Mihailov keeps tradition alive

Famous lineage
The 17-year-old, wearing the No88 shirt for the UEFA Cup first-round tie, became the third member of his family to keep goal for Levski in Europe, following his father - Bulgaria's most-capped player and now Bulgarian Football Union (BFS) president, Borislav Mihailov - and his grandfather Bisser Mihailov.

European heroes
Borislav Mihailov played 102 games for his country and became a national hero as he captained the side that reached the FIFA World Cup semi-finals in 1994, but Bisser Mihailov has his own piece of footballing history, having played in Levski's first-ever European match in 1965.

Similar impact
In all, Borislav Mihailov represented Levski 19 times in Europe in the 1980s while Bisser Mihailov played 15 ties, coming up against 1960s striking giants like SL Benfica's Eusébio and AC Milan's Gianni Rivera. Now the third generation is hoping to have a similar impact.

Surprise debut
His continental debut in the 2-1 first-leg defeat at Auxerre came as something of a surprise as Levski coach Stanimir Stoilov called him in as an emergency replacement for the injured Georgi Petkov. Nonetheless, he acquitted himself well with some terrific saves.

The real thing
"I was a little nervous to start with but I built up some confidence and I was calm until the final whistle," he told uefa.com. "It was a tremendous experience for me. Until then I had only heard my father and grandfather's stories of playing in Europe. Now, I know personally what it is like."

Excellent ability
Tall and with good reactions, Nikolai Mihailov has the ability to make it as a top goalkeeper, but is only too aware that his name may go before him. "People will watch me carefully because of my father and grandfather, but there is not much I can do about that," he said.

Family ties
"But when I am in goal, it is me making the saves and not my father or my grandfather. I am trying to keep my feet firmly on the ground. My father and grandfather are also helping me a lot. My aim is to develop and gradually establish myself in the first team."

Doting grandfather
With Borislav Mihailov busy in his new role at the BFS, Bisser Mihailov has been giving his grandson plenty of attention. "Football is in his genes," he said. "I was a goalkeeper, my brother was also a very good goalkeeper in the 1950s, my two sons Borislav and Ruslan were goalkeepers and now Nikolai is too."

No pressure
However, the eldest Mihailov insists no pressure was ever placed on young Nikolai. "Nobody forced him to become a goalie," he said. "At seven years old he was a striker and was constantly scoring goals, but he also played in goal when needed. One day I told him he had to choose which position to play and he decided to be a goalkeeper."

Hard road
That decision, however, was only the start of a tough path. "Nikolai has to work very hard," insisted Bisser Mihailov. "He realises the pressure that is on him but he is a strong character. Being a goalkeeper is always hard. You make tens of great saves, but one mistake may cost you. Nikolai knows that very well."