Famous Bulgarian Men

Born to a footballer father and a handball player mother, Bulgarian former footballer Dimitar Berbatov was no stranger to sports as a child. He made history as a striker and became Bulgaria’s leading goal-scorer of all time. He has also had a successful career with Manchester United, winning 2 Premier Leagues with them.

Bulgarian tennis star Grigor Dimitrov had had a career-high ranking of number 3 in singles. The most successful player in Bulgarian tennis history, he has also been in the news for his relationship with Maria Sharapova. Known for his acrobatics and athleticism, he was initially named Baby Federer.

Bulgarian professional boxer Kubrat Pulev has so-far won several titles in super-heavyweight division. These include at the Men’s 2008 European Amateur Boxing Championships and at the Strandzha Cup in 2005, 2006 and 2008. He was one of the two boxers who represented Bulgaria at the 2008 Olympics. Pulev has challenged for the unified heavyweight title in 2014 and in 2020.

Bulgarian wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev, better known as Miro and Rusev, has had a successful career in the US. He is the only Bulgarian to have represented the WWE. He currently represents AEW and is a former United States and TNT champion. Before stepping into wrestling, he also competed in rowing, sambo, and powerlifting.

Roman emperor Aurelian ruled from 270 to 275. His military triumphs reunited the Roman Empire and put an end to the Crisis of the Third Century. He built the Aurelian Walls in Rome. Known as the Restitutor Orbis, he defeated the barbarian armies of the Goths and the Alamanni.

The last king of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, has also been the country’s prime minister. He had taken over as the king at 6, after his father’s mysterious death. He married a Spanish noble lady while in exile in Madrid and returned to Bulgaria 50 years after the abolition of monarchy.

Bulgarian wrestler Miroslav Barnyashev, better known as Miro and Rusev, has had a successful career in the US. He is the only Bulgarian to have represented the WWE. He currently represents AEW and is a former United States and TNT champion. Before stepping into wrestling, he also competed in rowing, sambo, and powerlifting.

Bulgarian chess Grandmaster Veselin Topalov is a former world number 1 and a FIDE World Chess Champion. Starting to play chess at age 8, he became a prodigy soon after. He has been part of 9 Chess Olympiads and also bagged the Chess Oscar in 2005.

Boris III became Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria in the wake of Bulgaria's defeat in First World War. He is noted for legitimating the 1923 Bulgarian coup d'état and joining Axis Powers during Second World War. He however refrained from participating in German invasion of Soviet Union and resisted attempts of the Germans in deporting Bulgarian Jews during Holocaust.

Georgi Markov was a Bulgarian writer, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. After relocating to London due to political reasons, Markov worked as a journalist and broadcaster for the BBC World Service, Radio Free Europe, and Deutsche Welle. Georgi Markov was assassinated in 1978 and was posthumously honored with the Order of Stara Planina in 2000.

Vasil Levski was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is considered a national hero in Bulgaria. Nicknamed the Apostle of Freedom, Vasil Levski strategized a revolutionary movement to free Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule. In a nationwide television poll conducted in 2007, Levski was voted as the greatest Bulgarian of all time.

Bulgarian MMA fighter and sambo artist Blagoy Ivanov, also known as Bagata, has a gold medal in World Sambo Championships. Initially a talented judoka, he rejected an opportunity to represent his country at the Olympics and chose a career in MMA and sambo instead. He currently represents the UFC.

Krum was the ruler of Bulgaria from 803 until his demise in 814. An able administrator, Krum helped expand the Bulgarian territory, which doubled in size during his reign. Krum is also remembered for introducing the first known written law code in the history of Bulgaria, which established him as a strict but just ruler.

Tzvetan Todorov was a Bulgarian-French historian, philosopher, literary critic, and sociologist. He completed his doctorat ès lettres at the University of Paris and had a brilliant academic career. He helped to found the journal Poétique and served as one of its managing editors. He authored many books, including Conquest of America: The Question of the Other. 

Bulgarian former professional football midfielder Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov achieved several feats during his senior professional career. These include winning Bulgarian Championship once and Bulgarian Cup twice with CSKA Sofia; and ten trophies with Celtic Park including four Scottish Premier League titles and the Scottish Cup thrice. He also reigns as the all-time most-capped player of the Bulgaria national football team.

Hristo Botev was a Bulgarian poet and revolutionary. Widely regarded as a national hero by Bulgarians, Botev was thought to be ahead of his peers in his aesthetic, philosophical, and political views. An influential and important figure in the history of Bulgaria, Botev has several monuments, schools, football clubs, and stadiums named after him.

Alexander Joseph or Alexander of Battenberg was a prince of Bulgaria from 29 April 1879 to 7 September 1886. He was forced to abdicate in 1886 by pro-Russian Bulgarian Army officers during a coup d'état. After abdicating, Alexander went on to serve in the Austrian Army as a general.

Retired Bulgarian sumo wrestler Kotoōshū Katsunori was initially a Greco-Roman wrestler but switched to sumo after gaining weight. He scripted history as the first sumo wrestler from Europe to bag the Emperor's Cup and had been an ōzeki for 47 consecutive tournaments. He later became a Japanese citizen.

Bulgarian amateur boxer Serafim Todorov is not just an Olympic silver medalist but also became the last man to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a controversial bout which many thought Mayweather had won. A 3-time World and European champion, he was nicknamed Sarafa, or The Money-Changer.

