Sofia, Dec 28 (IANS): Georgi Milanov, 20, became the youngest winner ever to be awarded the "Best Bulgarian Football Player of The Year" in a ceremony held here.
Milanov, a midfielder for the Bulgarian club Litex and the country's national team, was recognised by a poll of 126 journalists from 51 media affiliations, reports Xinhua.
Ivan Ivanov from Serbian club Partizan took the second place, and Stanislav Manolev from Dutch PSV Eindhoven came third.
Litex's head coach Hristo Stoichkov, a former Barcelona football star and Golden Ball winner, was also named the best player in the country's "A" Football Group.
Antonio Vutov, 16, a midfielder of PFC Levski, was named the Discovery of the season, while English club Aston Villa's captain Stiliyan Petrov, who is battling acute leukaemia, was honoured with a special award for player cementing the prestige of Bulgarian football and uniting the football fans.