 |
 Popov in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Velizar Emilov Popov | ||
| Date of birth | 7 February 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder, defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Thanh Hóa (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1994 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995–1996 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | ||
| 1996–1999 | Hebar Pazardzhik | ||
| 1999–2000 | Spartak Plovdiv | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1999–2002 | Spartak Plovdiv (Youth Academy) | ||
| 2002–2007 | Cherno More (Youth Academy) | ||
| 2007–2009 | Cherno More (assistant coach) | ||
| 2009–2010 | Cherno More | ||
| 2010–2011 | FC Liberika | ||
| 2011–2012 | Costuleni | ||
| 2012–2013 | New Radiant SC | ||
| 2013–2014 | Sur SC | ||
| 2014 | Suphanburi | ||
| 2015 | Maldives | ||
| 2016 | Kelantan | ||
| 2017 | Sisaket | ||
| 2018 | Sur SC | ||
| 2019–2022 | Myanmar U23 | ||
| 2022– | Thanh Hóa | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Velizar Emilov Popov (Bulgarian: Велизар Емилов Попов; born 7 February 1976) is a Bulgarian former professional player and current manager of V.League 1 club Thanh Hóa FC. Popov played for Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Hebar Pazardzhik and Spartak Plovdiv.
Popov has managed 10 different teams in 8 different countries, including 2 national teams. His management style emphasizes an aggressive, high-intensity approach. Popov has worked in the Bulgarian Premier League in 2007–2010, Denmark Series in 2011, Moldova Premier League in 2011–2012, Maldives Premier League in 2013, Thailand Premier League in 2014 and 2017, Malaysian Super League in 2016, Oman Premier League in 2013–2014 and 2018, and Vietnam League 1 in 2022–2024, and also has managed 2 national teams – Maldives in 2015 and Myanmar Olympic in 2019–2022. In 2013 Popov became the first Bulgarian coach to win a treble abroad with a 100 percent winning record, reaching the quarter-finals in AFC Cup. In 2019, Popov's Myanmar won the group stage and the bronze medal at the South East Asian Games. In 2023, Popov led Thanh Hoa FC to the Vietnamese National Cup and Vietnamese Super Cup for the first time in club history. In 2024 Thanh Hoa FC and Popov won again back to back Vietnam National Cup for the second consecutive year becoming the most successful team in the history of the club with three trophies in two seasons. Popov has coached for over 24 years in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.