group in 1963 and the Soviet Army Cup in 1958. Diev was crowned as championship top scorer for three times in 1955, 1962 and 1963. He is one of the legends of Spartak Plovdiv. He was recognized as all-time best player of the club.^[1]

Todor made his international debut on 13 November 1955, when he scored a goal against Czechoslovakia in a 3–0 win in Sofia. He was capped 55 times for Bulgaria national team and scored 16 goals. Diev played for the team in 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile^[2] and won a bronze medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. His most remarkable goal was against Brazil on 18 May 1958 at Estádio do Morumbi. After the match he received an offer for transfer in Brazilian club, but he refused.^[3] Diev was team captain since 20 December 1964 to his retirement. His last international match was against Belgium on 27 October 1965, Bulgaria lost 5–0 in Brussels.^[4]

Honours

Spartak Plovdiv (1953–1966)

• Bulgarian A PFG: 1962–63
• Soviet Army Cup: 1958

Bulgaria (1955–1965)

• Summer Olympics Tournament Bronze Medal 1956

Individual

• Bulgarian A PFG: 1955, 1962, 1963
• Honored Master of Sports: 1960

References

1. History of Spartak Plovdiv
2. The Bulgarian squad for 1962 FIFA World Cup Chile
3. 15 years passed from Diev's death
4. Todor Diev international appearances, matches and goals – eu-football.info