Ludogorets Razgrad

This article is about the men's professional football team. For the women's team associated to the same club, see WFC Ludogorets Razgrad.

Ludogorets
Full nameProfessional Football Club Ludogorets 1945
Nickname(s)Орлите (The Eagles)
FoundedNovember 1945; 78 years ago (1945-11)[1]
GroundHuvepharma Arena
Capacity10,423[2]
OwnerKiril Domuschiev
ChairmanTemenuga Gazdova[3]
Head coachGeorgi Dermendzhiev
LeagueFirst League
2022–23First League, 1st of 16 (champions)
WebsiteClub website
Current season

Professional Football Club Ludogorets 1945 (Bulgarian: Професионален Футболен Клуб „Лудогорец 1945", romanized: Profesionalen Futbolen Klub „Ludogorets 1945"), commonly known as Ludogorets Razgrad or simply Ludogorets, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First Professional Football League, the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system.

In their inaugural 2011–12 season in A Group after promotion, Ludogorets won the double by capturing the league championship and the Bulgarian Cup. Subsequently, the club made a significant continental impact in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League when they reached the Round of 16 in only their second European run. To date they have reached the knockout stages of the Europa League four times, more than any other club in Bulgaria. Ludogorets are also only the second Bulgarian team after Levski Sofia to enter the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, a feat which they achieved in the following 2014–15 season. During that same campaign, they became the first Bulgarian team to score points in the modern Champions League group stage following a 1–0 win over Basel in Sofia.

Since their introduction to the Bulgarian top-flight in 2011, Ludogorets have established themselves as a dominant force in Bulgarian football, claiming every possible league title since then.[4] They have also won the Bulgarian Cup three times, as well as the Bulgarian Supercup on six occasions.[5]

The club’s traditional home colours are green and white. The club's home ground is the Huvepharma Arena in Razgrad, a stadium with a capacity of 10,500 spectators.[6] Their current manager is Georgi Dermendzhiev.

History

Foundation and beginning

Established in November 1945[7] after the merging of several rural football clubs from the Ludogorie Region, Ludogorets Razgrad was initially participating in the Third football division of Bulgaria. They promoted to the Second division in 1961. In 1997 the club merged with FC Antibiotic Razgrad and was renamed to FC Antibiotic-Ludogorets. In 2005 the club was defunct. The rise of Ludogorets started in season 2009/10 when Aleksandar Aleksandrov, director of FC Razgrad 2000, inherited the history and traditional club records of the former Antibiotic-Ludogorets, returning the name to PFC Ludogorets 1945 Razgrad. The team managed to enter Second division when Ivaylo Petev was designated as a Head Coach.[8]

Domuschiev era (2010–present)

In September 2010 the club was purchased by a Bulgarian pharmaceutical entrepreneur Kiril Domuschiev, with the clear intention of bringing Ludogorets to the top division. This happened in May 2011 with Ivaylo Petev as a Head Coach when the team promoted to top division for the first time in the club's history.[9]

First title

In May 2012, Ludogorets completed the domestic double when they won their first Bulgarian Cup title following a 2:1 victory against Lokomotiv Plovdiv at Lazur Stadium in Burgas,[10] and in August 2012, they won the Bulgarian Supercup, defeating Lokomotiv 3:1, thus becoming the first team to win a treble in its first season in A Group and one of the few in the history of international football to do so.

Second title

Ludogorets started the 2012–13 season with eight straight wins and nine matches without a loss, and finished the half-season in first place, as in the previous season, with just one loss and seven goals conceded out of 15 matches. However, in the 2012–13 Bulgarian Cup, the club was eliminated in the round of 32 by CSKA Sofia 2:2 on aggregate, losing on away goals. In the spring half-season, Ludogorets occupied the first place with just three matches to play before the end of the season. Nevertheless, they were defeated 1:0 by Levski Sofia and they took the lead of A Group. On the final day of the season, Ludogorets had to beat the already relegated team of Montana and hope that Slavia Sofia would prevent Levski from winning their match. In the last minutes of the Levski–Slavia match, Levski conceived an own goal which subsequently led to a 1:1 draw, allowing Ludogorets to win their second championship title in dramatic fashion again. In the 2013 Supercup, they lost 5:3 on penalties to Beroe Stara Zagora after a 1:1 draw in regular time.

Third title

In season 2013/14 Ludogorets became a hegemon in the Bulgarian club football. The "Eagles" earned their third consecutive title two rounds before the end of the championship on 7 May 2014. On 15 May 2014 Ludogorets achieved a treble after winning the Cup of Bulgaria against Botev (Plovdiv) 1-0 and the Super Cup. Both matches were played at the "Lazur" stadium in Burgas.[11]

Fourth title

Ludogorets' fourth title came after a home win against Lokomotiv (Sofia) with 4:1 on 15 May 2015. A new tribune, named after their defender Cosmin "Moti", and the 70th anniversary of the "Eagles" were celebrated at that time.

