Valeri Bojinov
Encyclopedia
Valeri Emilov Bozhinov , commonly known as Valeri Bojinov, is a Bulgaria
n footballer who currently plays for Sporting CP.
, Bozhinov moved to Malta
at the age of 12 with his mother Pepa, a former Bulgarian national basketball team player and stepfather Sasho Angelov
, who had played for the Bulgarian national football team
during the 1990s.
Bozhinov was discovered at the age of 14 by Lecce
sports director Pantaleo Corvino, while playing for Pietà Hotspurs, and signed for just 30,000,000 ITL
(around €15,000).
He also dates a Bulgarian singer Alisia. They were named Stars Couple of Bulgaria in 2006. He became father of a baby son in September 2007. His son is also named Valeri. Now he is married for a bulgarian playmate Nikoleta Lozanova.
His preferred foot is left.
and continued his studies there while playing for U.S. Lecce
youth teams. He debuted in Italian Serie A
on January 22, 2002, at the age of 15 years and 11 months for U.S. Lecce, becoming the youngest foreign player to make an appearance in the top level of Italian football. He scored his first goal in the top division on January 6, 2004 in a home 1–2 defeat against Bologna, becoming the youngest non-national to score in Serie A.
9 million), he was just 18 years old at the time.
, signing a four-year contract in an undisclosed fee deal, thought to be £5.75m.
Bozhinov was ruled out for five months after suffering a knee ligament injury against Manchester United
in August 2007. He returned to full training on 22 January 2008, scoring five goals in a bounce game. On the 11 February 2008, Bozhinov played in a Manchester City reserve game, where he came on as a subtitute and scored a header from a cross by Emile Mpenza
. Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
told Bozhinov that he would not be ready to play in the game against Everton
on the 25 February 2008. He did not manage to make a come-back to the first team squad in the 2007/08 season, but he did make some appearances for the Reserve squad and was included in City's tour of Asia.
He scored his first goal for the club over a year after joining in a pre-season friendly against Stockport County. He also scored the winning goal in a friendly against AC Milan on 9 August 2008. On the 17 August 2008, Bozhinov was ruled out for six months after suffering an Achilles injury as he was running on to the pitch to warm up against Aston Villa
. He has been labelled 'unlucky' as this is his second long term injury. By mid-January 2009 the club announced that Bozhinov was nearing full training.
In mid-February 2009, Manchester City manager Mark Hughes
declared that Bozhinov was going to play a practice match "Behind closed doors" as he was nearing his return to first team football. Bozhinov played 65 minutes for the reserves on 17 February 2009. He even scored a penalty against rivals Manchester United
in a reserve game while regaining match fitness.
Bozhinov made his long-awaited return to Premier League football by coming on as an 89th minute substitute against West Ham on 1 March 2009. Bozhinov then appeared again as a late substitute for Manchester City by coming on as an 83rd minute substitute in place of Elano against Aston Villa. Valeri made his first start since 2007 in the 1–0 home win over Sunderland on March 22, 2009, but was substituted in the 65th minute which saw the return of injured Craig Bellamy
. He finally scored his first league goal in the 2–1 loss against Tottenham
on 16 May 2009, four minutes after coming on as a substitute for compatriot Martin Petrov
in the 61st minute.
On July 4, 2010 it was confirmed that Parma have completed the permanent signing of Bozhinov, who is believed to have signed a 5 year deal, beating off late competition from Sevilla, Valencia, Genoa and Zenit. However, Bojinov endured a difficult season, largely restricted to the bench thanks to a combination of his own sub-par performances; the regular use of just one forward in the team; and regular goals coming from Hernan Crespo
and Amauri
in the early and late parts of the season, respectively.
was loaned to Parma in exchange.
during Euro 2004 – on 22 June 2004, he came on as a substitute in the 1–2 loss against Italy
. He earned his second cap on 19 August 2004 in the 1–1 away draw against Ireland
in a friendly match, during which he also scored his first international goal.
Manchester City
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n footballer who currently plays for Sporting CP.
Biography
Born in the Bulgarian town of Gorna OryahovitsaGorna Oryahovitsa
Gorna Oryahovitsa is a town in northern Bulgaria, situated in Veliko Tarnovo Province, not far from the city of Veliko Tarnovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Gorna Oryahovitsa Municipality...
, Bozhinov moved to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
at the age of 12 with his mother Pepa, a former Bulgarian national basketball team player and stepfather Sasho Angelov
Sasho Angelov
Sasho Angelov , is a Bulgarian football manager and former player. Angelov played as a defender. He is the current manager of Botev Vratsa...
, who had played for the Bulgarian national football team
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
during the 1990s.
Bozhinov was discovered at the age of 14 by Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
sports director Pantaleo Corvino, while playing for Pietà Hotspurs, and signed for just 30,000,000 ITL
Italian lira
The lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
(around €15,000).
He also dates a Bulgarian singer Alisia. They were named Stars Couple of Bulgaria in 2006. He became father of a baby son in September 2007. His son is also named Valeri. Now he is married for a bulgarian playmate Nikoleta Lozanova.
His preferred foot is left.
