Simona Petkova is a Bulgarian footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Swiss Women’s Super League club FC Aarau Frauen and the Bulgaria women’s national team. She is a champion of Bulgaria three times and was twice awarded Bulgaria Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
Simona Petkova was born on September 3, 1993, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. She started playing football in the neighborhood and at school. Simona Petkova studied at a sports school in Gabrovo, training in swimming, but as there was no football discipline for women, only at the age of 16, she turned to football. Thus, she moved to Sofia to join the National Sports Academy and start playing football.
The route to professional football was not easy for her, as she shares in interviews, but definitely, all the sacrifices deserve.
She became the Bulgarian football champion with the women’s team of the National Sports Academy in 2013/2014, 2014/2015, and 2015/2016. Played also in the UEFA tournaments and Bulgarian youth national teams.
In 2017, Simona Petkova moved to England to play for Watford, where she has 15 matches and 3 goals. A year later, she joined the Italian football club Pink Bari, where has 16 appearances. In 2019, she moved to Empoli, before joining the San Marino Academy.
In 2020, Simona Petkova went to Switzerland, where signed with FC Lugano. After 18 appearances and 3 goals, she moved to YB Frauen for 2 seasons. In 2023, she signed with Aarau Frauen, which is her current football club.
At the international level, she has played for Bulgaria U17 and Bulgaria U19. Simona Petkova was first called for the senior Bulgarian women’s national team in March 2012 in the home match of the team versus Norway. However, she remained on the pitch. Her first appearance for the team was on May 19, 2012, in the visitors’ match of Bulgaria versus Northern Ireland, when she appeared as a substitute of Kristina Petrunova in the 90th minute. Bulgaria lost the match by 4-1.
Simona Petkova is definitely one of the best Bulgarian female footballers. Her passion and dedication to football are impressive and inspiring.
Simona Petkova photos
