Ahmed Ahmedov

The number that made Ahmed Ahmedov memorable in Varna arrived on 22 November 2024, when he scored a hat-trick as Spartak thrashed Hebar 4:0.

Ahmedov's route to that form was long and unglamorous. He came through the youth ranks at Chernomorets Burgas without breaking into the first team, then spent years working through the lower and middle tiers of Bulgarian football at PFC Burgas, Pomorie and Dunav Ruse, scoring steadily without attracting much wider notice. A move to CSKA Sofia in 2020 brought a loan to Azerbaijan's Neftçi Baku, with whom he won the league title, though he featured sparingly. He joined Spartak Varna as a free agent in the summer of 2023.

Varna is where his career changed shape. He scored 21 goals as the club won promotion from Bulgaria's second tier in 2023/24, then followed it with 16 in the top flight the following season — form that earned him Bulgaria's Best Forward award for 2024 from the country's sports journalists' association. He was also named Varna's best team-sport athlete.

That run of goals prompted a transfer to Japan's Shimizu S-Pulse in January 2025, a deal reported to have brought Spartak Varna much-needed funds to clear outstanding wage debts. The move to J1 League football did not produce the same output — he made nine appearances without scoring. Ahmedov returned to Spartak Varna as a free agent in July 2026, and has already found the net once in his first two matches back.