Lecce
A promising youngster, Bozhinov settled in LecceLecce
Lecce is a historic city of 95,200 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Puglia...
and continued his studies there while playing for U.S. Lecce
U.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
youth teams. He debuted in Italian Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
on January 22, 2002, at the age of 15 years and 11 months for U.S. Lecce, becoming the youngest foreign player to make an appearance in the top level of Italian football. He scored his first goal in the top division on January 6, 2004 in a home 1–2 defeat against Bologna, becoming the youngest non-national to score in Serie A.
Fiorentina
Bozhinov was soon picked up by Fiorentina in January 2005, in a transfer worth approximately €13 million (£Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
9 million), he was just 18 years old at the time.
Juventus
For the 2006-07 season, Fiorentina loaned Bojinov to Juventus, who had just been relegated to Serie B.Manchester City
On 3 August 2007, it was reported that Bozhinov completed his move to Manchester CityManchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, signing a four-year contract in an undisclosed fee deal, thought to be £5.75m.
Bozhinov was ruled out for five months after suffering a knee ligament injury against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in August 2007. He returned to full training on 22 January 2008, scoring five goals in a bounce game. On the 11 February 2008, Bozhinov played in a Manchester City reserve game, where he came on as a subtitute and scored a header from a cross by Emile Mpenza
Émile Mpenza
Eka Basunga Lokonda "Émile" Mpenza is a Belgian footballer who plays for Neftchi Baku as a striker. He has been capped at international level by Belgium. His older brother, Mbo, was also a footballer who represented Belgium....
. Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
told Bozhinov that he would not be ready to play in the game against Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
on the 25 February 2008. He did not manage to make a come-back to the first team squad in the 2007/08 season, but he did make some appearances for the Reserve squad and was included in City's tour of Asia.
He scored his first goal for the club over a year after joining in a pre-season friendly against Stockport County. He also scored the winning goal in a friendly against AC Milan on 9 August 2008. On the 17 August 2008, Bozhinov was ruled out for six months after suffering an Achilles injury as he was running on to the pitch to warm up against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. He has been labelled 'unlucky' as this is his second long term injury. By mid-January 2009 the club announced that Bozhinov was nearing full training.
In mid-February 2009, Manchester City manager Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
declared that Bozhinov was going to play a practice match "Behind closed doors" as he was nearing his return to first team football. Bozhinov played 65 minutes for the reserves on 17 February 2009. He even scored a penalty against rivals Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in a reserve game while regaining match fitness.
Bozhinov made his long-awaited return to Premier League football by coming on as an 89th minute substitute against West Ham on 1 March 2009. Bozhinov then appeared again as a late substitute for Manchester City by coming on as an 83rd minute substitute in place of Elano against Aston Villa. Valeri made his first start since 2007 in the 1–0 home win over Sunderland on March 22, 2009, but was substituted in the 65th minute which saw the return of injured Craig Bellamy
Craig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy is a Welsh footballer who plays as a striker for Liverpool and the Welsh national team. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy was the captain of the Welsh national side for four years after taking over from Ryan Giggs in 2007, but stood down in January 2011 due to constant injuries...
. He finally scored his first league goal in the 2–1 loss against Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
on 16 May 2009, four minutes after coming on as a substitute for compatriot Martin Petrov
Martin Petrov
Martin Petyov Petrov is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League.-Club career:Petrov began his career for Botev Vratsa...
in the 61st minute.
Parma
It was announced on July 29, 2009 that Bozhinov would be joining Italian side Parma, on a season long loan. This was in part due to the amount of competition for a striking role at Eastlands this season. He decided to wear number 86. On September 23, 2009 he scored his first official goal for Parma against Lazio. He also won a penalty for his team. The match ended in a 1–2 away win for Parma.On July 4, 2010 it was confirmed that Parma have completed the permanent signing of Bozhinov, who is believed to have signed a 5 year deal, beating off late competition from Sevilla, Valencia, Genoa and Zenit. However, Bojinov endured a difficult season, largely restricted to the bench thanks to a combination of his own sub-par performances; the regular use of just one forward in the team; and regular goals coming from Hernan Crespo
Hernán Crespo
Hernán Jorge Crespo is an Argentine footballer who plays for Parma in the Italian Serie A. Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 18 years. His honors include an Olympic Games silver medal, a Copa Libertadores, an English Premier League title and three Scudettos. He was topscorer in...
and Amauri
Amauri
Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira , better known as Amauri, is a Brazilian-born Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus.-Early career:...
in the early and late parts of the season, respectively.
Sporting
On July 6, 2011, Sporting signed Bojinov in a 5 year contract, paying €2.6million for 80% of his registration rights, which could rise to €3.5 million depending on his performance at the Portuguese side, while Jaime ValdésJaime Valdés
Jaime Andrés Valdés Zapata is a Chilean footballer who plays for Chile national team and Italian Serie A team Parma, on loan from Sporting....
was loaned to Parma in exchange.
International career
Bojinov made his debut for the national sideBulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
during Euro 2004 – on 22 June 2004, he came on as a substitute in the 1–2 loss against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
. He earned his second cap on 19 August 2004 in the 1–1 away draw against Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
in a friendly match, during which he also scored his first international goal.
Honours
Juventus- Serie BSerie BSerie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
: 2006–07
Manchester City
- Vodacom ChallengeVodacom ChallengeThe Vodacom Challenge is a association football pre-season tournament that features Vodacom-sponsored South African giants Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs plus from 2006 onwards an invited European club...
Runner-up: 2009