Leeds United ace misses international duty due to ‘personal reasons’ after being named best in country…

Leeds United star misses international duty due to ‘personal reasons’ after being recognized as the best in the country.

The midfielder was included in his national team roster but has since opted out.

Ilia Gruev has been awarded Bulgaria’s player of the year for 2025, marking his first time receiving this honor. Unfortunately for Gruev, this recognition coincides with his withdrawal from international duty this break due to ‘personal reasons’.

Gruev secured the Championship title with Leeds United last year, starting 20 of his 23 league matches after recovering from a significant mid-season knee injury in January.

At 25 years old, he also represented his country nine times last year, earning him the title of Bulgaria’s player of 2025, thus ending the four-year winning streak of forward Kiril Despodov.

Gruev had been a runner-up for the past three years but now joins the ranks of Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov among the list of winners.

The midfielder – who had an exclusive interview with Leeds Live in February – has been a consistent choice for Daniel Farke in recent months, starting 11 of his last 12 Premier League matches for Leeds.

In a post on Instagram, Gruev expressed: ‘If someone had told me as a child that I would be holding this award in my hands in 2026, I would hardly have believed it. It is a true honor to follow in the footsteps of our country’s greatest football players.

‘This award doesn’t belong solely to me. It belongs to everyone who supported me when times were tough. I am so proud to represent these colors.’

Gruev had been named in Bulgaria’s squad for their upcoming journey to Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of the 2026 FIFA Series international tournament. Bulgaria is set to face the Solomon Islands first, followed by a second match against either the host nation or St Kitts and Nevis.

However, Gruev has now decided to withdraw from the trip. He commented, according to local outlet fakti.bg: ‘These are my personal reasons, and I hope you will respect my decision not to discuss this matter further.’