Zhivko Atanasov
Zhivko Atanasov is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Cherno More Varna and the Bulgaria national team.
Club career
Atanasov began his career with Levski Sofia.In the winter of 2012, Atanasov impressed Cherno More manager Stefan Genov as a trialist during Cherno More's training camp in Turkey. On 17 February 2012, he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. Atanasov made his debut on 4 March, starting against Levski Sofia at Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in an A Group fixture, playing the full 90 minutes at centre-back in a 2–1 defeat. He scored his first Cherno More goal on 18 April, opening the scoring in a 7–1 home win over Kaliakra Kavarna.
When Aleksandar Aleksandrov was transferred in January 2014, Atanasov formed a partnership with Kiril Kotev in the centre of defence and has become an established first team player.
On 16 January 2020 he signed a 1.5-year contract with Serie C side Catanzaro.
On 4 August 2020, Atanasov returned to his boyhood club Levski Sofia on a 2-year deal. On 14 June 2021, Atanasov terminated his contract with Levski due to financial reasons.
On 16 June 2021, Atanasov returned to former club, Cherno More, on a two-year contract.