Quick Facts
Biography
Aleksandar Antonov Tonev (Bulgarian: Александър Антонов Тонев; born 3 February 1990) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Italian club Crotone, and for the Bulgaria national football team.
He began his career at CSKA Sofia, also spending a season on loan at Sliven 2000 before joining the Polish Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań in 2011. In his second season, he inspired them to runners-up position in the league, and was signed by Aston Villa. In 2014, Villa loaned him to Celtic, and then sold him to Frosinone the following year. He spent one year there before transferring to fellow Serie A team Crotone.
A full international since 2011, Tonev has earned over 20 caps for Bulgaria.
Club career
CSKA Sofia
Born in Elin Pelin, Sofia Province, Tonev was raised in CSKA Sofia's youth teams. He made his first team debut in a 3–1 league win over Belasitsa Petrich on 8 March 2008, coming on as a substitute for Chigozie Udoji. Tonev got his chance in CSKA's first team after the sale of many players in the summer of 2008. He played in the club's first fixture in the 2008–09 season against Litex Lovech on 3 August 2008. His team won the game and won the Bulgarian Supercup for the third time.
After Lyuboslav Penev replaced Dimitar Penev as head coach of CSKA Sofia, Tonev appeared in the match groups more often and often came in as a substitute for his team. On 22 April 2009, Tonev scored his first 2 goals for CSKA, securing a brace in the 4–1 away win against Vihren Sandanski.
He was loaned to OFC Sliven 2000 for the 2009–10 season, where he was likely to receive more chances to play. He was recalled from his loan to the team from Sliven for the 2010–11 season.
Lech Poznań
On 16 June 2011 Tonev signed with Polish Ekstraklasa club Lech Poznań. He made his debut on 29 July 2011, coming on in 75th minute, replacing Jakub Wilk in a game against ŁKS Łódź. Lech Poznań won the game 5–0.
On 26 July 2012, Tonev scored his first ever European goal, netting the only goal in a 1–0 home victory over Azerbaijani club Khazar Lankaran in the second qualifying round of Europa League. On 25 August, Tonev netted his first Ekstraklasa goal of the 2012–13 season as he scored a 25-yard winning strike in a 2–1 away victory over Polonia Warsaw.
Aston Villa
On 7 June 2013, Tonev signed for Aston Villa as their first signing of the pre-season. He was recommended by former international teammate Stiliyan Petrov, a development coach at the club. He made his debut on 13 August, replacing Karim El Ahmadi for the final eight minutes of a 2–1 defeat away to Chelsea, making 17 Premier League appearances in total throughout the season.
Celtic
On 11 August 2014, Tonev moved to Scottish champions Celtic on a season-long loan deal, with an option to buy. He made his debut on 13 September, starting in a 2–1 home win over Aberdeen. Aberdeen full-back Shay Logan accused Tonev of having racially abused him during this match; Tonev denies the allegations. On 30 October 2014, Tonev was given a seven-match ban for "using abusive language of a racist nature". Celtic confirmed that they would appeal the decision, as they believe him to be innocent. Tonev then lost his appeal and Celtic decided not to take the matter any further.
Frosinone
On 27 August 2015, Tonev joined Serie A newcomers Frosinone on a permanent deal. He played his first game three days later, coming on as a substitute for Luca Paganini in a 2–0 loss against Atalanta at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.
Crotone
On 16 July 2016, Tonev joined Serie A newcomers Crotone.
International career
On 4 September 2009, Tonev scored his first goal for the Bulgaria U21 in the 3–0 home win against Kazakhstan U21 in a UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualifier. On 9 September 2009, he was sent off for a dangerous tackle on Guillermo Molins in the 90th minute of the 1–2 away loss to Sweden U21. On 9 February 2011, Tonev scored a goal in a friendly match against Cameroon.
Tonev made his debut for the Bulgarian national team in a 0–1 home loss against Wales on 11 October 2011. On 22 March 2013, he scored his first international goals as he netted a hat-trick (the first one in his career) during a 6–0 home win over Malta in the World Cup 2014 qualifying match.
Three years and a week later, he scored his first international goal since the hat-trick, to conclude a 2–0 win over neighbours Macedonia in Skopje.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| CSKA Sofia | 2007–08 | A Group | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | A Group | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 2 | |||
| 2010–11 | A Group | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | 34 | 2 | ||
| Total | 42 | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | 53 | 4 | |||
| Sliven 2000 (loan) | 2009–10 | A Group | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 1 | ||
| Total | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 | |||
| Lech Poznań | 2011–12 | Ekstraklasa | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Ekstraklasa | 24 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | 31 | 5 | ||
| Total | 54 | 7 | 2 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | 62 | 8 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2013–14 | Premier League | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 20 | 0 | |
| Total | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||
| Celtic | 2014–15 | Scottish Premiership | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Frosinone | 2015–16 | Serie A | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 0 | ||
| Total | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| Crotone | 2016–17 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Career Total | 169 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 199 | 13 | ||
International
| Bulgarian national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 8 | 0 |
| 2013 | 5 | 3 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 23 | 5 |
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 March 2013 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria |  Malta | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2014 World Cup qualifier |
| 2 | 22 March 2013 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | Malta | 2–0 | 6–0 | 2014 World Cup qualifier |
| 3 | 22 March 2013 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | Malta | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2014 World Cup qualifier |
| 4 | 29 March 2016 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia |  Macedonia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 6 September 2016 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria |  Luxembourg | 4–3 | 4–3 | 2018 World Cup qualifier |