PFC Ludogorets Razgrad (Bulgarian: ??? ????????? ???????), or simply referred to as Ludogorets (Bulgarian: ?????????) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First League, the top-tier of the Bulgarian football league system.
In their inaugural 2011-12 season in A Group, Ludogorets became the first Bulgarian team to win treble after direct promotion by obtaining the league, the Bulgarian Cup and the Bulgarian Supercup, eventually becoming one of the two football clubs in the world with such achievement in the history of association football. Subsequently, the club made a significant international impact in the 2013-14 UEFA Europa League, where they reached the knockout phase of the tournament in their second only European run. Ludogorets are also 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, Ludogorets have established themselves as a dominant force in Bulgarian football, claiming every possible league title since then. They have also won both the Bulgarian Cup and Bulgarian Supercup on two occasions.
The club's name stems from the Bulgarian name of the geographical region in which Razgrad is located - the Ludogorie region (meaning "region of wild forests") of northeastern Bulgaria. Ludogorets are nicknamed The Eagles, and in 2014, they were presented with a live eagle by UEFA Europa League opponents Lazio; the mascot was named Fortuna.
Ludogorets' traditional home colours are green and white. The club's home ground is the Ludogorets Arena in Razgrad, a stadium with a capacity of 8,808 seats, which is currently being expanded to accommodate 12,500 spectators.
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History
Foundation and beginning
The club was founded in 2001 as Ludogorie Football Club. Its name was adopted from the previous name of the debt-troubled sports club in the town at that time, Razgrad 2000. The latter eventually ceased existence in 2006 after its registered association announced bankruptcy during that same year. As a result, the year 1945 was additionally added to the club's name in a later period, signifying Ludogorets as the sole successor and representative of football being played in the town.
After playing for several years in the lower divisions of Bulgarian football, Ludogorets's successful campaign started in the 2009-10 season, when the team achieved promotion to the Bulgarian B Group. Shortly after, the club was acquired by Bulgarian entrepreneur Kiril Domuschiev. Ivaylo Petev, a former Litex Lovech midfielder, was also designated as head coach of the newly promoted second division outfit.
Domuschiev era (2010-present)
In September 2010, the club was purchased by Bulgarian entrepreneur Kiril Domuschiev, with the clear intention to bring Ludogorets to the top division. The takeover was followed by a flurry of bids for high-profile players. In May 2011, with Ivaylo Petev as head coach, the team completed this feat in Domuschiev's first season of ownership by winning promotion to A Group for the first time in club history.
Prior to the start of 2011-12 season, Ludogorets completed the transfers of Emil Gargorov, Alexandre Barthe, Stanislav Genchev, Svetoslav Dyakov, Uro? Golubovi?, ?ubomír Guldan and Marcelinho. Ivan Stoyanov was also signed during the first month of the season. Ludogorets went unbeaten in the first nine matches of the season before losing 2-1 to Litex Lovech. In the last match before the winter break, Ludogorets drew 2-2 with CSKA Sofia, ending the autumn half of the season in first place. But, with three losses in a row in the middle of the spring half-season to Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Slavia Sofia and Cherno More Varna respectively, Ludogorets lost their lead in the standings to CSKA Sofia up until the end of the season. On the last day of the season, they won the match with CSKA Sofia 1-0, with a goal scored by former Levski striker Miroslav Ivanov. The match was effectively a head-to-head league title match since Ludogorets were two points behind the team from Sofia. The victory made them champions of Bulgaria in their first season in the top division, just one point ahead of CSKA.
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, 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.
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 Levski 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.
In 2014, the team won their third consecutive championship title since promotion, two rounds before the end of the regular season. They finished nine points ahead of runners-up CSKA Sofia. The club also secured a second domestic double, defeating Botev Plovdiv 1-0 in the 2014 Bulgarian Cup Final. Ludogorets continued to dominate at domestic level in the following seasons, winning their fourth, fifth and sixth titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017 consecutively after finishing 8 points ahead of Beroe, 14 points ahead of Levski Sofia and 16 ahead of CSKA Sofia, respectively.
In Europe
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 2012-13 Bulgarian champions, Ludogorets played in the 2013-14 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. 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, but then lost 0-3 at home and 0-4 on aggregate to Valencia in the round of 16.
In the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League, Ludogorets again won both their qualifiers, against F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg and Partizan. In the play-off, they defeated Steaua Bucure?ti in dramatic fashion 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 Mo?i, having converted the first penalty, went in goal and made two saves to put Ludogorets through 6-5 on penalties.
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, 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. 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. Interestingly, 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. 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. 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.
