Atanas Chernev
Bulgarian footballer (born 2002)
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Atanas Atanasov Chernev (Bulgarian: Атанас Атанасов Чернев; born 25 March 2002) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for 2. Bundesliga club Kaiserslautern, on loan from Primeira Liga club Estrela da Amadora.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Atanas Atanasov Chernev | ||
| Date of birth | 25 March 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Kaiserslautern (on loan from Estrela Amadora) | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2020 | Botev Plovdiv | ||
| 2020 | → Getafe (loan) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2025 | Botev Plovdiv | 54 | (2) |
| 2021–2025 | Botev Plovdiv II | 42 | (1) |
| 2025– | Estrela Amadora | 15 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Kaiserslautern (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021–2024 | Bulgaria U21 | 15 | (0) |
| 2025– | Bulgaria | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:15, 20 February 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21:33, 15 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Chernev began his career at Botev Plovdiv.[2] In January 2020, he was loaned to Getafe's youth academy, but due to COVID-19 he struggled for playing time and returned to Botev in the summer.[3]
He signed his first professional contract with Botev in 2020.[4] In 2022, Chernev renewed his contract for 3 more years.[5] On 13 June 2025, his contract with Botev was terminated due to unpaid wages.[6]
On 2 July 2025 he was announced as the new signing of Estrela da Amadora with a contract until the summer of 2026.[7]
On 21 January 2026, Chernev signed with 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern on a loan deal until the end of the season.[8]
International career
On 26 September 2025 he received his first call-up for Bulgaria national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Turkey on 11 October and Spain on 14 October 2025.[9] On 14 October 2025, Chernev earned his first cap, playing the full 90 minutes and scoring an own goal during the second half of the 0–4 away loss against Spain.[10]