Borislav Biserov Mihaylov ( bg, Борислав Биcepoв Михайлов; born 12 February 1963) is a Bulgarian former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
, who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
, and President of the
Bulgarian Football Union
The Bulgarian Football Union ( bg, Български футболен съюз, Bǎlgarski futbolen sǎyuz; BFS) is a football association based in Bulgaria and a member of UEFA. It organizes a football league, Bulgarian Parva Liga, and field ...
(2005 – 2019; 2021 – present). He is also a former member of the executive committee of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
.
Mihaylov was captain of the
Bulgaria national team during their major fourth-place run at the
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
(during the shoot-out against Mexico at the 1/8-final stage he saved two penalties), as well as during their participation in
UEFA Euro 1996
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
. He also played at the
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
and
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
and is currently the second most-capped player of the Bulgaria national football team with 102 appearances, and the footballer with the most matches played (60) as
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
.
Club career
In 1995, Mihaylov joined English
First Division team
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
for a then club record of £800,000, replacing the departed club favourite
Shaka Hislop
Neil Shaka Hislop CM (born 22 February 1969) is a retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in England, he played for them at under-21 level before representing Trinidad and Tobago at senior international level.
The majority of his ...
. However his time at the club was marked by a series of injuries, and his club career in England never took off.
Administrative roles
After retiring from active sports he started a career in football administration. He was vice-president of the
Bulgarian Football Union
The Bulgarian Football Union ( bg, Български футболен съюз, Bǎlgarski futbolen sǎyuz; BFS) is a football association based in Bulgaria and a member of UEFA. It organizes a football league, Bulgarian Parva Liga, and field ...
from 2001 until 2005, when he replaced
Ivan Slavkov Ivan Slavkov ( bg, Иван Славков) (11 May 1940, Sofia – 1 May 2011) was a Bulgarian sports boss linked to the Communist-era nomenklatura. He served as the President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC) between 1982 and 2005 and was a ...
as Peruka.
On 22 March 2011, he was elected to the executive committee of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
.
On 15 October 2019, Mikhailov resigned as President of BFU after being asked to step down for ignoring racist behavior during games.
Personal life
In 1998, he married
Maria Petrova, a former prominent
rhythmic gymnast
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and co ...
. Borislav is the son of former goalkeeper
Biser Mihaylov
Biser Mihaylov ( bg, Бисер Михайлов; 30 June 1943 – 12 August 2020) was a Bulgarian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He spent all 14 seasons of his career at Levski Sofia, before retiring at the age of 32 in 1975.
Biography ...
and the father of, also goalkeeper,
Nikolay Mihaylov
Nikolay Borislavov Mihaylov ( bg, Николай Бориславов Михайлов; born 28 June 1988) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Levski Sofia, where he is also the captain, and the Bulgarian natio ...
, who is currently playing for
Levski Sofia
Levski Sofia ( bg, Левски София) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which competes in the First League, the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The club was founded on 24 May 1914 b ...
, while his younger daughter Elinor is a tennis player.
Honours
Levski Sofia
*
Bulgarian Champion: 1984, 1985, 1988
*
Bulgarian Cup
The Bulgarian Cup ( bg, Купа на България, Kupa na Bulgaria) is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it.
The tournament ...
winner: 1982, 1984, 1986
*
Cup of the Soviet Army: 1984, 1987, 1988
*
Bulgarian Footballer of the Year
Bulgarian Footballer of the Year ( bg, Футболист №1 на България, ''Futbolist №1 na Balgariya'') is an annual title awarded to the best Bulgarian association football player of the year. The award has been given since 1961, an ...
: 1986
See also
*
List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
In men's association football, a cap is traditionally awarded in international football to a player making an official match appearance for their national team. In total, over 600 players have played in 100 or more international matches. The re ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikhailov, Borislav
1963 births
Living people
Bulgarian footballers
C.F. Os Belenenses players
Reading F.C. players
Association football goalkeepers
Footballers from Sofia
1986 FIFA World Cup players
1994 FIFA World Cup players
UEFA Euro 1996 players
1998 FIFA World Cup players
PFC Levski Sofia players
Botev Plovdiv players
PFC Slavia Sofia players
FC Mulhouse players
Bulgaria international footballers
FIFA Century Club
FC Zürich players
First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
Primeira Liga players
Bulgarian expatriate footballers
Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate footballers in England
Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Expatriate footballers in Switzerland
Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Expatriate footballers in Portugal
Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in France
Expatriate footballers in France
Members of the UEFA Executive Committee