67 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Botev Plovdiv lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Botev Plovdiv had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Arda, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
At 21 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
At 27 the improving is meant to be over. It is not: 3 points better than the mark taken at the start of the year, which is the sort of thing that happens to players who take the boring parts of the job seriously.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
12 goals in 26 games at Septemvri — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Botev Plovdiv know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
In brief
MatchContinental football is in reach for Botev Plovdiv
74 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Botev Plovdiv lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The fee is $1.8M, the contract is signed, and the argument about whether he is worth it can begin. Levski drove a hard bargain; time will say who won it.
The offer from Arda for Vladimir Mendes was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
It is not a grievance and it is not a demand: he wants to play continental football, and he has stopped hiding it. Whether Botev Plovdiv can give him that is a question about the club, not about him.
The terraces21 Jun 2027
Botev Plovdiv spend $1.8M on the signing the town wanted
It is the rarest sequence in football: supporters ask for something, and the club goes and does it. $1.8M for Asen Mitkov, and for one week nobody is complaining about anything.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Vladimir Mendes and Botev Plovdiv agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
In brief
The dugoutGeorgi Milanov asks for a word with the manager
81 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Botev Plovdiv lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
There comes a point where a club either backs its own ambition or admits it does not have any. Botev Plovdiv have paid $2.3M for Aguibou Camara, which is the loudest way there is of saying which one it chose.
Botev Plovdiv asked and Arda said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Lokomotiv Plovdiv paid $490.0K and Botev Plovdiv took it, which is the whole story in one sentence. The longer version involves a wage budget and will be told all season.
The terraces14 Jun 2027
Botev Plovdiv spend $2.3M on the signing the town wanted
It is the rarest sequence in football: supporters ask for something, and the club goes and does it. $2.3M for Aguibou Camara, and for one week nobody is complaining about anything.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Dimitar Tonev and Botev Plovdiv agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Botev Plovdiv have done the hard part with Ludogorets, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
The offer went to Levski this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad7 Jun 2027
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The phone has started ringing about Vladimir Mendes again, and this time the name on the line is Arda. Botev Plovdiv are listening politely and promising nothing.
There are footballers who have a good season and footballers a season is remembered for, and the second kind get their names read out in a hall in the summer. Botev Plovdiv will be quietly delighted and privately nervous.
Georgi Milanov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 May 2027
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Botev Plovdiv. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Mauro Rodrigues signs something — a contract at Botev Plovdiv or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ehije Ukaki was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mauro Rodrigues is on it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lucas Araújo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
The language has come, the shrug has gone, and he argues in training like a man who expects to be here next year. None of it shows up on a fee and all of it shows up on the pitch.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Botev Plovdiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad17 May 2027
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Samuel Kalu is on it.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Samuel Kalu signs something — a contract at Botev Plovdiv or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Botev Plovdiv. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
In brief
The dugoutAli Aruna asks for a word with the manager
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Daniel Naumov is on it.
Georgi Milanov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
12 goals in 26 games at Septemvri — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Squad3 May 2027
Ehije Ukaki falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
He used to be one of the options. He is now one of the men the options are picked around, and the change happened quietly enough that only the dressing room noticed on the day.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Mauro Rodrigues signs something — a contract at Botev Plovdiv or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Bogdan Kostov has written the date down.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Georgi Milanov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Tsvetan Kostadinov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Kiril Milanov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ehije Ukaki was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
Position 5 on 50 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Miguel Campos and Botev Plovdiv agree another 3 years.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad5 Apr 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Lucas Araújo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Nikolay Prandzhev is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Chimezie Williams and Botev Plovdiv agree another 4 years.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mauro Rodrigues is on it.
Todor Nedelev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Bogdan Kostov and Botev Plovdiv agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad22 Mar 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ehije Ukaki is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Samuel Kalu is on it.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ante Aralica trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Georgi Milanov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
8 goals in 28 games at Spartak 1918 — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
50 points from position 5. The title is somebody else’s business and the drop is somebody else’s problem; what is left is the argument about passports.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Botev Plovdiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The offer from IF Elfsborg for Samuel Kalu was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad8 Mar 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
12 goals in 26 games at Septemvri — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Botev Plovdiv, and both men came out saying it was fine.
