ALL TIME BEST TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORERS - BULGARIA (Part 22)
Picture : Martin Kamburov surpassed Petar Zhekov !
All-time best top division goal-scorers: Bulgaria (Part 22)
The all-time goal-scoring record in Bulgarian league has changed name recently. Martin Kamburov, shortly before his retirement, managed to surpass a long-term holder Petar Zhekov. He set the new record on 13 September 2021, with a goal for Beroe in the game vs Tsarsko Selo (2-0), which was the 254th. He scored then another 2 and finished career at 256.
The legendary Zhekov was yet alive at that moment (passed away February this year). Curiously, he denied the fact of beating his record, claiming that he scored in the early 1960s, at the dawn of his career, another 8 goals for Khimik Dimitrovgrad, in addition to those 8 credited to him. It’s not clear what he did mean indeed (perhaps, some goals in the 2nd division where Khimik played before entering top tier).
Kamburov and Zhekov are only 2 players to reach 200 goals over almost 100 years of Bulgarian league (existed since 1924).
10 players have reached 150 goals; no foreigners and no active players between them.
Abroad player with the most goals in the league is Claudiu Keșerü (Romania, 113).
Dinko Dermendzhiev holds the record on goals for a single club: 194 for Botev Plovdiv.
Slavia Sofia took the name ZhSK-Slavia for a short period; CSKA took few other names (including CSKA Cherveno Zname, CSKA Septemvriysko Zname, Sredets), as well as Levski (Dinamo, Levski-Spartak, Vitosha, Levski-1914 etc.).
BULGARIA | 1924- | ALL-TIME BEST TOP DIVISION GOAL SCORERS | |||
Player | Period | Goals | Games | Breakdown by clubs | |
1 | Martin Kamburov | 1998–2021 | 256 | 456 | Botev Plovdiv 3, Spartak Pleven 5, Lokomotiv Plovdiv 145, |
Lokomotiv Sofia 33, CSKA 3, Beroe 58, CSKA-1948 9 | |||||
2 | Petar Zhekov | 1962–1975 | 253 | 333 | Khimik Dimitrovgrad 8, Beroe 101, CSKA 144 |
3 | Nasko Sirakov | 1980–1998 | 196 | 294 | Haskovo 8, Levski 165, Botev Plovdiv 4, Slavia Sofia 19 |
4 | Dinko Dermendzhiev | 1959–1978 | 194 | 447 | Botev Plovdiv 194 |
5 | Hristo Bonev | 1964–1984 | 185 | 410 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv 180, CSKA 5 |
6 | Plamen Getov | 1977–1998 | 165 | 286 | Spartak Pleven 109, CSKA 8, Etar 2, Levski 26, Shumen 20 |
7 | Nikola Kotkov | 1956–1971 | 163 | 322 | Lokomotiv Sofia 142, Slavia Sofia 3, Levski 18 |
8 | Stefan Bogomilov | 1962–1976 | 162 | 353 | Cherno More 162 |
9 | Petar Mihtarski | 1982–2001 | 158 | 301 | Pirin 79, Levski 46, CSKA 33 |
10 | Petko Petkov | 1968–1980 | 152 | 229 | Beroe 144, Akademik Svishtov 8 |