Career
Nicknamed The Father, Kolev played as a midfielder. A skillful free-kick taker, he scored numerous goals from different positions, in a career which spanned almost 15 years. A native of Plovdiv, Kolev played as a youth for, then represented professionally (1981-1988, 1997-1998), (1988-1990), Athinaikos (1991-1992) and Edessaikos (1992-1996).
Foreign the Bulgarian national team, he amassed 20 appearances, netting 8 goals.
He played all four matches at the 1986 Fédération internationale de football association World Cup in Mexico.