Bulgarian actor, talent-manager, filmmaker and former pro-swimmer Julian Kostov became 10-time National Swimming Champion and received Master of Sport title in Swimming. As an actor Kostov has appeared in different films and series including starring in the film Another Mother's Son. He plays recurring role in Netflix series Shadow and Bone. He founded the production and talent-management company JupiterLights Productions.

One of the most decorated wrestlers in history, Valentin Yordanov has not only won a gold and a bronze at the Olympics but is also a 7-time World and European Champion. He continued to represent Bulgaria even after moving to the US. He also served as the president of the Bulgarian Wrestling Federation.

A pioneering medieval Bulgarian saint, Clement of Ohrid was a student of saints Cyril and Methodius. He inspired a huge number of Slavs to follow Christianity. He was also the Bulgarian Orthodox Church’s first bishop and one of its Seven Apostles. He is remembered as the patron saint of North Macedonia.

Bulgarian footballer Ivelin Popov started his youth career with Septemvri Sofia and later graduated to Turkish and Russian clubs. He won the Russian Premier League with Spartak Moscow and the Bulgarian Cup and Supercup with Litex Lovech. He has also been a Bulgarian Footballer of the Year thrice.

American basketball player Jared Homan started his career with the Greek club Maroussi and later represented teams such as Bayern Munich and Maccabi Ashdod. He has also won the Croatian League and Croatian Cup with Cibona Zagreb and has represented the Bulgarian national basketball team.

Bulgarian footballer Aleksandar Tonev started his career with CSKA Sofia and then went on to play for teams such as Aston Villa and Celtic. He has also played for clubs in Italy and Poland. He now represents Botev Plovdiv as a winger and has also played for the Bulgarian national team.

Boyko Borisov is a Bulgarian politician best known for his service as the Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He has served three terms as the prime minister between 2009 and 2021. An important politician, Borisov also served as the Mayor of Sofia from 10 November 2005 to 27 July 2009.

Retired Bulgarian footballer Martin Petrov was known as an attacking midfielder. He has had successful stints with clubs such as CSKA Sofia and Atlético Madrid, winning the Bulgarian Cup with the former and the UEFA Intertoto Cup with the latter. He was named the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2006.

Though born in the US, basketball player Demarquis "Dee" Bost now plays for the Bulgarian national team. After going undrafted in 2012, he joined the Montenegro-based club Budućnost Podgorica. He has also played for clubs from France, Russia, Venezuela, Turkey, and Poland. He won the 2021 EuroCup with AS Monaco.

American-born Bulgarian basketball player Darius Adams started his senior career with the Venezuelan team Guaiqueríes de Margarita after going undrafted by the NBA. He later played for clubs from places such as France, Germany, Ukraine, and China, and now represents the American team Fort Wayne Mad Ants as a point guard.

Bulgarian-origin basketball player Sasha Vezenkov was born in Cyprus and grew up in both Cyprus and Greece. He started his career with the Greek club Aris Thessaloniki and later also represented FC Barcelona. He now plays for Olympiacos and the Bulgarian national team. He is the son of former basketball player and coach Sasho.

Bulgarian professional football-striker Valeri Bojinov made his senior career debut with Lecce and has thus-far has played for seventeen different clubs. He has won Serie B (2006–07) with Juventus; and Serbian SuperLiga (2016–17) and Serbian Cup (2015–16) with Partizan. He currently plays for Septemvri Sofia and also serves as assistant manager to Slavko Matić at the club

Todor Zhivkov was a Bulgarian communist statesman best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 19 November 1962 to 7 July 1971. In 1949, Todor Zhivkov served as the mayor of Sofia. From 1954 to 1989, Zhivkov served as the People's Republic of Bulgaria's de facto leader.

Bulgarian boxer Tervel Pulev is not just an Olympic bronze medalist but also has 2 silvers and a bronze at the European Championship. He is the brother of heavyweight boxer Kubrat Pulev. He has held the WBA International and the European Union cruiserweight titles. He is also a 3-time Bulgarian Boxer of the Year.

Roman emperor (in the East) Galerius was a staunch pagan and opposed Christianity. He persuaded his predecessor Emperor Diocletian to issue an edict to initiate persecution of the Christians. After Galerius became Roman emperor (in the East), he continued persecution and eventually issued Edict of Toleration, officially ending Diocletianic Persecution of Christianity in the eastern part of the Roman Empire.

Bulgarian-Russian singer Kristian Kostov was 6 when he began training in music and was already performing solo by 11. He soared to fame with the Russian version of The Voice Kids and then became the runner-up on X Factor Bulgaria. At 18, he was the youngest contestant on the Chinese reality show Singer.

Dimiter Marinov is a Bulgarian-American actor best known for his portrayal of Oleg in the 2018 American comedy-drama movie Green Book, which received the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2019, Dimiter Marinov attended the 91st Academy Awards, becoming the first Bulgarian to walk the red carpet.

Christian Rakovsky was a Bulgarian-born Bolshevik politician, socialist revolutionary, Soviet diplomat and statesman. A multi-talented personality, Rakovsky was also a physician, journalist, and essayist. An important and influential political figure, Christian Rakovsky served as the Soviet Ambassador to France from 1925 to 1927.

Georgi Dimitrov was the first communist head of Bulgaria, serving as its prime minister after World War II. Starting as a trade union leader, he later played a key role in forming the Bulgarian Communist Party. He also won against Hitler, with his defense against the Reichstag fire accusations against him.