site.btaBest Football Coach Award in Bulgaria to Bear Name of Dimitar Penev

The award for best football coach in Bulgaria, traditionally presented during the Footballer of the Year ceremony, will bear the name of the recently deceased football player and coach Dimitar Penev. Following a proposal by the Bulgarian Association of Sports Journalists, the distinction awarded to the most deserving Bulgarian football coach will be named the Dimitar Penev Award, in memory of the strategist behind the greatest success in the history of Bulgarian football. 

The top three Bulgarian coaches will be honoured during the ceremony for the 65th Footballer of the Year poll on March 22, 2026.

President of the Bulgarian Association of Sports Journalists Nayden Todorov said naming the award after Penev was the least that could be done to preserve the example and memory of the legendary coach, whom he described as a symbol of Bulgaria’s football success.

Dimitar Penev was born on July 12, 1945. He was named Bulgaria’s footballer of the year in 1967 and 1971 and played in three FIFA World Cups. As a player he won eight Bulgarian championship titles, one with Lokomotiv Sofia and seven with CSKA. He later won three titles with CSKA as a coach and led Bulgaria to the bronze medals at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.