Fifth title

On 11 May 2016 Ludogorets became the Bulgarian Champion for the fifth time in a row.

Sixth title

The 2016/2017 season was the most successful in the history of Ludogorets. They became champions of Bulgaria for the sixth consecutive time with 16 points advantage over the runner-up. For the second time in the Bulgarian's football history the team entered the Champions League groups with Georgi Dermendzhiev as a Head Coach. They ranked third in the groups by winning 2 points and continued their European tournament participation in Europa League.

Seventh title

The 2017/2018 season was another successful one for Ludogorets. The team won their domestic league Champion's Title and performed well at both European Tournaments – Champions League and Europa League.

Eighth title

Ludogorets earned their 2018/2019 season title after a 4–1 home win over PFC Cherno More in May 2019.

Ninth title

Ludogorets' domination in Bulgaria continue. The champions won their record-breaking 9th consecutive title after a 2:1 win against Beroe in May 2020.[12]

Tenth title

Ludogorets claimed their record-breaking 10th consecutive title after a 3–1 home win against Beroe Stara Zagora in May 2021. This phenomenal achievement led to the club putting star on the club's badge/crest to represent 10 league titles in the domestic Bulgarian football league.

Eleventh title

Ludogorets' domination continued. An eleventh consecutive domestic championship title, no one but them has such an achievement in Bulgarian league football history.

Twelfth title

After a long hard season and a change in head coach in the middle of the season, with the return of former manager Ivaylo Petev back at helm, Ludogorets managed to achieve a domestic double (their 3rd similar feat since being promoted to the Bulgarian First League) by winning firstly the Bulgarian Cup by beating CSKA 1948 3:1 in the final, and eventually also winning the Bulgarian League once again for a record twelfth time by one point over CSKA Sofia by beating Cherno More Varna away from home 1:0 on the last day/match of the domestic championship season.

European

After winning the 2011–12 Bulgarian title, Ludogorets entered the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League for the 2012–13 season, but were eliminated 3:4 on aggregate with a last minute away goal by Dinamo Zagreb.

As Bulgarian champions in 2012–13 season, Ludogorets played in the UEFA Champions League where they came through the qualifiers, eliminating subsequently Slovan Bratislava and Partizan en route. Ludogorets then lost to Basel in the play-offs, but earned the right to play in the UEFA Europa League.

Ludogorets played in Group B of the 2013–14 Europa League. They were unbeaten in the group stage finishing first in the group with five wins in six games, including both home and away victories over the prominent PSV and Dinamo Zagreb.[13] Their only dropped points were a 1:1 home draw with Chornomorets Odesa. In the knockout phase, Ludogorets beat the Italian cup holders Lazio 1:0 away and drew 3:3 at home for a 4:3 aggregate win,[14] but then lost 0:3 at home and 0:4 on aggregate to Valencia in the round of 16.[15]

Ludogorets' 2013–14 UEFA Europa League lineup against Italian cup holders Lazio, which recorded a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico.

In the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League, Ludogorets again won both their qualifiers, against F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg and Partizan.[16][17] In the play-off, they defeated Steaua București to reach the group stage for the first time. Goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov was dismissed for a second yellow card in the last minute of extra time in the second leg, when Ludogorets had used all their substitutes. In the penalty shoot-out, centre-back Cosmin Moți, having converted the first penalty, went in goal and made two saves to put Ludogorets through 6:5 on penalties.[18]

Ludogorets playing against Steaua in a second leg play-off for the 2014–15 Champions League at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.

Ludogorets made their debut in the 2014–15 Champions League group phase on 16 September 2014, grabbing a 1:1 equalizer away against Liverpool in the 90th minute scored by Dani Abalo, but in an eventual 1:2 loss,[19] as the newly signed goalkeeper Milan Borjan gave away a penalty with a foul on Javier Manquillo, which Steven Gerrard converted to give Liverpool the victory.[19] Ludogorets made their home debut in the 2014–15 Champions League group phase on 1 October 2014, scoring a stunning goal in the sixth minute through' attacking midfielder Marcelinho against Real Madrid, but in an eventual 1:2 loss.[20] In this match, Cristiano Ronaldo took two penalties – the first was saved by goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov, while the second was scored for a 1:1 equalizer.[20] On 22 October 2014, Yordan Minev scored his first goal for Ludogorets, scoring a crucial last-minute winning goal in a 1:0 home win over Basel in the group stage of the Champions League.[21] On 26 November 2014, Dani Abalo scored in the third minute and Georgi Terziev scored his first goal in the 88th minute, grabbing a 2:2 equalizer against Liverpool, in an eventual 2:2 draw.[22]

Ludogorets won their 4th consecutive A Group title, but were left by several main squad players at the end of the season. Georgi Dermendziev was also replaced with Portuguese manager Bruno Ribeiro. The late changes saw Ludogorets being eliminated in the second qualifying round of the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League by the underdog Moldovan champions Milsami Orhei.

