MATTHAUS + STOICHKOV GRUEV

Down-to-earth Ilia a mix of German enforcer and Bulgarian superstar

- EXCLUSIVE BY ISAAC JOHNSON

ILIA GRUEV is as humble a man as he is a footballer.

Not one to normally make the headlines, he could not avoid the spotlight after his sublime showing in Leeds’ 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest at the start of the month.

The defensive midfielder’s two assists and a 97.8 per cent pass completion rate left him clinging to the man of the match award and manager Daniel Farke hailing his display as “a mix of (Bulgarian hero Hristo) Stoichkov and (German icon Lothar) Matthaus”.

“When you hear things like this it’s a really nice thing, because you see that he values you a lot,’ said Gruev.

It was no random comparison by Farke.

Gruev is a Bulgarian national but left his homeland aged six months when his father, Iliya - a midfielder who earned 13 caps for his country - signed for MSV Duisburg, a second-tier club in Germany, the country where he would grow up.