Ludogorets_Razgrad

PFC Ludogorets Razgrad

PFC Ludogorets Razgrad

Bulgarian association football club


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.

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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 seven occasions.[5] The latter is a record in Bulgarian football.

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.

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.

More information Period, Kit supplier ...

Players

First-team squad

As of 20 April 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.

More information No., Pos. ...

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

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Second-team squad

Club staff

As of 10 February 2024
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Honours

Domestic

European

European record

As of 23 February 2023
More information COMPETITION, M ...

Matches

As of 23 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 t1imes (2013-2014, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023); UECL - 1 time (2023-2024)

More information Season, Competition ...
Notes
  • 1Q: First Qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round

UEFA club coefficient ranking

As of 24 February 2024[38]

More information Mvmt., Club ...

All-time European performance

As of 23 February 2024

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

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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

More information Rank, Name ...
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  • Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.
As of 5 April 2024
More information Rank, Name ...
  • 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)
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Cup history

More information Season, Bulgarian Cup ...

Rivalries

Rivalry with CSKA Sofia

Updated 10 December 2023

More information Competition, Played ...

Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.

  Ludogorets win   Draw   CSKA win

More information Ludogorets vs CSKA, CSKA vs Ludogorets ...

Rivalry with Levski Sofia

Updated 3 April 2024

More information Competition, Played ...

Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form.

  Ludogorets win   Draw   Levski win

More information Ludogorets vs Levski, Levski vs Ludogorets ...

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

More information Dates, Name ...

References

  1. "Защо "Лудогорец" е един от най-старите клубове в България?". Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  2. "Ръководство и мениджмънт на отбора". Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  3. "Ludogorets won the sixth title with a record breaking score!". www.ludogorets.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  4. "Achievements, records & performance – PFC Ludogorets". www.ludogorets.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  5. ""Лудогорец Арена" с най-модерното осветление". sportal.bg. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  6. "Ludogorets Razgrad 1945". bgclubs.eu. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  7. "Ludogorets crash the party in Bulgaria". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  8. "Ludogorets clinch maiden Bulgarian Cup". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  9. "Ludogorets 2013/14". ludogorets.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  10. "9 Consecutive Title". ludogorets.com. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. Ludogorets squeeze out Partizan Archived 8 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, UEFA.com, 6 August 2014
  12. Ludogorets Razgrad win 6–5 on penalties Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, BBC, 27 August 2014
  13. "Liverpool 2:1 Ludo Razgd". BBC Sport. 16 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  14. uefa.com (1 October 2014). "UEFA Champions League 2014/15 – History – Ludogorets-Real Madrid – UEFA.com". uefa.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  15. "Ludogorets 1:0 Basel: Minev snatches victory at the death against 10-man Swiss champions". goal.com. 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  16. "Liverpool hit by late Ludogorets leveller". UEFA.com. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  17. "Ludogorets 1–1 Ferencváros, UEFA.com". Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  18. "Take a look at the retro outfit Ludogorets will wear on the 75th anniversary". Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  19. "ПФК "Лудогорец" с нова клубна емблема". ludogorets.com (in Bulgarian). PFC Ludogorets 1945. 6 June 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022.
  20. "Лудогорец ще играе с Umbro през следващите два сезона". www.ludogorets.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  21. "Players : A team – PFC Ludogorets". www.ludogorets.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  22. "Спортно технически щаб" [Sports technical staff] (in Bulgarian). Ludogorets. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  23. "Светослав Дяков се завръща в Лудогорец, клубът се раздели с човек от щаба" [Svetoslav Dyakov rejoins Ludogorets, the club parts with a staff member] (in Bulgarian). Sportal. 17 December 2022. Archived from the original on 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  24. "Лудогорец привлече кондиционен треньор с богат опит" [Ludogorets has signed an experienced fitness coach] (in Bulgarian). Ludogorets.bg. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  25. "Селекционен съвет" [Selection board] (in Bulgarian). Ludogorets. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  26. "Лилчо Арсов става скаут в школата на Лудогорец" [Lilcho Arsov becomes a scout in the Ludogorets academy] (in Bulgarian). Ludogorets. 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  27. "Ръководство и мениджмънт" [Leadership and management] (in Bulgarian). Ludogorets. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  28. Kassies, Bert. "UEFA Team Ranking 2024". kassiesa.net. Archived from the original on 18 March 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

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