Domestic-league season · Arda Kardzhali.
| Competition | Apps | G | A | Min | Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 First League | 13 | 3 | 0 | 665 | 7.07 |
| First Leagueat Botev Plovdiv | 5 | 0 | 0 | 220 | 6.43 |
Following his move to Arda Kardzhali, Popov's current-season form is down 57% on last season (Season 23→10), while his Rating eased 9→4. His peak season for form remains 2021/22 (Season 23).
| Season | Club | Apps | G | A | Match | RTG | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | Arda Kardzhali · 7th | 18 | 3 | 0 | 7.07 | 4 | 10 |
| 2021/22 | FC Sochi · 2nd | 21 | 5 | 5 | 6.92 | 9 | 23 |
| 2020/21 | FC Sochi · 5th | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 | 9 | 2 |
Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year.
I. Popov is a 38-year-old centre-forward at Arda Kardzhali, rated 4.3 overall by Field Insider's model, ranking 250th of 252 in the First League. A seasoned veteran, he has been a fringe squad member this season (27.3% of available minutes). He brings 0.31 goal contributions per 90 (0.31 goals, 0 assists). Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on Popov.
Judged on this season alone, Popov graded 10 — a workmanlike campaign that ranks 16th of 26 of the 26 centre-forwards in the First League, on 3 goals and 0 assists in 18 appearances (0.305 involvements per 90).
Year-on-year, that's a drop on last season (Season 23 → 10). Over the 3 seasons on record his form has trended upward, peaking in 2021/22.
On long-term talent our Rating reads 4, 26th of 26 of the 26 centre-forwards in the First League. At 38 Popov is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 0.2 reflects that trajectory.
Past his 2021/22 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.
3 goals in 18 appearances (0.17 per game) — light end product the role wants to see climb.
With a Rating of 4.3, Popov carries the 26th-highest potential of the centre-forwards in the First League of 26 — though on just 18 appearances this season, so the standing rests on a small sample. In the final third he profiles as a work-in-progress on end product (0.31 goal contributions per 90). Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.5× and falling).
Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.
The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 22–27 (~1), then tapers with age. At 38, Popov sits on 0.2, past its peak and easing. The blue line is Popov's projected Rating — 4.3 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.
No transfer news found for this player.
