Autumn retirement for Stoilov

PFC Levski Sofia captain Stanimir Stoilov has signalled his intention to retire from playing professional football after the last match of the autumn.

Retirement plans
Stoilov admitted after Levski's 1-0 Bulgarian Cup win at PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad that the last game before the winter break in Bulgaria would also be his last in professional football. Levski's home game against PFC Chernomorets Burgas will bring down the curtain on a distinguished career which sadly ended in disappointment for Stoilov in the UEFA Cup.

Unhappy ending
After losing 1-0 in the first leg, Levski won 1-0 against SK Sturm Graz in Sofia and the match went to penalties. However, Stoilov missed the fifth penalty and after another miss, Levski were out of the tournament. "I am sorry that the match against Sturm turned out to be the last important match of my career," said Stoilov. "I missed a penalty and deprived my team of the victory, but such things happen in life."

Well travelled
Stoilov played for Haskovo, PFC CSKA Sofia and PFC Slavia Sofia as well as Levski in a career which also saw him spend spells at Turkish side Fenerbahçe SK and Portuguese side SC Campomaiorense. He also earned 13 caps for the Bulgarian national team, scoring three goals.

Coaching role
For two of his last four seasons at Levski, Stoilov was also acting as an assistant to the club's head coaches, and after the game against Chernomorets, Stoilov will concentrate on his non-playing role at the club.