With Georgi Dermendzhiev returning at the helm of the squad, during the 2016–17 Champions League, Ludogorets won the qualifiers against Mladost Podgorica and Red Star Belgrade respectively, followed by a success in the play-off against Viktoria Plzeň. Eventually, they became the first Bulgarian team to qualify twice for the group stage of the tournament. In the group stage, Ludogorets achieved two draws against Basel and one against Paris Saint-Germain, which were enough to secure them the third place and a transfer to the knockout phase of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. Ludogorets however shortly exited the competition after failing to overcome Copenhagen with an initial 1:2 home loss and a 0:0 away draw.

Ludogorets failed to qualify for the groups of the next two editions of the Champion League, but however in both cases managed to enter the groups of Europa League. In the 2017–18 season they finished second in the group behind Braga, eliminating İstanbul Başakşehir and 1899 Hoffenheim, before losing in both matches to Milan in the round of 32.

In 2019–20, they were eliminated by Ferencváros in the first Champions League qualifying round, but made their way to the group stage of the Europa League, following successful matches against Valur, The New Saints and Maribor in the qualifiers. Ludogorets were subsequently drawn again with Ferencváros, next to CSKA Moscow and Spanish club Espanyol. A 5–1 home win against CSKA Moscow was followed-up by a 3–0 away win against Ferencváros.[23][24] They lost twice to Espanyol, 1–0 at home and 6–0 away, but finished second, following two 1–1 draws against both CSKA and Ferencváros, eventually securing a place in the knockout stage.[25]

75th Anniversary

Ludogorets earned their record-breaking 9th Bulgarian Premier League Title during their 75th Anniversary celebration on 8 July 2020 after their win 3:0 vs Levski Sofia. Ludogorets wore their special green and yellow retro kit which was used in 1945 when the club was founded. The logo with the "Л" letter over a yellow background is how the original looked like. The same design was used for a couple of decades, according to the archives. A limited edition of the retro kits were available for the fans. They feature the names of all the important team players over the course of 75 years.[26]

Crest, shirt and mascot

Previous crest used until 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to PFC Ludogorets Razgard kits.

Ludogorets' main kit colour is forest green and the away kit is white. In addition, a black alternative kit is also used in some domestic matches.

The club's current crest was introduced for the beginning of the 2016–17 season. Ludogorets' supporters chose the new crest, after a poll held on the club's official website, a total of 130 different crest variants were present. A second poll was then held, to pick one from the five most voted logos.[27] However, some of Ludogorets' supporters expressed their dissent with the new crest, which they described as "lacking identity" and "unprofessional", a lack of continuity between the old and new club crests was also noted. Lastly, the supporters pointed out the striking similarity between the new crest and that of Sporting CP.[28] After winning their tenth championship title, Ludogorets added a golden star above their crest.

In June 2017, Ludogorets reached a sponsorship agreement with English sportswear manufacturer Umbro for the following two seasons.[29] In June 2019, they reached a new long-term agreement with American sportswear manufacturer Nike.

Period Kit supplier Shirt sponsor (chest)
2006–2010 Tomy Sport No sponsor
2010–2011 Adidas Huvepharma
2011–2014 Navibulgar
2014–2016 Macron eCasino.bg
2016–2017 bet365
2017–2018 Umbro
2018–2019 Efbet
2019– Nike

Players

First-team squad

As of 1 February 2024[30]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2023 and Transfers winter 2023–24.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Reserve team

Main article: PFC Ludogorets Razgrad II

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the First League, however only five non-EU/EEA nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU/EEA nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for five years.

EU/EEA Nationals

EU/EEA Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU/EEA Nationals

Retired numbers

See also: Retired numbers in association football
No. Player Nationality Position Tenure Ref
84 Marcelinho Bulgaria Bulgaria Attacking midfielder 2011–2020 [31]

Second-team squad

Main article: PFC Ludogorets Razgrad II

Club staff

As of 11 December 2023
Name Position
Coaching staff
Bulgaria Georgi Dermendzhiev Head coach [32]
Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov Assistant coach [33]
Bulgaria Todor Zhivondov Assistant coach [32]
Bulgaria Ivan Tsvetkov Assistant coach [32]
Bulgaria Zdravko Zdravkov Goalkeeping coach [32]
Bulgaria Detelin Maslov Fitness coach [32]
Medical department
Bulgaria Valentin Velikov First team doctor [32]
Romania Iulian Mircea Physiotherapist [32]
Bulgaria Encho Zlatanov Physiotherapist [32]
Romania Gabriel Niculescu Kinesiotherapist [32]
Scouting & analysis
Bulgaria Dimitar Bozhkilov Head of recruitment [34]
Bulgaria Yakov Paparkov Scout [34]
Bulgaria Ivan Tsvetkov Scout [34]
Bulgaria Ivaylo Dimitrov Scout [34]
Bulgaria Lilcho Arsov Scout [35]
Brazil Kaio Fonseca Performance analyst [32]
Organisation & management
Bulgaria Nikolay Kirchev Team manager [32]
Upper management
Bulgaria Temenuga Gazdova Chairman [36]
Bulgaria Aleksandar Aleksandrov President [36]
Bulgaria Angel Petrichev Executive director [36]
Bulgaria Georgi Karamandzhukov Sports director [36]
Romania Cosmin Moți Technical director [36]
Bulgaria Radoslav Komitov Youth academy director [36]
Bulgaria Anna Pencheva Marketing director [36]

