// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Kristian Dimitrov? Dimi-troubled finding him.
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kristian Traychev Dimitrov | ||
| Date of birth | 27 February 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Plovdiv, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Levski Sofia | ||
| Number | 50 | ||
| 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) |
| 2020–2022 | Hajduk Split | 40 | (3) |
| 2022 | → CFR Cluj (loan) | 1 | (1) |
| 2023– | Levski Sofia | 93 | (11) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015–2016 | Bulgaria U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2019– | Bulgaria | 24 | (1) |
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:12, 7 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 June 2026 | |||
Kristian Traychev Dimitrov (Bulgarian: Кристиан Трайчев Димитров; born 27 February 1997) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for First League club Levski Sofia and the Bulgarian national team.[2]
Club career
[edit]Botev Plovdiv
[edit]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 and the loan to CFR Cluj
[edit]On 11 February 2020, it was announced that Dimitrov had signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Hajduk Split.[10][11]
Not finding much playing time in the 2021–22 season, he was loaned out to CFR Cluj in February 2022.[12] He became a Liga I champion with the Romanian club, featuring in a single game, a 3–1 loss against FCSB, scoring in the 45th minute.[13]
Returning to Hajduk, he spent the first part of the 2022–23 season largely on the bench, starting a single cup match, a 5–1 away win against Tehničar Cvetkovec, where he received a red card for a counter-attack stopping foul in the 33rd minute,[14] and his contract was terminated by mutual consent on 17 December 2022.[15] Dimitrov had scored three goals in 40 league matches at the Croatian club.
Levski Sofia
[edit]On 30 December 2022, Dimitrov returned to Bulgaria, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal with Levski Sofia.[16]
International career
[edit]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 2–1 away loss against the Czech Republic in a Euro 2020 qualifier.[17]
Style of play
[edit]Krasimir Balakov compared Dimitrov with the legendary Bulgarian defender Trifon Ivanov, while being manager of Bulgaria.[18]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]- As of 26 May 2025
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Botev Plovdiv | 2015–16 | Bulgarian First League | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | Bulgarian First League | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Bulgarian First League | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Bulgarian First League | 31 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 5 | |||
| 2019–20 | Bulgarian First League | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 0 | |||
| Total | 64 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 6 | ||
| Montana (loan) | 2017–18 | Bulgarian Second League | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| Hajduk Split | 2019–20 | 1. HNL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | 1. HNL | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | 1. HNL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 1. HNL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 40 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 3 | ||
| CFR Cluj (loan) | 2021–22 | Liga I | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| Levski Sofia | 2022–23 | Bulgarian First League | 8 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Bulgarian First League | 25 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Bulgarian First League | 27 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 29 | 5 | ||
| Total | 60 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 178 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 200 | 18 | ||
- ↑ Includes Bulgarian Cup, Croatian Cup
- 1 2 Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
[edit]- As of match played 1 June 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | 2019 | 6 | 1 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Bulgaria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Dimitrov goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 June 2019 | Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria | 6 | 2–1 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
Honours
[edit]Botev Plovdiv
CFR Cluj
Hajduk Split
Levski Sofia
Individual
- Bulgarian First League Best Defender: 2018–19[20]
References
[edit]- ↑ Kristian Dimitrov at WorldFootball.net
- 1 2 "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. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018. Retrieved 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.
- ↑ "Kristian Dimitrov odlazi na posudbu u CFR Cluj". www.hajduk.hr (in Croatian). HNK Hajduk Split. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ↑ Na zimu je otišao iz Hajduka, zaigrao jednom i osvojio naslov at 24 Sata
- ↑ Hajduk bez problema pobijedio u Cvetkovcu i plasirao se u osminu finala Kupa: Mlakar, Vuković i Šarić zabijali, Dimitrov ‘pocrvenio‘ at Slobodna Dalmacija
- ↑ "Kristian Dimitrov više nije igrač Hajduka". www.hajduk.hr (in Croatian). HNK Hajduk Split. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ↑ "ПФК Левски подписа с Кристиан Димитров". levski.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ↑ "Czech Republic vs. Bulgaria 2-1". flashscore.com. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ↑ Кристиан Димитров разкри какво му е казал Балъков
- ↑ "Levski Sofia crowned Bulgarian champions to end Ludogorets's long reign". reuters.com. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "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.
- 1997 births
- Living people
- 21st-century Bulgarian sportsmen
- Bulgarian men's footballers
- Footballers from Plovdiv
- Men's association football central defenders
- Bulgaria men's international footballers
- Bulgaria men's under-21 international footballers
- Bulgaria men's youth international footballers
- First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
- Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players
- Croatian Football League players
- Liga I players
- Botev Plovdiv players
- FC Montana players
- HNK Hajduk Split players
- CFR Cluj players
- PFC Levski Sofia players
- Bulgarian expatriate men's footballers
- Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Croatia
- Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia
- Bulgarian expatriate sportspeople in Romania
- Expatriate men's footballers in Romania