First professional contract signed by Velizar-Ilia Iliev, who ties himself to Cagliari until 30 June 2028.

Born in Sofia in 2005, the goalkeeper arrived in Sardinia from Bulgaria in the summer of 2021 to begin a growth path in the youth sector. He made his Primavera debut at 17 years old, on November 13, 2022, with a clean sheet in the away victory against Cesena (0-1), making 11 appearances in his first season. In the following championship he played 18 games, giving his substantial contribution to the conquest of the 50 points obtained by the team, which finished seventh in the standings, one step away from the play-offs.

This season, thanks to his saves and top-level performances, he is carving out a role for himself as a true protagonist: a point of reference for his teammates, he has already kept an unbeaten goal in 7 league matches. He was instrumental in the team's journey in the Coppa Italia: in the quarter-finals at Viola Park against Fiorentina, after a draw in regulation time, he was decisive by saving two penalties that allowed mister Pisacane's Cagliari to reach the semifinals against Juventus, a match they then won 2-0 at the CRAI Sport Center.

In the first team - with whom he regularly trains and has been called up on several occasions for official matches - he boasts 5 appearances with the youth teams of his country and is in the orbit of the U21 national team.

194 centimeters tall, confident and reactive between the posts, Iliev is a goalkeeper with great prospects and plenty of room for improvement. Great dedication to work and sacrifice, positivity, a great desire to grow.

(Online Union)

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