Honours

Domestic

European

European record

Main article: PFC Ludogorets Razgrad in European football
As of 15 December 2023
COMPETITION M W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Champions League (UCL) 64 23 15 26 96 89 +7
UEFA Europa League (UEL) 71 23 21 27 96 91 +5
UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) 8 5 0 3 13 13 0
T O T A L 143 51 36 56 205 193 +12

Matches

As of 22 February 2024

Ludogorets has played vs 64 teams from 39 federations. Once against 57 teams and against 7 teams more than once.

Ludogorets is the first and only Bulgarian team to have played in all three European tournaments UCL, UEL and the UECL.

Ludogorets has qualified to group stage of European tournaments 10 times: UCL - 2 times (2014-2015, 2016-2017); UEL - 7 times (2013-2014, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023); UECL - 1 time (2023-2024)

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2012–13 UEFA Champions League 2Q Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1–1 2–3 3–4
2013–14 UEFA Champions League 2Q Slovakia Slovan Bratislava 3–0 1–2 4–2
3Q Serbia Partizan 2–1 1–0 3–1
PO Switzerland Basel 2–4 0–2 2–6
UEFA Europa League Group B Netherlands PSV 2–0 2–0 1st
Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 3–0 2–1
Ukraine Chornomorets Odesa 1–1 1–0
Round of 32 Italy Lazio 3–3 1–0 4–3
Round of 16 Spain Valencia 0–3 0–1 0–4
2014–15 UEFA Champions League 2Q Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 4–0 1–1 5–1
3Q Serbia Partizan 0–0 2–2 2–2 (a)
PO Romania Steaua București 1–0 0–1 1–1 (6–5 p.)
Group B Spain Real Madrid 1–2 0–4 4th
Switzerland Basel 1–0 0–4
England Liverpool 2–2 1–2
2015–16 UEFA Champions League 2Q Moldova Milsami Orhei 0–1 1–2 1–3
2016–17 UEFA Champions League 2Q Montenegro Mladost Podgorica 2–0 3–0 5–0
3Q Serbia Red Star Belgrade 2–2 4–2 6–4
PO Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 2–0 2–2 4–2
Group A France Paris Saint-Germain 1–3 2–2 3rd
England Arsenal 2–3 0–6
Switzerland Basel 0–0 1–1
UEFA Europa League Round of 32 Denmark Copenhagen 1–2 0–0 1–2
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 2Q Lithuania Žalgiris 4–1 1–2 5–3
3Q Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva 3–1 0–2 3–3 (a)
UEFA Europa League PO Lithuania Sūduva Marijampolė 2–0 0–0 2–0
Group C Portugal Braga 1–1 2–0 2nd
Germany 1899 Hoffenheim 2–1 1–1
Turkey İstanbul Başakşehir 1–2 0–0
Round of 32 Italy Milan 0–3 0–1 0–4
2018–19 UEFA Champions League 1Q Northern Ireland Crusaders 7–0 2–0 9–0
2Q Hungary MOL Vidi 0–0 0–1 0–1
UEFA Europa League 3Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar 1–0 1–1 2–1
PO Georgia (country) Torpedo Kutaisi 4–0 1–0 5–0
Group A Germany Bayer Leverkusen 2–3 1–1 4th
Switzerland Zürich 1–1 0–1
Cyprus AEK Larnaca 0–0 1–1
2019–20 UEFA Champions League 1Q Hungary Ferencváros 2–3 1–2 3–5
UEFA Europa League 2Q Iceland Valur 4–0 1–1 5–1
3Q Wales The New Saints 5–0 4–0 9–0
PO Slovenia Maribor 0–0 2–2 2–2 (a)
Group H Russia CSKA Moscow 5–1 1–1 2nd
Spain Espanyol 0–1 0–6
Hungary Ferencváros 1–1 3–0
Round of 32 Italy Inter Milan 0–2 1–2 1–4
2020–21 UEFA Champions League 1Q Montenegro Budućnost Podgorica — 3–1 3–1
2Q Denmark Midtjylland 0–1 — 0–1
UEFA Europa League PO Belarus Dynamo Brest — 2–0 2–0
Group J England Tottenham Hotspur 1–3 0–4 4th
Austria LASK 1–3 3–4
Belgium Royal Antwerp 1–2 1–3
2021–22 UEFA Champions League 1Q Belarus Shakhtyor Soligorsk 1–0 1–0 2–0
2Q Slovenia Mura 3–1 0–0 3–1
3Q Greece Olympiacos 2–2 1–1 3–3 (4–1 p)
PO Sweden Malmö FF 2–1 0–2 2–3
UEFA Europa League Group F Portugal Braga 0–1 2–4 4th
Serbia Red Star Belgrade 0–1 0–1
Denmark Midtjylland 0–0 1–1
2022–23 UEFA Champions League 1Q Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić 2–0 1–0 3–0
2Q Republic of Ireland Shamrock Rovers 3–0 1–2 4–2
3Q Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 1–2 2–4 3–6
UEFA Europa League PO Lithuania Žalgiris 1–0 3–3 4–3
Group C Italy Roma 2–1 1–3 3rd
Spain Real Betis 0–1 2–3
Finland HJK 2–0 1–1
UEFA Europa Conference League KPO Belgium Anderlecht 1–0 1–2 2–2 (0–3 p)
2023–24 UEFA Champions League 1Q Kosovo Ballkani 4–0 0–2 4–2
2Q Slovenia Olimpija Ljubljana 1–1 1–2 2–3
UEFA Europa League 3Q Kazakhstan Astana 5–1 1–2 6–3
PO Netherlands Ajax 1–4 1–0 2–4
UEFA Europa Conference League Group H Turkey Fenerbahçe 2–0 1–3 2nd
Slovakia Spartak Trnava 4–0 2–1
Denmark Nordsjælland 1–0 1–7
KPO Switzerland Servette – –
Notes
  • 1Q: First Qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round

