Bulgarian football legend Borislav Mihaylov dies at 63

Bulgarian football legend Borislav Mihaylov has passed away this morning in Sofia at the age of 63. He was admitted to hospital on November 24 after suffering a stroke.

Born on February 12, 1963, in Sofia, Mihaylov remains one of the most prominent figures in Bulgarian football history. He was among the heroes of the national team’s historic fourth-place finish at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, led by head coach Dimitar Penev.

Over his career, Mihaylov earned 93 caps for Bulgaria and made an additional nine appearances for the Olympic team. He captained the national side in a record 60 matches and was named Bulgaria’s Footballer of the Year in 1986. In 2011, following a nationwide poll, he was selected as the goalkeeper in Bulgaria’s all-time ideal national team.

In July 1994, Mihaylov was awarded the prestigious Order of Stara Planina, First Class.

At club level, Mihaylov played for Levski Sofia, as well as teams including Belenenses, FC Mulhouse, Botev Plovdiv, Reading FC, Slavia Sofia, and FC Zürich. He won three Bulgarian league titles (1984, 1985, 1988) and three domestic cups (1982, 1984, 1986).

During his time with Levski, he made 34 appearances in the Bulgarian Cup and 18 in European competitions. Following the controversial 1985 cup final between CSKA Sofia and Levski, Mihaylov was among the players temporarily banned from football, though he was reinstated six months later.

In 2005 Mihaylov was elected president of the Bulgarian Football Union, a position he held for a record 16 years across two terms (2005–2019 and 2021–2023).

Mihaylov was married to three-time world rhythmic gymnastics champion Maria Petrova. He is survived by three children - Bisera and Nikolay from his first marriage, and Elinor from his marriage to Petrova.

He was the son of Biser Mihaylov, also a legendary goalkeeper for Levski, continuing a proud football.