Aleksandar Kolev (; born 8 December 1992) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a forward for First League club Cherno More Varna and the Bulgaria national team.

Club career

Early career Born in Belgium to Bulgarian parents, Kolev began his career in his country of origin, at Levski Sofia's youth academy. He returned to his country of birth with his family when he was 15 years old and joined local side Dessel Sport.

Kolev made his first team debut for Dessel Sport in a 2–1 home win over K.S.V. Oudenaarde on 12 February 2011. One month later, he scored his first goal in a 2–2 away draw against Olsa Brakel.

After good seasons in Dessel, Kolev joined Belgian Second Division team ASV Geel. He made his debut for the team in a match against White Star Bruxelles

Botev Plovdiv On 4 August 2014, Kolev signed a contract with Botev Plovdiv. He made his debut five days later, when he came in as an 86-minute substitute at the dramatic 3–3 draw against Litex Lovech. Kolev was included at the starting lineup of the match for the Bulgarian Supercup against Ludogorets Razgrad. Unfortunately, he received a red card at the end of the first half. Kolev scored his first goal for Botev on 23 September 2014, when he came on as a substitute and scored the third goal in a 4–0 away win against Lokomotiv Mezdra in the first round of the Bulgarian Cup. On 28 October, Kolev scored again in the next round of the Bulgarian Cup tournament. He scored a late equaliser in the derby game against Lokomotiv Plovdiv.Равенство в първия мач с Локомотив за Купата On 8 November, Kolev scored the winning goal in a 2–1 away win over Litex Lovech. He was seriously injured in the beginning of the away game with Slavia on 29 November. Soon after that it was confirmed that the injury will rule him out for six months.Съмненията за тежка контузия на Алекс Колев са потвърдени On 23 May 2015, after a long absence due to an injury, Kolev was included is the squad for the 1–2 away defeat from Beroe Stara Zagora but remained an unused substitute. A week later he came on as a substitute in the final minutes of the last game of the season, 0–2 defeat from Lokomotiv Sofia.Ботев приключи сезона с домакинска загуба от Локо Сф

On 25 July 2015, Kolev missed a penalty in the first half of a 6–0 away defeat at Montana. In the following game, the local derby with Lokomotiv Plovdiv, he scored a nice goal after an assist by Mariyan Ognyanov. On 9 August, Kolev scored the winning goal against Pirin Blagoevgrad. He was selected for the man of the match and his goal was chosen for the best goal of the round.Алекс Колев стана Играч на мача Пирин - БотевГол на 4 кръг Furthermore, Kolev won the award for the best player of the 4th round in A Grupa.Алекс Колев взе втори индивидуален приз за IV кръг Nikolay Kostov, the manager of Botev Plovdiv, decided that Kolev was no longer needed by the club. On 3 February 2016, after playing in 33 official games and scoring five goals, Kolev was released on a free transfer.

Sandecja Nowy Sącz Kolev was signed by Sandecja Nowy Sącz for free in the beginning of the 2017 summer transfer window and made his debut for the club on 16 July 2017, in a goalless draw against Lech Poznań. His first goal for the club came in a 3–1 away win against Jagiellonia Białystok on 6 August 2017. He scored a decisive brace against Pogoń Szczecin on 27 August 2017, leading his team to victory in a 2–1 home win.

Stal Mielec On 5 January 2021, Kolev signed for Stal Mielec on a contract until the end of the 2020–21 season. On 14 January 2022, he left the club by mutual consent.

Krumovgrad In June 2023, Kolev signed a contract with newly promoted Krumovgrad. He finished the season as the top scorer in the league, having netted 15 goals.

International career In August 2012, Kolev was called up for the Bulgaria U21 squad. He made his debut in a 1–1 friendly draw against Macedonia U21 on 14 November 2012.

In September 2013, Kolev scored during a 3–1 away defeat of the Bulgaria U21 from Russia U21.Under-21 2015 - Russia-Bulgaria Statistics – UEFA.com

Kolev scored a goal for Bulgaria U21 in a 2–2 draw with Estonia U21 on 3 September 2014.Under-21 2015 - Estonia-Bulgaria Commentary – UEFA.com

While Kolev was playing for Botev Plovdiv, he was included twice in the senior national team, but he did not participate in any official games.Петев повика Алекс Колев за Норвегия и ИталияПетев викна Пламен Крумов и Алекс Колев в националния On 16 November 2023, he earned his first cap after coming on as a second-half substitute for Martin Minchev in a 2–2 home draw with Hungary in a Euro 2024 qualifier.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsDessel Sport2010–11Belgian Third Division14300——1432011–12Belgian Third Division26110——2712012–13Belgian Second Division23120——251Total63530——665Geel2013–14Belgian Second Division30710——3172014–15Belgian Second Division1000——10Total31710——327Botev Plovdiv2014–15A Group1412200101732015–16A Group15210——162Total293320010335Geel2015–16Belgian Second Division5000——50Beroe2016–17Bulgarian First League1100040—150Stal Mielec2016–17I liga15700——157Sandecja Nowy Sącz2017–18Ekstraklasa32711——338Arka Gdynia2018–19Ekstraklasa17100—101812019–20Ekstraklasa2000——20Total19100—10201Raków Częstochowa2019–20Ekstraklasa6021——81Kaisar2019Kazakhstan Premier League11000—101212020Kazakhstan Premier League000010—10Total110001010130Stal Mielec2020–21Ekstraklasa15200——1522021–22Ekstraklasa7100——71Total22300——223CSKA 19482021–22Bulgarian First League13900——1392022–23Bulgarian First League24251——293Total371151——4212CSKA 1948 II2022–23Second League2100——21Krumovgrad2023–24Bulgarian First League331510——3415Levski Sofia2024–25Bulgarian First League29910——309Nantong Zhiyun2025China League One15700——1572026China League One10100——101Total25800——258Career total37077176503039585

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsBulgaria202320202470202542Total152

Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kolev goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Aleksandar Kolev No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 6 June 2025 Stadion Hristo Botev, Plovdiv, Bulgaria 1–0 2–2 Friendly 2 2–1

Honours Botev Plovdiv Bulgarian Supercup runner-up: 2014

Arka Gdynia Polish Super Cup: 2018

Individual Bulgarian First League top goalscorer: 2023–24

References

External links