UEFA club coefficient ranking

See also: UEFA coefficient

As of 16 December 2023[37]

2024 2023 Mvmt. Club 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024 Coeff.
65 65 0 – Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 6.00 10.00 5.00 3.00 2.50 26.500
66 66 0 – Romania CFR Cluj 10.00 4.00 3.00 8.00 1.50 26.500
67 78 11 +11 Bulgaria Ludogorets 6.00 3.00 3.00 5.00 9.00 26.000
68 63 -5 –5 Denmark FC Midtjylland 2.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 2.50 25.500
69 64 -5 –5 Serbia FK Partizan 6.00 2.00 7.00 8.00 2.50 25.500

All-time European performance

As of 15 December 2023

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponents by country Played Won Drawn Lost GD
 Austria 2 0 0 2 4:7
 Belgium 4 1 0 3 4:7
 Belarus 3 3 0 0 4:0
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 1 1 0 2:1
 Croatia 6 2 1 3 11:11
 Cyprus 2 0 2 0 1:1
 Czech Republic 2 1 1 0 4:2
 Denmark 7 1 3 3 4:11
 England 6 0 1 5 6:20
 Finland 2 1 1 0 3:1
 France 2 0 1 1 3:5
 Georgia 2 2 0 0 5:0
 Germany 4 1 2 1 6:6
 Greece 2 0 2 0 3:3
 Hungary 6 1 2 3 7:7
 Iceland 2 1 1 0 5:1
 Israel 2 1 0 1 3:3
 Italy 8 2 1 5 8:15
 Kazakhstan 2 1 0 1 6:3
 Kosovo 2 1 0 1 4:2
 Lithuania 6 3 2 1 11:6
 Luxembourg 2 1 1 0 5:1
 Moldova 2 0 0 2 1:3
 Montenegro 5 5 0 0 11:1
 Netherlands 4 3 0 1 6:4
 Northern Ireland 2 2 0 0 9:0
 Portugal 4 1 1 2 5:6
 Republic of Ireland 2 1 0 1 4:2
 Romania 2 1 0 1 1:1
 Russia 2 1 1 0 6:2
 Serbia 8 3 3 2 11:9
 Slovakia 4 3 0 1 10:3
 Slovenia 6 1 4 1 7:6
 Spain 8 0 0 8 3:21
 Sweden 2 1 0 1 2:3
  Switzerland 8 1 3 4 5:13
 Turkey 4 1 1 2 4:5
 Ukraine 2 1 1 0 2:1
 Wales 2 2 0 0 9:0

