Kristian Dimitrov
Kristian Traychev Dimitrov (Bulgarian: Кристиан Трайчев Димитров; born 27 February 1997) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Romanian Liga I club CFR Cluj on loan from Hajduk Split[1] and the Bulgarian national team.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kristian Traychev Dimitrov | ||
| Date of birth | 27 February 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team |
CFR Cluj (on loan from Hajduk Split) | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2013 | Lokomotiv Plovdiv | ||
| 2013–2016 | Botev Plovdiv | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2020 | Botev Plovdiv | 64 | (5) |
| 2018 | → Montana (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2020– | Hajduk Split | 40 | (3) |
| 2022– | → CFR Cluj (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | Bulgaria U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2019– | Bulgaria | 14 | (1) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 February 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2021 | |||
Club career
Botev Plovdiv
In the summer of 2013, Dimitrov joined Botev Plovdiv at under-17 level from Lokomotiv Plovdiv and progressed through the club's academy system.[3]
Dimitrov made his first-team debut on 13 March 2016, when he came off the bench to replace Serkan Yusein in the 81st minute of a 3–1 league win over Cherno More Varna.[4] His first senior goal came in the last round of the 2015–16 season; he scored the second goal in a 2–1 win over Ludogorets Razgrad on 27 May.[5]
Dimitrov began to establish himself in the Botev first team from the 2016–17 season, making eight league starts. On 8 June 2017, he signed a new two-year contract with the club.[6]
On 5 February 2018, Dimitrov joined Second League club Montana on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.[7] He made 13 appearances in total. His only goal came on 5 May 2018 when he opened the scoring in a 2–0 away win over Botev Galabovo.[8]
In June 2018, Dimitrov returned to Botev and continued his progress during 2018–19, becoming a regular in the defence. On 24 April 2019, he scored a last-minute goal against CSKA Sofia, bringing the score to 3:3 and enabling his team (which had been reduced to nine men) to progress to the final of the Bulgarian Cup 6:5 on aggregate.[9]
Hajduk Split
On 11 February 2020, it was announced that Dimitrov had signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Hajduk Split.[10][11]
International career
In May 2019, following his good performances for Botev, Dimitrov was called up to the national team by new manager Krasimir Balakov. On 7 June 2019, he made his debut, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1–2 away loss against the Czech Republic in a Euro 2020 qualifier.[12]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 29 January 2022
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | League | Season | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| Botev Plovdiv | First League | 2015–16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | – | 3 | 1 | ||
| 2016–17 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 0 | |||||
| 2017–18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | 31 | 4 | 5 | 1 | – | – | 36 | 5 | |||||
| 2019–20 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 18 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 64 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 6 | |||
| Montana (loan) | Second League | 2017–18 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 13 | 1 | |||
| Hajduk Split | 1. HNL | 2019–20 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 21 | 2 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 40 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 3 | |||
| CFR Cluj (loan) | Liga I | 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Career statistics | 117 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 130 | 10 | |||
- UEFA Europa League matches.
International stats
- As of match played 15 November 2021
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 2019 | 6 | 1 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 14 | 1 | |
International goals
- Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first.[2]
| No | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 June 2019 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | 6 |  Kosovo | 2–1 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
Style of play
Krassimir Balakov compared Dimitrov with the legendary Bulgarian defender Trifon Ivanov, while being manager of Bulgaria.[13]
Honours
Individual
- Bulgarian First League Defender of the Season: 2018–19[14]
References
- "Kristian Dimitrov Botev". botevplovdiv.bg.
- "Dimitrov, Kristian". National Football Teams. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- "Школата на Ботев с най-много трансферни удари" (in Bulgarian). viasport.bg. 20 August 2013.
- "Botev Plovdiv 3–1 Cherno More". soccerway.com. 13 March 2016.
- "Botev Plovdiv 2–1 Ludogorets Razgrad". soccerway.com. 27 May 2016.
- "Кристиан Димитров подписа нов договор с Ботев" (in Bulgarian). botevplovdiv.bg. 8 June 2017.
- "Ботев преотстъпи двама във Втора лига" (in Bulgarian). botevplovdiv.bg. 5 February 2018.
- "Botev Galabovo vs. Montana" (in Bulgarian). soccerway.com. 5 May 2018.
- Vutov, Viktor (24 April 2019). "Пловдивско дерби във финала за Купата на България! Героичен Ботев постави ЦСКА на колене с девет души в истински трилър" (in Bulgarian). topsport.bg. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- "Ботев трансферира Кристиан Димитров в Хайдук" [Botev transferred Kristian Dimitrov to Hajduk]. www.botevplovdiv.bg (in Bulgarian). Botev Plovdiv. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "Kristian Dimitrov novi je igrač Hajduka". www.hajduk.hr (in Croatian). HNK Hajduk Split. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- "Czech Republic vs. Bulgaria 2-1". flashscore.com. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- Кристиан Димитров разкри какво му е казал Балъков
- "EXCLUSIV | U Craiova, aproape de a transfera un internațional bulgar! În sezonul trecut a fost declarat cel mai bun fundaș central din prima ligă a Bulgariei". 15 July 2019.