Georgi Velinov, the CSKA Sofia and Bulgaria national-team goalkeeper known as “Johnny,” died March 1, 2026. He was 68. The cause of death was undisclosed.
Velinov received one of the country’s highest individual honors when he was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 1981, a rare recognition for a goalkeeper. He became closely associated with CSKA’s early-1980s rise, when the Sofia club paired domestic trophies with notable European Cup matches.
In the 1982 European Cup, Velinov was part of the CSKA team that eliminated reigning champion Liverpool and advanced to the semifinals. The run drew attention outside Bulgaria and reinforced Velinov’s standing as a goalkeeper trusted in key matches. In domestic competition, he won six Bulgarian league titles and four Bulgarian Cups with CSKA.
In the weeks before his death, he had been hospitalized in serious condition at Sofia’s Military Medical Academy. At CSKA, he was remembered for the 1981 individual honor and for guarding the goal during the European Cup campaign that carried CSKA past Liverpool and into the semifinals.