Martin Georgiev
Martin Pavlov Georgiev is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Super League Greece club AEK Athens and the Bulgaria national team. He was included in The Guardian's "Next Generation" list for 2022.
Club career
Born in Sofia, Georgiev started his career at the local club Slavia. He made his professional debut for the team on 11 November 2021 in a league match against CSKA Sofia. One week later, he played his second league match against Ludogorets, but was sent off with a straight red after a heavy foul. In May 2022, it was reported that Barcelona were interested in signing Martin. On June 1, Slavia's owner, Ventseslav Stefanov, announced that the deal was almost completed and Martin would sign with Barcelona for 2 years, however, the final agreement between the two clubs ended up being a one year loan deal with Barcelona's Juvenil A team.On 15 July 2022, Georgiev joined Barcelona Juvenil A on loan with an option to buy. In September of the same year, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2005 worldwide. On 4 July 2023, Slavia announced his return to the team from Barça following the completion of his loan.