Bogdan Kostov

Bogdan Kostov's path to Botev Plovdiv ran through the lower rungs of Bulgarian football before it took him anywhere near the top flight. Born in Sofia, he came through the Levski Sofia youth ranks until 2021, then spent the following seasons finding his footing rather than a first team: a spell with CSKA 1948 II, a loan to Strumska Slava, and a move to Sportist Svoge that kept him playing regularly without settling him anywhere.

Montana gave him a fuller run before Dobrudzha 1919 became the club where he made his name. Across two seasons in Dobrich, Kostov turned into one of the side's fixtures at the back, appearing in roughly 67-68 matches in all competitions and adding a goal in the Second League during the 2024/25 campaign. That level of regular involvement in a settled defensive role was new territory for him after years of shorter stints elsewhere.

His contract with Dobrudzha ran out in the summer of 2026, and Kostov moved on as a free agent to Botev Plovdiv, signing terms until 2029. It marks his first move into one of Bulgaria's traditionally bigger clubs, a step up from the second-tier football that had defined his career to that point.

Earlier on, Kostov was capped at youth international level, featuring three times for Bulgaria's U-17 side during European Championship qualifying.