The young midfielder of CSKA Petko Panayotov is a Levski youth player. He joined the ranks of the "army" at the end of 2021. He made his debut on May 26, 2024 in the 1:0 loss to Lokomotiv Plovdiv. On July 13, 2024, he signed his first professional contract with CSKA. He exploded with a fantastic goal against the "blues" on March 2, and on March 19, he played his first match for the national team under 21 in a goalless draw with Cyprus. Petko is a graduate of the Sofia High School "Miguel de Cervantes". For his 19 years, he already speaks fluent English, Spanish and Portuguese. He gave an extensive interview for "Blitz".
Petko, scored a great goal against the "blues". After the match, he said that he felt time stop. Go back to that moment and from the distance of the few days that have passed, share your emotion.
- The feeling was truly incredible - to score my debut goal in men's football for CSKA against the eternal rival. It was great. Time really had stopped, I would wish it for everyone to experience it.
How did your parents react when you saw them after the match?
- My father was proud and happy. For me, there is nothing more important in life than making your parents proud.
Did you have any interesting meetings with people who congratulated you and were happy about your achievement?
- Yes, there were a lot of emotions, meetings with friends, random people, fans on the street. A very warm and pleasant feeling for me.
How did your football development begin? You were part of the Levski school, then you moved to the "red"?
- I started at the DAF academy when I was 6 years old. After 2-3 years I moved to Tsarsko Selo. I went to Levski when I was 14. I spent two and a half years there, during the half-season of the Elite U-17 I received the offer from CSKA and accepted it.
Your first match was against Lokomotiv (Plovdiv). Was there any special excitement the night before you made your debut?
- Yes, it was my first match in the group and I really hoped to get my first minutes in professional football. When I came on, the feeling was great. After the match, I felt proud.
Petko, tell me honestly what is your hardest moment in sports and in life at the moment?
- A critical moment for an athlete is the moments when he does not compete because he is injured. Fortunately, I have not had any serious injuries. So for the moment I would not say that I have had such an unpleasant moment.
How do you accept the fact that you are not always a starter and you get fewer minutes to play?
- In such moments, the most important thing is to work, sooner or later your time will come. And when you are given a chance, the important thing is to take it.
Do you believe in yourself enough, because Bulgarian coaches, with few exceptions, do not have the tradition of giving confidence to younger players?
- Of course, every player must believe in himself and in his abilities in order to be able to show his best when given this opportunity.
And how do you prepare off the field? Do you do additional training, what is your diet, your daily routine, to be in optimal shape?
- Without additional work, there is no way to reach the top. This is clear to everyone. My additional training depends on the team training. As for nutrition - I have always tried to eat clean, not to eat nonsense, of course with few exceptions. You have to be a professional off the field to be successful on it.
Do you have any examples of world football stars, in terms of behavior off the field, on it, behavior, and in general communication?
- My idol in terms of work ethic is Cristiano Ronaldo. No one can take a better work ethic than him. I really get a lot of motivation from Cristiano. In terms of behavior on the field - Messi is my favorite player, and in my position it's Rodri.
Have you ever imagined in your dreams that you would meet Cristiano Ronaldo, and what would you say to him if you had ten minutes to drink a coffee?
- I would thank him for his behavior, which has motivated me and given me the motivation to continue when it's difficult. I would definitely ask him for some advice.
And what would you ask Messi if you had the chance to exchange a few words?
- One simply has to admire him.
Would you ask him a question about his career, about the Argentine national team - something that would interest you?
- I would ask him how it felt during the 2022 World Cup, when they won it?
I was live at that match, Messi went down in football history because he only missed a world title.
- Yes, of course.
This is your first time being called up to the youth national team. How did you accept Aleksandar Dimitrov's invitation to join the team?
- It is an honor for every football player to represent their national team. I am grateful for the invitation of the coach Alexander Dimitrov. The boys are great, the team is incredible. They welcomed me very well. I feel great.
How far do your goals go in the men's and youth national teams, first in the youth team?
- My big goal is to get to the men's team and play on a big forum. The goal of the youth national team is to reach the European Championship.
Can you draw a parallel between one of the top championships in Europe and the Bulgarian one?
- There is certainly a lot to develop. We have been heading in the right direction for several years, I hope we continue in that direction and at some point we will reach them.
CSKA is building its new home, have you visited the "Army" stadium to see for yourself how the construction work is going?
- About ten days ago I was at the fan shop at the "Bulgarian Army" stadium. When you see how many people and workers are involved in making everything happen as quickly as possible, you feel a warm feeling in your heart and soul, and you can't wait to play at the new stadium.
What is it like to think and what is the feeling when you play at "Vasil Levski", which is quite outdated morally, materially and infrastructurally, and the audience is separated by about 20 meters because of the large track. What is the feeling itself, is it pleasant to play at such an outdated stadium?
- The feeling is certainly not bad. CSKA fans make us feel like home everywhere. I thank them for their support. I believe that more and more people will come to the new stadium, the atmosphere will be better.
However, the atmosphere in Bulgaria is tense, people are divided. How do you go to training, I know that you already have a driver's license, does the traffic make you nervous when you go to training?
- The traffic is unpleasant, but there's nothing you can do about it. Everyone has to get used to traffic when there is one.
And what do you think when you see an individual driving in front of you and throwing his face out the window? What would you say to such a person?
- It's not good to pollute nature, I would make a remark to him.
What do you do when training ends and you head home?
- In my free time, I like to read books, study for lectures, prepare for exams, because I'm a second year student at the National Academy of Sports.
There is an opinion that Bulgarian football players are quite spoiled. An hour or an hour and a half of training passes and they indulge in nonsense - vaping, electronic games... It's like they're idlers. Would you refute this opinion?
- There are always different examples, but for myself, I can say, as well as for my teammates at CSKA, that we are professionals. We're not just at the base for an hour and a half, everyone works extra, improves in the areas they think are not their most developed, and it works.
How important is your environment - friends, family, close people?
- It's very important. People have said that you become like the people you hang out with. It's very important what kind of people you surround yourself with. If they're not the right ones, you need to look for changes.
Do you think that many football players, when they become famous, are surrounded by different people who use them and tear them away from reality. And this makes them more distant, more arrogant towards their former friends.
- Yes, it's possible. But that's why a person has a head on their shoulders and must be able to define and feel people - both in their bad moments, when there is no one around them, and in the good ones, when everyone is around them.
Have you ever suffered disappointment in friendship, been disappointed, betrayed, abandoned in a difficult moment?
- I don't think there was much betrayal and I'm even disappointed. After all, I'm still 19 years old, I still have more difficult moments ahead of me in my life, I'm ready.
Since you said you're taking the NSA exams, I'll ask you a few questions related to the history of CSKA. How many championship titles has CSKA won?
- 31.
Source: topsport.bg