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Dimitar Veselinov Mitov (Bulgarian: Димитър Веселинов Митов; born 22 January 1997) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen and the Bulgaria national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Dimitar Veselinov Mitov[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Montana, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aberdeen | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2013 | Chavdar Etropole | ||
| 2013–2015 | Charlton Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Charlton Athletic | 0 | (0) |
| 2015 | → Canvey Island (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2023 | Cambridge United | 146 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | St Johnstone | 38 | (0) |
| 2024– | Aberdeen | 10 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Bulgaria U16 | |||
| 2013 | Bulgaria U17 | 5 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Bulgaria U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023– | Bulgaria | 9 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:34, 1 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:00, 18 November 2024 (UTC) | |||
Early career in Bulgaria
Born in Montana, Mitov spent part of his childhood in Kozloduy,[3] where he began training football at the age of nine. Initially, he was deployed as an outfield player. After a short stint with Dunav Selanovtsi, in 2009, at age 12, he had a successful tryout with Hristo Stoichkov's academy and joined the ranks of Chavdar Etropole.[4]
Charlton Athletic
Mitov joined Charlton Athletic in 2013 from Bulgarian club Chavdar Etropole, after undergoing a trial at Nottingham Forest.[5] In April 2015, he scored a goal from his own six-yard box against Coventry City U18's, gaining press attention.[6] He featured for the club at under-18, under-21 and under-23 level but did not make a senior appearance for the club.[7]
Canvey Island (loan)
In February 2015, Mitov joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Canvey Island on a one-month loan. He made a single appearance in a 1–1 draw with Lewes on 28 February.[8]
Cambridge United
Following his release from Charlton Athletic, Mitov joined League Two club Cambridge United on a two-year contract.[9] On 8 August 2017, he made his debut in a 4–1 EFL Cup defeat to Bristol Rovers.[10] Mitov's first league appearances for Cambridge came in the final three games of the 2017–18 season, playing against Morecambe, Newport County and Port Vale.
On 16 May 2018, he extended his contract with Cambridge United. The contract kept him at the club until 2021 and was subsequently extended.[11] During the 2018–19 season, Mitov replaced David Forde as the first choice goalkeeper: he went on to make a total amount of 21 league appearances in total over the season.[citation needed]
During the 2020–21 season, Mitov made 20 league appearances as United gained promotion to League One. [12]
On 23 August 2021, Mitov won Carabao Cup First Round Player of the Round for his outstanding performance in a match against Swindon Town, which the U’s won on penalties.[13] On 8 January 2022, he gained attention for his performance after his team caused a monumental cup upset by beating Newcastle United 1–0 at St James’ Park in the third round of the FA Cup, making numerous saves to keep them in the game. [14] On 30 April 2022, Mitov was named United’s Player of the Season.[15]
At the end of the 2022–23 season, Mitov departed Cambridge following the expiration of his contract, after helping the U’s dramatically stay up in League One on the final day, following a 2–0 win over Forest Green. [16]
St Johnstone
On 14 July 2023, Mitov joined Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone on a two-year contract.[17][18] On 26 August, he kept his first clean sheet of the season in a goalless league draw against Celtic.[19] Mitov helped keep up St Johnstone on the final day of the season, saving a crucial penalty in a 2–1 defeat of Motherwell. He subsequently won all but one of the club’s Player of the Season awards.[20]
Aberdeen
On 19 June 2024, Mitov signed for fellow Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[21] According to Mitov, he chose to move to Aberdeen because of the club's "huge history".[22] He made an instant impact at the club, saving a penalty in a 1–0 win over Ross County.[23] Mitov heavily contributed to an early 13-match winning streak for the Dons under new manager Jimmy Thelin.[24] On 1 December 2024, he suffered a hamstring injury[25] against Hearts in the 46th minute, and was replaced by Ross Doohan.[26]
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Mitov has represented Bulgaria at every age level from under-16 to under-19. He also captained his nation at under-17 and under-19 level.[7]
In August 2023, he received his first call-up to the Bulgarian senior national team by head coach Mladen Krstajić, for a friendly game against Iran and a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying game against Montenegro.[27][28] On 7 September 2023, Mitov earned his first cap, playing the full 90 minutes in the 0-1 loss against the former.[29] Mitov has since taken over the number 1 shirt from the likes of Daniel Naumov and Ivan Dyulgerov. Mitov kept his first international clean sheet in a 1–0 win over Tanzania in March 2024, and played every single game of the 2024 Nations League group stage for Bulgaria. [30]
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Club
- As of match played 6 October 2024
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2015–16[31] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016–17[32] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Canvey Island (loan) | 2014–15 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cambridge United | 2017–18[33] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2018–19[34] | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20[35] | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21[36] | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22[37] | League One | 42 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| 2022–23[38] | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| Total | 146 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 165 | 0 | ||
| St Johnstone | 2023–24[39] | Scottish Premiership | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Aberdeen | 2024–25[40] | Scottish Premiership | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Career total | 190 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 216 | 0 | ||
International
- As of match played 18 November 2024
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | |
Individual
- Cambridge United Player of the Year: 2021–22[41]
- St Johnstone Players' Player of the Year: 2023–24[42]
- St Johnstone Jailer Tours’ Player of the Year: 2023–24[43]
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