Records and notable stats

Club records

  • Biggest home win in First League: Ludogorets 7–0 Beroe Stara Zagora (18 April 2018), Ludogorets 8–1 Botev Vratsa (8 April 2023)
  • Biggest away win in First League: Minyor Pernik 0–7 Ludogorets (18 April 2012)
  • Biggest home loss in First League: Ludogorets 0–2 Cherno More Varna (29 March 2012), Ludogorets 2–4 Litex Lovech (20 October 2013), Ludogorets 0–2 Beroe Stara Zagora (20 May 2016), Ludogorets 3–5 Pirin Blagoevgrad (13 December 2021)
  • Biggest away loss in First League: CSKA Sofia 4–1 Ludogorets (12 May 2021)
  • Most consecutive matches without a loss in First League: 35 (2018–19 - 5, 2019–20 - 30)
  • Most consecutive matches without a win in First League (single season): 4 (2017–18)
  • Most consecutive wins in First League (single season): 14 (2017–18)
  • Most consecutive losses in First League (single season): 3 (2011–12)
  • Biggest European home win: Ludogorets 7–0 Northern Ireland Crusaders (11 July 2018, UEFA Champions League First qualifying round first leg)
  • Biggest European away win: Wales The New Saints 0–4 Ludogorets (15 August 2019, UEFA Europa League Third qualifying round second leg)
  • Biggest European home defeat: Ludogorets 0–3 Spain Valencia (13 March 2014, UEFA Europa League Round of 16), Ludogorets 0–3 Italy Milan (15 February 2018, UEFA Europa League Round of 32)
  • Biggest European away defeat: England Arsenal 6–0 Ludogorets (19 October 2016, UEFA Champions League group stage), Spain Espanyol 6–0 Ludogorets (7 November 2019, UEFA Europa League group stage)

Individual records

Other records

  • Ludogorets is the second team (along with Levadia Tallinn from Estonia) to win a domestic treble after being promoted from the second to the first level of the football league pyramid of its country.
  • Ludogorets is the first team in Bulgaria to win 2 promotions in a row and then succeed in achieving a treble.
  • The Bulgarian club with the most consecutive domestic league titles – 12 (2012–present).
  • During the UEFA Europa League 2013–14 season Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to win a group in European competitions, recording 5 wins and 1 draw.
  • Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to begin their group stage participation in European tournaments with 3 consecutive wins, when in the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage they recorded consecutive wins against PSV (2–0), Dinamo Zagreb (3–0) and Chornomorets Odesa (1–0), without conceding a goal in any of the games.
  • After the end of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League group stage, Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to record 9 wins in European competitions in a single season, as well as the first Bulgarian team to record 5 away wins in European competitions in a single season.
  • After the end of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage, Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to record points in that competition when they defeated Basel 1–0 at home. This was also the first home win for a Bulgarian team in the UEFA Champions League.
  • Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to qualify twice for the Champions League group stage, achieving the feat during the 2016–17 season of the tournament. During that season, the team set a new record for most goals scored (6), and became the first Bulgarian team to avoid finishing last in their group.
  • On 19 September 2019 Ludogorets defeated CSKA Moscow 5–1 in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage, recording the biggest group stage win by a Bulgarian team.
  • On 3 October 2019 Ludogorets defeated Ferencváros 0–3 in the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League group stage, recording the biggest away group stage win by a Bulgarian team.

Goalscoring and appearance records

As of 15 December 2023

Most appearances for the club in all competitions

Rank Name Career Appearances
1 Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov 2011–2021 350
2 Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho 2011–2020 347
3 Romania Cosmin Moți 2012–2021 298
4 Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson 2014–2022 270
5 Bulgaria Brazil Cicinho 2015–2023 245
6 Romania Claudiu Keșerü 2015–2021 244
7 Madagascar Anicet Abel 2014–2021 226
8 Bulgaria Georgi Terziev 2013– 215
9 Netherlands Virgil Misidjan 2013–2018 206
10 Bulgaria Anton Nedyalkov 2018– 181


Most goals for the club in all competitions

Rank Name Career Goals
1 Romania Claudiu Keșerü 2015–2021 139
2 Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho 2011–2020 98
3 Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson 2014–2022 69
4 Netherlands Virgil Misidjan 2013–2018 49
5 Brazil Juninho Quixadá 2011–2018 42
6 Bulgaria Kiril Despodov 2020–2023 39
7 Poland Jakub Świerczok 2018–2021 37
8 Romania Cosmin Moți 2012–2021 36
9 Ghana Bernard Tekpetey 2020– 35
10 Bulgaria Ivan Stoyanov 2011–2013 30
10 Democratic Republic of the Congo Jody Lukoki 2015–2020 30
As of 11 December 2023

Most appearances for the club in First League

Rank Name Career Appearances
1 Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov 2011–2021 242
2 Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho 2011–2020 234
3 Romania Cosmin Moți 2012–2021 191
4 Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson 2014–2022 176
5 Romania Claudiu Keșerü 2015–2021 169
6 Bulgaria Brazil Cicinho 2015–2023 159
7 Bulgaria Georgi Terziev 2013– 150
8 Madagascar Anicet Abel 2014–2021 148
9 Brazil Juninho Quixadá 2011–2018 132
9 Netherlands Virgil Misidjan 2013–2018 132