He went out to keep goal every week and came back with 4 games and 1 of them shut out. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv argued for this move last summer; nobody is arguing for it now.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mascote was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
4 appearances, 1 clean sheets, and a goalkeeper no further forward than the day he left. Whether that belongs to him, to the club that borrowed him or to the people who arranged it is the argument Botev Plovdiv will have this month.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Botev Plovdiv, and both men came out saying it was fine.
A year in and the language has not come, the city has not opened up, and he eats alone more often than anybody at Botev Plovdiv would like to admit. It is showing on Saturdays.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Botev Plovdiv know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
11 goals and a season average of 7.39. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Every run ends on an afternoon somebody had marked down as routine. This one went 5 matches, which is long enough that a town had stopped counting, and short enough that it will remember exactly who stopped it.
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Botev Plovdiv, and 4 appearances in 27 say he has earned the hearing.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 1‑3 Ivan Vasilev left the room before anybody could ask which.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Lachezar Galchev and Botev Plovdiv agree another 3 years.
Nobody at Botev Plovdiv will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
8 goals in 28 games at Spartak 1918 — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Botev Plovdiv know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Position 5 on 50 points, and the places that carry a European ticket are close enough to count. Seasons like this are decided by two results in April, and the club knows which two.
5 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
The hardest thing about being 21 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Carlos Meotti did not need any: 7.72, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Botev Plovdiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Marked 8.87 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Boris Mladenov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
“It was not right for me. I am not going to explain why to anybody except the people I owe an explanation to.” A deal agreed between two clubs, and a player who declined to be part of it.
4 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Botev Plovdiv close the window on a squad of their own making
3 in and 1 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Successful dribbles: 23. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Arda have kept their man, and Botev Plovdiv go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Successful dribbles: 28. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings25 Jan 2027
Carlos Meotti, 21, plays like he has been here for years — 7.65
A mark of 7.65 means one thing beside a twenty-nine-year-old's name and something else entirely beside a 21-year-old's. Nobody at the ground needed telling which this was.
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Botev Plovdiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The deal with Septemvri is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
11 goals and a season average of 7.38. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match16 Jan 2027
Another one collected away from home
4 on the bounce on the road for Botev Plovdiv. The coaches leave early, arrive at unlovely grounds in the dark, and keep coming home with three points.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Arda waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Botev Plovdiv is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. David Ivanov is 21, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Slavia Sofia have kept their man, and Botev Plovdiv go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Alberto Salido. 2‑1 against Spartak 1918, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Successful dribbles: 32. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. Botev Plovdiv had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
The offer from Montana for Gabriel Noga was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Baltika have kept their man, and Botev Plovdiv go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Successful dribbles: 27. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
3 wins in a row changes how opponents warm up: quieter, more glances across. Runs end, everybody knows that — but nobody in this dressing room is planning for it.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
A performance of 8.58 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ehije Ukaki is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
13 goals and a season average of 7.26 will do that. The space he used to find has gone; he keeps scoring anyway, which is the mark of the real thing.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Ivan Vasilev, on a 2‑1 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Mauro Rodrigues is on it.
Septemvri will want this one forgotten quickly: 4‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Botev Plovdiv were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Alberto Salido provided it, and the 9.42 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I watch every Botev Plovdiv game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Spartak 1918 runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Martin Bodurov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Lachezar Galchev is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Player ratings14 Dec 2026
Mauro Rodrigues was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.48. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Ehije Ukaki falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Asen Chandarov is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
9 goals in 17 games at Septemvri — numbers that travel home faster than he does. Somebody at Botev Plovdiv updates a spreadsheet every Monday, and it makes better reading each week.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Botev Plovdiv have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Successful dribbles: 23. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Hristiyan Slavkov and Botev Plovdiv agree another 4 years.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Ivan Vasilev to a room that had heard them before.
Two goals and a mark of 9.22 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 7.94 at 34, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 20-year-old it feels ownership of. Chimezie Williams has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Samuel Kalu. 2‑0 against CSKA Sofia, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Samuel Kalu was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.45. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
Alberto Salido was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.31. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Antoine Conte was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I watch every Botev Plovdiv game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Spartak 1918 runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Ivan Vasilev, on a 2‑0 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Half the programme played, position 8, 21 on the board. Doubling it is the sum every supporter has done and the only one nobody at the club will do out loud.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Ivan Vasilev to a room that had heard them before.
