The midfielder was named in his national team squad but has since withdrawn
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
11:02, 23 Mar 2026
Ilia Gruev
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Ilia Gruev(Image: Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ilia Gruev has been named as Bulgaria’s player of the year for 2025, winning the accolade for the first time. Unfortunately for Gruev, the accolade comes amid his withdrawal from international duty this break due to “personal reasons”.
Gruev won the Championship title with Leeds United last year, starting 20 of his 23 league appearances, having returned from a serious mid-season knee injury in the January.
The 25-year-old, who also played nine times for his country across last year, has therefore been recognised as Bulgaria’s player of 2025, ending the four-year winning streak of forward Kiril Despodov.
Gruev had come runner-up in the past three years but now joins the likes of Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov among the winners' list.
The midfielder - who spoke to Leeds Live in an exclusive interview in February - has been a regular for Daniel Farke in recent months, starting 11 of his last 12 Premier League outings for Leeds.
Writing on Instagram, Gruev said: "If someone had told me as a little boy that I would be holding this award in my hands in 2026, I would hardly have believed it. It is a true honour to follow in the footsteps of our country's greatest football players.
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"This award doesn’t belong to me alone. It belongs to everyone who pushed me when things got tough. So proud to represent these colours."
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Gruev had been selected in Bulgaria’s squad for their upcoming trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of the 2026 FIFA Series international tournament. Bulgaria are due to play the Solomon Islands first, with a second match against either the host nation or St Kitts and Nevis.
However, Gruev has now withdrawn from the trip. He stated, as per native outlet fakti.bg: “These are my personal reasons and I hope you will respect my opinion that I will not comment on this topic anymore.”
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