Most goals for the club in First League

Rank Name Career Goals
1 Romania Claudiu Keșerü 2015–2021 113
2 Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho 2011–2020 75
3 Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson 2014–2022 53
4 Netherlands Virgil Misidjan 2013–2018 35
5 Brazil Juninho Quixadá 2011–2018 34
6 Bulgaria Kiril Despodov 2020–2023 27
7 Romania Cosmin Moți 2012–2021 26
7 Ghana Bernard Tekpetey 2020– 26
9 Bulgaria Ivan Stoyanov 2011–2013 25
10 Poland Jakub Świerczok 2018–2021 24
  • Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.
As of 15 December 2023

Most appearances for the club in European competitions

Rank Name Career Appearances
1 Romania Cosmin Moți 2012–2021 81
2 Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho 2011–2020 80
3 Bulgaria Svetoslav Dyakov 2011–2021 78
4 Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson 2014–2022 70
5 Bulgaria Brazil Cicinho 2015–2023 65
6 Bulgaria Anton Nedyalkov 2018– 60
7 Romania Claudiu Keșerü 2015–2021 57
8 Madagascar Anicet Abel 2014–2021 53
9 Netherlands Virgil Misidjan 2013–2018 51
10 Ghana Bernard Tekpetey 2020– 46
10 Benin Olivier Verdon 2020– 46

Most goals for the club in European competitions

Rank Name Career Goals
1 Romania Claudiu Keșerü 2015–2021 16
2 Bulgaria Brazil Marcelinho 2011–2020 15
3 Bulgaria Brazil Wanderson 2014–2022 14
4 Democratic Republic of the Congo Jody Lukoki 2015–2020 10
4 Poland Jakub Świerczok 2018–2021 10
6 Bulgaria Kiril Despodov 2020–2023 9
7 Slovenia Roman Bezjak 2012–2015 8
8 Netherlands Virgil Misidjan 2013–2018 7
8 Cyprus Pieros Sotiriou 2021–2022 7
10 Romania Cosmin Moți 2012–2021 6
10 Spain Dani Abalo 2013–2015 6
10 Brazil Cauly 2020–2023 6
10 Netherlands Elvis Manu 2020–2022 6
10 Argentina Matías Tissera 2022– 6
10 Poland Jakub Piotrowski 2022– 6
  • Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.

Recent seasons

League positions

First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Bulgarian A Football GroupBulgarian B Football GroupBulgarian V AFGRegional Amateur Football Groups (Bulgaria)
Season Position GP GW GD GL G+ G– GD Points
2011–12 1° 30 22 4 4 73 16 +57 70
2012–13 1° 30 22 6 2 58 13 +45 72
2013–14 1° 38 25 9 4 74 20 +54 84
2014–15 1° 32 18 9 5 63 24 +39 60
2015–16 1° 32 21 7 4 55 21 +34 70
2016–17 1° 36 25 8 3 87 28 +59 83
2017–18 1° 36 27 7 2 91 22 +69 88
2018–19 1° 36 23 10 3 67 19 +48 79
2019–20 1° 31 21 9 1 59 18 +41 72
2020–21 1° 31 22 4 5 69 29 +40 70
2021–22 1° 31 26 1 4 77 25 +52 79
2022–23 1° 35 26 7 2 81 27 +54 85
Total 12 Titles 398 278 81 39 854 262 +592 912

Cup history

Season Bulgarian Cup Bulgarian Super Cup UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Europa Conference League Notes
2010–11 Round of 32 did not participate did not participate did not participate Not held Promoted
2011–12 Winner Winner did not participate did not participate Not held Achieved treble
2012–13 Round of 32 Finalist Second qualifying round did not participate Not held 2nd consecutive title
2013–14 Winner Winner Play-off round Round of 16 Not held Achieved treble
2014–15 Semi-final Finalist Group stage did not participate Not held 4th consecutive title
2015–16 Round of 16 Not held Second qualifying round did not participate Not held 5th consecutive title
2016–17 Finalist Finalist Group stage Round of 32 Not held 6th consecutive title
2017–18 Quarter-final Winner Third qualifying round Round of 32 Not held 7th consecutive title
2018–19 Quarter-final Winner Second qualifying round Group stage Not held 8th consecutive title
2019–20 Quarter-final Finalist First qualifying round Round of 32 Not held 9th consecutive title
2020–21 Semi-final Winner Second qualifying round Group stage Not held 10th consecutive title
2021–22 Semi-final Winner Play-off round Group stage did not participate 11th consecutive title
2022–23 Winner – Third qualifying round Group stage Knockout play-offs 12th consecutive title

Rivalries

Rivalry with CSKA Sofia

Updated 10 December 2023

Competition Played Ludogorets Draws CSKA Goal Difference
First League 39 21 15 3 53:22
Bulgarian Cup 6 1 1 4 3:8
Bulgarian Supercup 1 1 0 0 4:0
Total 46 23 16 7 60:30

Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.

