Boban Nikolov (Macedonian: Бобан Николов; born 28 July 1994) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Bosnian club Borac Banja Luka and the North Macedonia national team.
.jpg) Nikolov with Vardar in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Boban Nikolov | ||
| Date of birth | 28 July 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Štip, Macedonia | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Borac Banja Luka | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | Bregalnica Štip | ||
| 2010–2012 | Gheorghe Hagi Academy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Viitorul Constanța | 38 | (2) |
| 2015–2018 | Vardar | 64 | (8) |
| 2018–2021 | Fehérvár | 73 | (7) |
| 2021 | Lecce | 15 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Sheriff Tiraspol | 14 | (3) |
| 2022–2023 | FCSB | 11 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | Kisvárda | 22 | (1) |
| 2024– | Borac Banja Luka | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2010 | Macedonia U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Macedonia U19 | 9 | (0) |
| 2013–2017 | Macedonia U21 | 22 | (1) |
| 2016– | North Macedonia | 48 | (4) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 12 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2022 | |||
Personal life
editBoban Nikolov is an ethnic Aromanian,[1] and he speaks Aromanian.[1][2]
Club career
editViitorul Constanța
editOn 8 March 2013, Nikolov made his debut for Viitorul Constanța in the Liga I, in a 4–1 defeat to Gaz Metan Mediaș.[3] On 19 May of the same year, he scored his first Liga I goal in a 5–2 win against Steaua București.[4]
Lecce
editOn 19 January 2021 he was signed by Italian Serie B club Lecce.[5]
Sheriff Tiraspol
editSeven months later, on 20 August 2021, he signed for Moldovan National Division club Sheriff Tiraspol.[6]
FCSB
editOn 17 September 2022, Nikolov signed for Liga I club FCSB on a one-year deal, with an option to extend for a further year.[7]
International career
editOn 29 May 2016, Nikolov made his international debut against Azerbaijan, and on 24 March 2017 he scored his first goal in the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein.[8] He was also a regular in the U21 and U19 categories, where he also served as captain. As of April 2020,[update] he has earned a total of 22 caps, scoring 2 goals.[9][10] He represented the nation at UEFA Euro 2020, their first major tournament.
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 6 Septembar 2024[11]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Viitorul Constanța | 2012–13 | Liga I | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 38 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 2 | ||||
| Vardar | 2015–16 | Macedonian First Football League | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| 2016–17 | 34 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 38 | 9 | |||
| 2017–18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | — | 22 | 3 | |||
| Total | 64 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 84 | 13 | ||
| Fehérvár | 2017–18 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 13 | 3 | — | — | — | 13 | 3 | |||
| 2018–19 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 14 | 0 | — | 51 | 3 | |||
| 2019–20 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 29 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| Total | 73 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 21 | 1 | — | 106 | 11 | |||
| Lecce | 2020–21 | Serie B | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Sheriff Tiraspol | 2021–22 | Moldovan National Division | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 22 | 4 | |
| FCSB | 2022–23 | Liga I | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Kisvárda | 2023–24 | Nemzeti Bajnokság I | 22 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 2 | ||
| Borac Banja Luka | 2024–25 | Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 237 | 21 | 27 | 6 | 42 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 307 | 32 | ||
International
edit- As of match played 20 November 2022[12]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | |||
| 2016 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 8 | 1 | |
| Total | 48 | 4 | |
International goals
edit- As of match played 5 June 2022. North Macedonia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Nikolov goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 March 2017 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | 3 |  Liechtenstein |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 19 November 2019 | Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia | 22 |  Israel |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 3 | 8 October 2021 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | 37 | Liechtenstein |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 5 June 2022 | Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar | 44 |  Gibraltar |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
Honours
editVardar[11]
Fehérvár[11]
Sheriff Tiraspol[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Luță, Christian (16 September 2022). "Gigi Becali a anunțat transferul momentului la FCSB! "Am vorbit cu el în aromână". Fostul căpitan Florin Tănase l-a recomandat". ProSport (in Romanian).
- ^ Bocai, Marian (6 February 2015). "Macedoneanul Boban Nikolov și salvadorianul Nelson Bonilla i-au cântat și i-au urat lui Hagi în aromână (galerie foto + video)". Ziua de Constanța (in Romanian).
- ^ "Boban Nikolov made his pro debut". macedonianfootball.com. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- ^ "Boban Nikolov, primul străin din istorie care înscrie pentru Viitorul". Digi Sport. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
- ^ "NIKOLOV IN GIALLOROSSO" (in Italian). Lecce. 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Welcome, Boban". FC Sheriff Tiraspol. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
- ^ Mihaitalazarica (17 September 2022). "Bine ai venit, Boban Nikolov!" (in Romanian). FCSB. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ UEFA
- ^ Appearances for (North) Macedonia National Team - RSSSF
- ^ "Player Database". eu-football.info. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
- ^ a b c d Boban Nikolov at Soccerway
- ^ "Boban Nikolov". European Football. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ Boban Nikolov at National-Football-Teams.com
External links
edit- Profile at Macedonian Football (in English)
- Boban Nikolov at RomanianSoccer.ro (in Romanian)