Full name Bozhidar Boykov Kraev Name Bozhidar Kraev Role Footballer | Number 12 Height 1.76 m | |
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Date of birth (1997-06-23) 23 June 1997 (age 18) Playing position Current team PFC Levski Sofia (#12 / Midfielder) | ||
Bozhidar kraev thug life
Bozhidar Kraev (Bulgarian: Божидар Краев; born 23 June 1997 in Vratsa) is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays as a winger for Danish Superliga club Midtjylland and the Bulgarian national team.
Contents
- Bozhidar kraev thug life
- Bozhidar kraev levski sofia wonderkid
- Early career
- Levski Sofia
- Midtjylland
- International career
- Statistics
- Individual
- References
Kraev's younger brother Andrian is playing for Botev Vratsa.
Bozhidar kraev levski sofia wonderkid
Early career
Born in Vratsa, at the age of six Kraev began playing football at the local club Botev Vratsa, for whom his father Boyko Kraev had also played. In 2008, he joined Hristo Stoichkov's academy in Vilafranca, Spain, as a part of a Gillette programme for young talented players, which was initiated by Stoichkov. Two years later, Kraev returned to his home country to join Chavdar Etropole. Then he spent one year with his first club Botev Vratsa.
Levski Sofia
In January 2013, at the age of 15, Kraev joined Levski Sofia's academy. He made his first team debut in a 1–1 league draw against Lokomotiv Plovdiv on 19 July 2014, coming on as a second-half substitute. On 23 September, he marked his first start by scoring a hat-trick in a 7–1 away win over Spartak Varna in the Bulgarian Cup. On 14 October, Kraev was named by The Guardian as one of the forty most promising young players in the world.
On 12 December 2014, Kraev signed his first professional contract, on a three-year deal. Two days later, he was invited for a trial at Juventus. In January 2015, Kraev also spent a week on trial at English club Manchester City.
Kraev scored his first league goal for Levski in a 8–0 home win over Haskovo on 27 February 2015. On 26 May 2015, he scored his first A Group hattrick in a 6–0 win against Marek Dupnitsa. Kraev's hattrick was the 100th in Levski's history in the Bulgarian league.
On 9 April 2017, Kraev scored four goals in a 5–0 win over Lokomotiv Plovdiv, thereby becoming the youngest player in Levski history to score four goals in one game.
Midtjylland
On 19 June 2017, Kraev signed with Danish Superliga side Midtjylland on a five-year deal for a reported fee of €500,000. He made his debut for the team in a Europa League match against Derry City coming on as a substitute in the 73th minute and scoring a goal 10 minutes later.
International career
In March 2016 Kraev was in the starting lineup of Bulgaria U19 for the 0-1 defeats from Belgium U19 and Croatia U19. On 13 May 2016 he was included in the Bulgaria U21 squad for the 2016 Toulon Tournament.
In November 2016 Kraev received his first call-up to the senior Bulgaria squad for a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Belarus. He remained on the bench for the game. On 25 March 2017, Kraev made his complete debut for the team coming on as a substitute during the 2–0 home win over Netherlands for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.
Statistics
As of 1 September 2017
Individual
Best progressing young player in Bulgarian football - 2014, 2015