Hristo Ivanov

Hristo Ivanov was born in Yambol and started out in Cherno More's youth ranks before making his senior breakthrough at Vitosha Bistritsa, where he made 17 appearances and scored once in the 2019–2020 season. A free transfer took him abroad to Italy's Novara, though his time there was brief, limited to two appearances. He returned home to sign for Arda Kardzhali, where he stayed for two seasons, making 35 appearances and adding another goal before moving on to Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

Ivanov's biggest breakthrough came at international level. After Dimo Krastev picked up an injury, Ivanov received his first call-up to the senior Bulgaria squad in October 2023. He made his debut days later as a substitute against Lithuania in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier, and earned a second cap the following week in a friendly against Albania, again coming off the bench. Before that, he had represented Bulgaria's under-21 side twice during their Euro U21 qualification campaign in 2022, without scoring.

A right-footed midfielder standing at 186cm, Ivanov has built a career on mobility between Bulgarian, Italian and now Portuguese football.