Zhivko Stanislavov Atanasov

Zhivko Atanasov is the son of Yordanka Donkova, the Olympic hurdler, though his own career has been built well away from that shadow for Cherno More Varna. He came through at Levski Sofia, spending time out on loan at Chavdar Byala Slatina and Septemvri Simitli before the move to Varna in 2012 that shaped the rest of his career. With Cherno More he won the Bulgarian Cup in 2015.

He left for Slavia Sofia before a longer spell in Italy, turning out for Juve Stabia, Viterbese Castrense and Catanzaro, all moves made on free transfers. He returned to Bulgaria with Levski Sofia in 2020, then went back to Cherno More the following year.

Atanasov's recognition at international level came late: he did not earn his first Bulgaria cap until November 2023, and has since gone on to collect 13 caps for the national side. Sources differ on his exact birthplace, with some naming Gorni Bogrov and others Dobroplodno, both villages in the Varna region — fitting, in a way, for a player whose career has kept circling back to that same corner of the country.