Kiril Despodov
Kiril Vasilev Despodov (Bulgarian: Кирил Василев Десподов; born 11 November 1996) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays primarily as a winger for Super League Greece club PAOK and the Bulgaria national team, which he captains.
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Despodov warming up for Bulgaria in October 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kiril Vasilev Despodov | ||
| Date of birth | 11 November 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Kresna, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | PAOK | ||
| Number | 77 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2010 | Pirin 2001 | ||
| 2008–2015 | Litex Lovech | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2016 | Litex Lovech | 37 | (4) |
| 2015–2016 | Litex Lovech II | 13 | (2) |
| 2016 | CSKA Sofia II | 1 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | CSKA Sofia | 71 | (20) |
| 2019–2021 | Cagliari | 5 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Sturm Graz (loan) | 19 | (8) |
| 2020–2021 | → Ludogorets Razgrad (loan) | 20 | (5) |
| 2021–2023 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 59 | (22) |
| 2023– | PAOK | 25 | (11) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Bulgaria U17 | 9 | (5) |
| 2012–2015 | Bulgaria U19 | 17 | (5) |
| 2015–2018 | Bulgaria U21 | 20 | (8) |
| 2017– | Bulgaria | 47 | (13) |
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:53, 31 March 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 25 March 2024 | |||
Despodov made his way through the youth teams at Litex Lovech before making his senior debut in 2012 at the age of 15. He became part of CSKA Sofia in June 2016, where he established himself as the team's star player, winning the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award in 2018 – the first CSKA player to do so since Hristo Stoichkov in 1989. He won it for second time in 2021, and again in 2022.
On 23 March 2018, Despodov made his senior international debut for Bulgaria in a 1–0 friendly loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina.