Kristiyan Malinov

Kristiyan Malinov (Bulgarian: Кристиян Малинов; born 30 March 1994) is a Bulgarian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Bulgarian national team.

Born in Petrich, Malinov began his youth career with Belasitsa and spent three years in the academy before moving to Pirin 2001. In 2008, he joined Litex Lovech, where he developed in their academy and became a professional in 2013. Malinov made his senior debut while on loan at Dobrudzha in the 2013–14 season, before he broke into Litex's first team during following campaign. In June 2016, he joined CSKA Sofia.

In 2015, Malinov won his first cap for Bulgaria, having previously played for the under-21 team.

International Career

On 7 February 2015, Malinov made his first appearance for Bulgaria, in the 0–0 draw with Romania in a non-official friendly match, being replaced in the 63rd minute by Stefan Velev. He earned his first cap on 8 June 2015, in the 0–4 loss against Turkey in another exhibition game, after coming on as a substitute during the second half.