Ilia Gruev

Leeds United 2023–24 season On 31 August 2023, Gruev signed for EFL Championship club Leeds United on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Gruev struggled to break into Leeds' first team in the first half of the season, being limited to just two league starts in 2023, both of which were in a box-to-box midfielder role rather than as a deep-lying midfielder, due to the form of Ethan Ampadu in that role. In his third league start of the season, an injury to centre-back Pascal Struijk allowed Gruev to be given a start as a deep-lying midfielder in a 3–0 win against Cardiff City in January 2024 – Gruev was voted man of the match, having completed 68 out of 70 passes, giving him a 97% passing accuracy, a record for a Leeds player (who recorded 50+ passes) since the statistic was first measured in the 2013–14 season. Gruev scored his first and only goal of the season, a free kick in the second leg of Leeds' 4–0 play-off semi-final win against Norwich City at Elland Road. However, Leeds were unable to secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt following a defeat to Southampton in the play-off final in May 2024.

2024–25 season Having been named in the starting line-ups for most of the season so far, Gruev sustained an injury at Norwich City necessitating surgery to repair meniscus damage in early October 2024. Gruev returned to play as a late substitute in an FA Cup third round home win over Harrogate Town in January 2025. In May, Gruev won the 2024–25 EFL Championship title with Leeds following a late win over Plymouth Argyle at Home Park. Gruev finished the season with two assists, appearing in 23 league matches.

2025–26 season On 6 February 2026, Ilia Gruev recorded his first senior and Premier League match with two assists in a 3–1 win against Nottingham Forest at Elland Road. He became the first player to record two assists in a Premier League match for Leeds United since Pablo Hernandez in December 2020.

International career Gruev has appeared for the Bulgaria under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 national teams. He received his first call-up for the senior national team on 5 September 2022, for the games of the UEFA Nations League games against Gibraltar and North Macedonia on 23 and 26 September 2022. He made his debut in the match against Gibraltar on 23 September, won 5–1 by Bulgaria.

Personal life Gruev was born in Sofia, but also holds German citizenship.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

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2019–20 Regionalliga Nord

2020–21

Honours Leeds United EFL Championship: 2024–25

Individual Bulgarian Footballer of the Year: 2025; runner-up: 2022, 2023, 2024