Balgarianovinite.com Former captain of the Bulgarian national football team and former president of the Bulgarian Football Union, Borislav Mihaylov, has passed away at the age of 63, his family announced.
He had been suffering from serious health problems following a stroke and had been hospitalized since late November. His condition had been critical in recent weeks, and he was in a coma, ultimately unable to recover despite doctors’ efforts.
Mihaylov was born on February 12, 1963, in Sofia. He is considered one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of Bulgarian football. He captained the national team at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where the squad led by Dimitar Penev finished fourth in the world. He played a total of 102 matches for the national team, wearing the captain’s armband in 60 of them – a record.
Mihaylov was a youth player of Levski Sofia and won three league titles with the first team (1984, 1985, and 1988), as well as three national cups (1982, 1984, and 1986). In 1986, he was named Bulgaria’s Footballer of the Year. During his career, he also played for Botev Plovdiv and Slavia Sofia in Bulgaria, as well as Belenenses, FC Mulhouse, Reading FC, and FC Zurich abroad.
Following his retirement as player, Mihaylov moved into the management of the Bulgarian Football Union. He became a member of its Executive Committee in 2000, served as vice president from 2001 to 2005, and on November 21, 2005, he was elected president, a position he held until October 15, 2019, when he resigned following a racist scandal in the stands during a 0–6 loss to England national football team in Sofia in a European qualifier the day before.
Subsequently, on April 28, 2021, he withdrew his resignation and once again became president of the Bulgarian Football Union, serving until November 27, 2023. Between 2011 and 2019, he was also a member of the Executive Committee of UEFA.
Mihaylov received the Order of the Balkan Mountain Range (First Class) in 1994, and was given the freedom of the city of Sofia.
The Bulgarian Football Union confirmed the news of the passing of its former president, Borislav Mihaylov. The organization highlighted some of the most remarkable achievements of his sporting career and added that he was a person who “dedicated a significant part of his life to the development and management of Bulgarian football.”
Mihaylov’s home club Levski Sofia expressed deep sorrow at the passing of the former goalkeeper. The Blue team said that Mihaylov was one of the club’s icons and will never be forgotten. He won three league titles with Levski and played 243 matches for the club, while his father, Biser Mihaylov, and his son, Nikolay Mihaylov, also played for the club for many years.
Bulgarian Olympic Committee President Vesela Lecheva expressed condolences to the family of Mihaylov. “Today, Bulgarian football and sport are mourning,” Lecheva wrote on her Facebook profile.
The only Bulgarian to have won the Ballon d’Or, Hristo Stoichkov, expressed sorrow at the news of the passing of his former teammate in the Bulgaria national football team, Borislav Mihaylov. Stoichkov described Mihaylov as a “great man and goalkeeper”.
Hristo Stoichkov and Borislav Mihaylov were key figures in the Bulgaria national football team that won bronze medals at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. During the tournament, Stoichkov became the top scorer with six goals, while Mihaylov captained Bulgaria in all seven matches, wearing the armband throughout the campaign. Legendary Goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov Passes Away 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-31 10:48:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law