Two goals and a mark of 9.06 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Todor Nedelev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Samuel Kalu is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
0‑3 to Slavia Sofia, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Antoine Conte falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
15 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Ivan Vasilev after 0‑3, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
It is never announced and it is entirely visible: the biggest afternoons of the season keep containing him. A press box works this out long before anybody at the club confirms a word of it.
In brief
The terracesEverybody has an opinion about Daniel Naumov
Georgi Milanov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
Successful dribbles: 28. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Hristo Petkov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
“We earned that. I asked them for a reaction and I got one, and now I want the same again on Saturday.” Ivan Vasilev on a 3‑1 afternoon that pleased him more than he was prepared to show.
Two goals and a mark of 9.31 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Marked 8.36 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
7 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Botev Plovdiv and Spartak 1918 in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Samuel Kalu and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Ante Aralica. 2‑1 against CSKA 1948, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Player ratings21 Sep 2026
Ante Aralica was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.10. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
He is 20, and the scouting reports agree on the only line that matters: the ceiling. Signings like this are lottery tickets written by professionals.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
The view from the dugout
“We controlled it. There were spells I did not like and we will look at them, but the group showed me something.” Ivan Vasilev, on a 2‑1 win that he was already picking apart on the walk to the press room.
He is not being dropped. There is simply nowhere in the formation Botev Plovdiv are playing to put a man who does what he does, which is a harder thing to be told than any team sheet.
In brief
The dugoutMauro Rodrigues has become a man the manager trusts
The dugoutLucas Araújo asks for a word with the manager
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Miguel Campos is living that version at Botev Plovdiv, and it tends to show in the first month.
Successful dribbles: 24. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Everything agreed with another club, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Todor Nedelev and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Galin Milanov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Antoine Conte is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
He is doing things every Saturday that nobody around him can answer. It is flattering for a season and a problem after that, and Botev Plovdiv know which stage they are at.
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 15 arrived, 6 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Botev Plovdiv offered $1.2M; CSKA Sofia said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Montana have kept their man, and Botev Plovdiv go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Ante Aralica was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Todor Nedelev was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Mascote is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
The offer went to CSKA Sofia this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
The offer from Lokomotiv Plovdiv for Carlos Meotti was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Ante Aralica falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
12 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
Cup ties wait for somebody to seize them, and Mauro Rodrigues obliged against Montana. 2‑0 on the night, and the name in the next round’s hat is Botev Plovdiv.
Two goals and a mark of 8.59 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
The terraces24 Aug 2026
Supporters turn on the $980.0K sale of Henrique Jocú
He is going to CSKA Sofia, the club has $980.0K it did not have on Friday, and the phone-ins have already decided how they feel about that. Selling well and selling somebody they loved are not the same skill.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. CSKA 1948 have kept their man, and Botev Plovdiv go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The offer from Lokomotiv Plovdiv for Lucas Araújo was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The terraces17 Aug 2026
Botev Plovdiv spend $2.9M on the signing the town wanted
It is the rarest sequence in football: supporters ask for something, and the club goes and does it. $2.9M for Ante Aralica, and for one week nobody is complaining about anything.
1‑2 to Ludogorets, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ante Aralica is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The name of Carlos Meotti has come up in conversations Botev Plovdiv were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The offer from CSKA Sofia for Henrique Jocú was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Samuel Kalu was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. Georgi Milanov is a Botev Plovdiv player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Alberto Salido was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.77. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
The name of Vladimir Mendes has come up in conversations Botev Plovdiv were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Svetoslav Petrov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
Player ratingsNinety minutes of Samuel Kalu at his very best
The offer went to Lokomotiv Sofia this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Botev Plovdiv this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Antoine Conte and Botev Plovdiv agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words at Botev Plovdiv training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Simeon Petrov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad3 Aug 2026
9 new faces, and Botev Plovdiv are still learning each other
A squad rebuilt inside one window pays for it in a currency nobody budgets for. The football is not worse than the sum of the players; it is worse than the sum of the players who have played together before.