  Ludogorets win   Draw   CSKA win

Ludogorets vs CSKA CSKA vs Ludogorets
League
Season Division / Round Date Score Date Score
2011–12 A PFG 23 May 2012 1–0 28 November 2011 2–2
2012–13 22 September 2012 1–0 11 April 2013 0–0
2013–14 10 August 2013 3–0 10 November 2013 0–2
30 April 2014 1–0 26 March 2014 0–1
2014–15 16 August 2014 2–0 22 November 2014 1–1
4 April 2015 4–0 9 May 2015 0–0
2016–17 First League 5 November 2016 2–1 1 April 2017 0–2
20 May 2017 1–1 23 April 2017 1–1
2017–18 5 November 2017 1–2 22 July 2017 0–1
6 April 2018 3–2 5 May 2018 0–0
2018–19 19 August 2018 1–0 6 December 2018 1–1
6 April 2019 0–0 11 May 2019 0–0
2019–20 11 August 2019 0–0 1 December 2019 0–0
– – 5 July 2020 1–1
2020–21 27 February 2021 1–0 20 September 2020 2–2
– – 12 May 2021 4–1
2021–22 29 November 2021 2–0 20 December 2021 1–0
30 April 2022 5–0 – –
2022–23 10 October 2022 2–1 30 April 2023 0–1
20 May 2023 2–2 – –
2023–24 13 August 2023 3–0 10 December 2023 0–1
– – – –
Bulgarian Cup
2012–13 Round of 16 31 October 2012 1–2 24 November 2012 0–1
2017–18 Quarter-final – – 14 December 2017 2–1 (aet)
2018–19 Quarter-final 3 April 2019 0–1 – –
2020–21 Semi-final 14 April 2021 1–2 7 April 2021 1–1
Bulgarian Supercup
2021–22 Final 17 July 2021 4–0 – –

Rivalry with Levski Sofia

Updated 1 October 2023

Competition Played Ludogorets Draws Levski Goal Difference
First League 38 26 8 4 58:23
Bulgarian Cup 6 1 2 3 4:6
Bulgarian Supercup 1 0 1 0 2:2
Total 44 27 10 7 64:31

Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.

  Ludogorets win   Draw   Levski win

Ludogorets vs Levski Levski vs Ludogorets
League
Season Division / Round Date Score Date Score
2011–12 A PFG 25 September 2011 2–1 2 April 2012 0–1
2012–13 18 November 2012 2–1 18 May 2013 1–0
2013–14 7 December 2013 0–1 15 September 2013 0–2
9 April 2014 2–0 11 May 2014 2–3
2014–15 8 March 2015 1–0 27 September 2014 3–2
2015–16 1 August 2015 2–0 18 October 2015 1–1
21 February 2016 2–1 23 April 2016 0–0
2016–17 First League 30 November 2016 2–1 13 August 2016 1–0
14 April 2017 0–0 16 May 2017 1–3
2017–18 29 October 2017 2–0 6 September 2017 0–0
12 May 2018 2–2 14 April 2018 0–1
2018–19 20 October 2018 2–1 9 March 2019 0–2
18 May 2019 1–1 14 April 2019 0–2
2019–20 6 October 2019 2–0 5 June 2020 0–1
8 July 2020 3–0 – –
2020–21 1 November 2020 1–0 18 April 2021 0–3
2021–22 13 March 2022 2–1 3 October 2021 2–4
– – 21 May 2022 0–1
2022–23 1 December 2022 0–0 28 February 2023 0–0
3 June 2023 3–2 – –
2023–24 3 April 2024 1 October 2023 0–1
– – – –
Bulgarian Cup
2014–15 Semi-final 8 April 2015 0–0 29 April 2015 1–0
2019–20 Quarter-final – – 5 March 2020 0–0 (6–5p.)
2021–22 Semi-final 13 April 2022 2–3 22 April 2022 1–0
2022–23 Round of 16 4 December 2022 2–1 – –
Bulgarian Supercup
2022–23 Final 1 September 2022 2–2 (4–3p.) – –

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries, or held any club record. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

Notable managers

Dates Name Honours
2010–2013 Bulgaria Ivaylo Petev 99992 A Group titles
1 B Group title
1 Bulgarian Cup title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2013–2014 Bulgaria Stoycho Stoev 99991 A Group title
1 Bulgarian Cup
2014–2015
2015–2017 		Bulgaria Georgi Dermendzhiev 99991 A Group title
2 First League titles
1 Bulgarian Supercup
2017–2018 Bulgaria Dimitar Dimitrov 99991 First League title
2018 Brazil Paulo Autuori 99991 Bulgarian Supercup title
2019 Bulgaria Stoycho Stoev 99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2019–2020 Czech Republic Pavel Vrba 99991 First League title
2021 Lithuania Valdas Dambrauskas 99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2022–2023 Slovenia Ante Šimundža 99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Supercup title
2023–2023 Bulgaria Ivaylo Petev 99991 First League title
1 Bulgarian Cup title
2023– Bulgaria Georgi Dermendzhiev

References

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to PFC Ludogorets Razgrad.