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 Plze?. 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, another milestone never done before by a Bulgarian team. Ludogorets however shortly exited the competition after failing to overcome Copenhagen with an initial 1-2 home loss and a 0-0 away draw.
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Crest, shirt and mascot
Ludogorets' main kit colour is forest green and the away kit is white. In addition, a black alternative kit is also used in some of the domestic matches. Ludogorets's current crest is designed by the supporters and was chosen after a poll in the club's website. It was introduced to the public before the start of the 2016-17 First Professional League season.
In June 2017, Ludogorets reached a sponsorship agreement with English sportswear manufacturer Umbro for the upcoming two seasons.
Since 2014, the mascot of the team has been a female eagle called Fortuna, which was originally a gift from Lazio.
Honours
Domestic
Bulgarian A Group:
- Winners (6): 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17
Bulgarian B Group:
- Winners (1): 2010-11
Bulgarian Cup:
- Winners (2): 2011-12, 2013-14
- Runners-up (1): 2016-17
Bulgarian Supercup:
- Winners (2): 2012, 2014
- Runners-up (3): 2013, 2015, 2017
European
UEFA Europa League
- Round of 16: 2013-14
- Round of 32: 2016-17
UEFA Champions League
- Group stage (2): 2014-15, 2016-17
European record
Matches
- 2Q: Second qualifying round
- 3Q: Third qualifying round
- PO: Play-off round
UEFA ranking
As of 5 May 2017
Players
First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Current reserve players with first-team appearances
Ludogorets Razgrad's reserve team, plays in the Bulgarian Second League. The following Ludogorets II players have made first-team appearances for the club.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Foreign players
Up to five non-EU nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the First League, however only three can be used during a match day. Those non-EU 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.
Recent seasons
League positions
Records and notable stats
- Biggest home win in A group: Ludogorets 6-0 Slavia Sofia (11 September 2011)
- Biggest away win in A group: Minyor Pernik 0-7 Ludogorets (18 April 2012)
- Biggest home loss in A group: Ludogorets 0-2 Cherno More Varna (29 March 2012), Ludogorets 2-4 Litex Lovech (20 October 2013)
- Biggest away loss in A group: Cherno More - Ludogorets 3-1 (31 August 2013), Litex 4-2 Ludogorets (23 May 2015)
- Most consecutive wins in A group (single season): 12 (2015-16, 2016-17)
- Most consecutive losses in A group (single season): 3 (2011-12)
- Biggest European home win: Ludogorets 4-0 F91 Dudelange (16 July 2014, UEFA Champions league qualifying round first leg)
- Biggest European away win: Mladost Podgorica 0-3 Ludogorets (16 July 2016, UEFA Champions league Second qualifying round second leg)
- Biggest European home defeat: Ludogorets 0-3 Valencia (13 March 2014, UEFA Europa League Round of 16)
- Biggest European away defeat: Arsenal 6-0 Ludogorets (19 October 2016, UEFA Champions League group stage)
- Most league appearances: Marcelinho (167)
- Most league goals: Marcelinho (54)
- Most European competition appearances: Cosmin Mo?i (49)
- Most European competition goals: Wanderson (10)
- Most capped foreign player: Milan Borjan, 37 caps, Canada
- Most capped Bulgarian player: Svetoslav Dyakov - 35 caps
- Youngest debutant: Kristiyan Kitov - 15 years 11 months 25 days
- Youngest goalscorer: Kristiyan Kitov - 16 years 7 months 4 days
- Ludogorets is the second team in the world, together with Levadia Tallinn from Estonia, that after promoting from the second to the first level of the football league pyramid of its country, wins a treble, capturing all of the local trophies - the league, the national cup and the supercup.
- Ludogorets is the first team in Bulgaria, that won 2 promotions in a row and then succeeded in achieving a treble.
- 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, and was followed by a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool.
- 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.
- As of the 2016-17 season, Ludogorets holds the record for most points scored in the group stage by a Bulgarian team with 4, most goals scored with 6, and least goals conceded with 14.
Goalscoring and appearance records
- Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.
- Players in bold are still playing for Ludogorets.
- Players with 3 or more goals for Ludogorets in Europe are listed.
- Includes appearances in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
All-time European performance
Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record
Notable players
Had international caps for their respective countries, or held any club record. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Ludogorets.
Supporters
The ultras of Ludogorets Razgrad are mainly organized under the group of "Green Front". A female supporters club was also established bearing the name "Green Ladies". Ludogorets has national fan clubs in Razgrad and Sofia, while other smaller fan clubs are also organised nationwide in Varna, Ruse, Sandanski and Popovo.
Personnel
Board of directors
Current technical body
Managers
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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