Zhivko Zhelev

Zhivko Zhelev
Personal information
Full name Zhivko Dinchev Zhelev
Date of birth (1979-07-23) 23 July 1979
Place of birth Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
Vereya Stara Zagora
Number 3
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1995–1996 Beroe Stara Zagora 3 (0)
1996–2007 Litex Lovech 196 (29)
1996–1998 → Olimpik Teteven (loan) 37 (3)
2007–2009 Oțelul Galați 73 (7)
2010 Steaua București 16 (1)
2010 Inter Baku 1 (0)
2011 Simurq Zagatala 2 (0)
2011–2013 Slavia Sofia 66 (4)
2013– Vereya Stara Zagora 49 (10)
National team
Bulgaria U-21
2001–2006 Bulgaria 6 (0)
Teams managed
2014–2015 Vereya (assistant)
2015– Vereya (playing manager)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:24, 14 November 2015 (UTC).

† Appearances (goals)

Zhivko Dinchev Zhelev (Bulgarian: Живко Желев; born 23 July 1979 in Stara Zagora) is a Bulgarian football defender who currently plays for and also manages Vereya Stara Zagora.

Club career

Litex

Zhelev joined Litex Lovech quite young but fought hard to get a place in the first team. He formed a formidable duet with ex-Bulgarian national defender Rosen Kirilov. However, due to a lack of strikers Zhelev was also used by managers to play as a striker for Litex and scored a lot of goals in this position. He is the defender who has scored the most goals in the whole history of Bulgarian football.[1]

He has been considered one of the favourite players by Litex fans, due to his dedicated and selfless manner of playing, and his loyalty to the club. He has been awarded the title "The best player of Litex" in 2006.

Oţelul

On 12 July 2007, Zhelev joined Romanian club Oţelul Galaţi for a fee of €125.000

On 8 November 2009, after a game against FC Timişoara, he and his teammate Stoyan Kolev decided to leave Oţelul because of the financial situation of the club.

Steaua

"Coming to Steaua is a very important step in my career. I wanted to come to Steaua, because it is a very big club."

Zhivko Zhelev after the first training at Steaua.[2]

On 5 January 2010, Steaua and Oţelul agree Zhelev and Ochiroşii swap deal. On 10 January 2010, Steaua signed the Bulgarian centre-back on a free transfer until June 2011.

First match in Liga I for Steaua: 20 February 2010 • Steaua-Ceahlăul 1–3.

First goal in Liga I for Steaua: 25 April 2010 • Steaua-FC Timişoara 3–3.

On June 2010, Steaua has terminated the contract with Zhelev

Inter Baku

On 25 June 2010, Zhelev signed a one-year deal with the Azerbaijani football club Inter Baku.[3] Thus, he joins compatriot Petar Zlatinov in the club squad.

Slavia Sofia

At the end of the 2010–11 season, Zhelev returned to Bulgaria and joined Slavia Sofia on a free transfer. He made his comeback league debut at the start of the 2011–12 season in a 1–0 defeat to Levski Sofia on 8 August. Zhelev was frozen out of the first team in October 2013 (after Asen Bukarev had been replaced as coach) and in December 2013 joined Vereya Stara Zagora in the third division of Bulgarian football.[4]

In March 2015, Zhelev took over from Radostin Kishishev as head coach of Vereya Stara Zagora. However, his assistant Vladislav Yanush will be registered officially as the manager, as Zhelev has not yet obtained the coaching license to manage in the B PFG.[5]

Honours

Club

Litex Lovech

References

External links


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