Bulgaria's winger Marin Petkov said he was happy with the award, but preferred to remain modest and after being selected as the player of the tournament "FIFA Series 2026", explained how he is focusing on his next steps and his development as a footballer.
Petkov finished the tournament with three goals, including the winning 1:0 over Indonesia in the final.
“This is the moment to thank everyone - the coach, my teammates and the people from the staff, and the host Ivo Kostov“, began Petkov, for whom the second question was how he felt, after today's 6th goal for Bulgaria equaled Valeri Bozhinov.
„I don't want to compare myself with Valeri Bozhinov, because you see what a career he has had, and who am I to compare myself to him. I'm only 22. I hope to develop, build on my achievements and help my country".
"In my opinion, our team is starting to get to a very good level. We are also good friends. And we have to carry that outside of the matches. But when you play for your country, we can't divide the matches into official and friendly. In every match, you have to play at your maximum and wait for the next match and the next invitation", Petkov explained what the atmosphere was like in the team at the tournament in Indonesia, which lasted eight days.
And how valuable is this award and where does he place it if he compares it to other individual awards. "This award is for my family and I dedicate it to them because I love them very much. Who am I "Me? I'm Marin Petkov. Every award is important and everything should count on the list of awards," concluded Marin Petkov.