Dimitar Veselinov Mitov (; born 22 January 1997) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone and the Bulgaria national team.

Club career

Early career in Bulgaria

Born in Montana, Mitov spent part of his childhood in Kozloduy, 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.

Dimitar Mitov

Charlton Athletic

Mitov joined Charlton Athletic in 2013 from Bulgarian club Chavdar Etropole, after undergoing a trial at Nottingham Forest. In April 2015, he scored a goal from his own six-yard box against Coventry City U18's, gaining press attention. He featured for the club at under-18, under-21 and under-23 level but did not make a senior appearance for the club.

Dimitar Mitov

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.

Dimitar Mitov

Cambridge United

Following his release from Charlton Athletic, Mitov joined League Two club Cambridge United on a two-year contract.

On 8 August 2017, he made his debut in a 4–1 EFL Cup defeat to Bristol Rovers. Mitov's first league appearances for Cambridge came in the final 3 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.

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.

On 8 January 2022, he gained attention for his performance in his team's 1–0 victory over Newcastle United, in the third round of the FA Cup. On 30 April 2022, Mitov was named Cambridge's Player of the Season.

At the end of the 2022–23 season, Mitov departed Cambridge following the expiration of his contract.

St Johnstone

On 14 July 2023, Mitov joined Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone on a two-year contract.

On 26 August, he kept his first clean sheet of the season in a goalless league draw against Celtic.

International career

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.

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. On 7 September 2023, Mitov earned his first cap, playing the full 90 minutes in the 0:1 loss against the former.

Career statistics

Honours

Individual

Cambridge United Player of the Year: 2021–22

References

External links

1997 births

Living people

Sportspeople from Vratsa Province

Bulgarian men's footballers

Men's association football goalkeepers

Charlton Athletic F.C. players

Canvey Island F.C. players

Cambridge United F.C. players

St Johnstone F.C. players

English Football League players

Isthmian League players

Bulgaria men's youth international footballers

Bulgaria men's under-21 international footballers

Bulgaria men's international footballers

Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers

Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in England

Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland

Expatriate men's footballers in England

Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland