Alexandru Mitriță

Alexandru Ionuț Mitriță (born 8 February 1995) is a Romanian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger for Liga I club Universitatea Craiova.

Mitriță represented several teams in his country before transferring abroad to Pescara in 2015, at age 20. After two years in Italy, he returned to Romania on an initial loan at his hometown club Universitatea Craiova, becoming an undisputed starter and winning the Cupa României in the 2017–18 season. His performances inspired a move to American team New York City FC in 2019, joining them as a Designated Player for a €8 million (US$9.1 million) transfer fee. Following several loans to Saudi Arabia and Greece, Mitriță returned to Craiova in the summer of 2023.

Internationally, Mitriță was capped by Romania at several youth levels before making his full debut in March 2018, in a 2–1 friendly win over Israel. He scored his first goal for the nation on 12 October 2019, in a 3–0 away win over the Faroe Islands.

Early career / Viitorul Constanța
Born in Craiova, Mitriță started his senior career with Gaz Metan Severin in 2011, and during early 2013 joined Viitorul Constanța. In September that year, aged 18, he was loaned by FC Steaua București to play for their UEFA Youth League side; his senior output for the club consisted in only one match in the Cupa României, and he returned to Viitorul the following year.

Mitriță played his first match upon his return on 23 February 2014, in a 2–1 away win against Dinamo București. He recorded his first Liga I goal on 21 May that year, in a 1–0 victory over Ceahlăul Piatra Neamț.

Pescara
In July 2015, Mitriță was transferred to Italian club Pescara for an undisclosed fee, rumoured to be worth around €1 million. He made 20 appearances and scored one goal in all competitions in his debut campaign, as the team achieved promotion to the Serie A. Mitriță's first goal in the Italian top division came on 22 May 2017, in a 2–0 home defeat of Palermo.

Universitatea Craiova
On 21 July 2017, Universitatea Craiova announced an agreement for the loan of Mitriță from Pescara. He made his competitive debut six days later, in a 0–1 home loss to AC Milan in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. His first goal came in a 1–1 league draw with Astra Giurgiu on 6 August. On 20 August, Mitriță scored the goals of a 2–0 win against his former team Viitorul.

On 16 December 2017, Mitriță converted a free kick in a 2–1 victory over eventual champions CFR Cluj. A few days earlier, press reported that Craiova had signed him on a permanent basis; the deal was confirmed on 17 January 2018, with the Alb-albaștrii paying a previously agreed €730,000 and Pescara retaining 15% interest. He netted his first goal of 2018 on 10 March, an 82nd-minute winner against Astra Giurgiu. On 14 April, Mitriță scored his first career hat-trick in a 4–1 home defeat of Politehnica Iași. In the Cupa României final on 27 May, he scored a goal and was named Man of the Match in a 2–0 win over Liga II side Hermannstadt. He went on to finish his first campaign in Craiova with 38 appearances and 16 goals across all competitions, being selected by the LPF in the best team of the championship play-offs.

In July 2018, Mitriță gained team captaincy and played in the 0–1 Supercupa României loss to CFR Cluj. By the first half of the regular season in late October, he shared the top scorer position with FCSB striker Harlem Gnohéré after netting nine goals. On 9 November, he was sent off in the 57th minute of a 1–1 draw with Sepsi OSK after being booked twice for diving; Mitriță also cursed referee Radu Petrescu, but was only given a one-match suspension. The incident did not prevent him from later being nominated for Gazeta Sporturilor's 2018 Romanian Footballer of the Year award. On 19 December, in the closing fixture of the calendar year, he scored his fourth double of the campaign in a 2–0 victory against Gaz Metan Mediaș.

New York City FC
On 4 February 2019, Mitriță officially joined Major League Soccer club New York City FC as a Designated Player. Craiova revealed that the transfer fee was worth €8 million (US$9.1 million), which made him the third-most expensive sale of the Romanian championship at the time. Mitriță registered his debut on 8 February, celebrating his birthday by opening the scoring in a 1–1 friendly draw with Swedish team AIK in Abu Dhabi. In the season opener on 2 March, Mitriță assisted captain Alexander Ring in a 2–2 draw at Orlando City. He netted his first competitive goal on the 17th that month, in a 2–2 draw with Los Angeles FC.

Mitriță became a regular goalscorer at New York City, and managed a hat-trick on 25 September in a 4–1 defeat of MLS Cup 2018 champions Atlanta United. The club lost the next and final regular fixture against New England Revolution, but still finished top of the Eastern Conference. On 23 October, Mitriță played the full 90 minutes in a 1–2 loss to Toronto FC in the Conference semifinals, ending the year with 32 appearances and thirteen goals all competitions comprised. His individual performances earned him fourth place in Gazeta Sporturilor's 2019 Romanian Footballer of the Year award.

Various loans
On 8 October 2020, Mitriță moved to Saudi Professional League side Al-Ahli on loan until 31 January 2022. Travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which did not allow him to be closer to his expecting wife were cited as the reason for the transfer. He totalled 30 games and four goals in all competitions for the Jeddah side, before terminating his contract early in August 2021.

Mitriță was again loaned out on 31 August 2021, joining Romanian coach Răzvan Lucescu at Greek team PAOK until the end of the season. He made his debut on 12 September, replacing Shinji Kagawa in the 63rd minute of a 0–1 home loss to PAS Giannina. On 9 February 2022, he scored a last-minute winner in a 2–1 victory over AEK Athens in the quarter-finals of the Greek Cup.

On 25 July 2022, Mitriță returned to the Saudi Professional League by joining Al-Raed on a year-long loan.

Return to Universitatea Craiova
On 1 June 2023, Mitriță confirmed that he returned to Universitatea Craiova by signing a three-year contract. On 18 July, on his second debut for the team and his 100th Liga I match, he obtained a penalty and provided an assist in a 2–0 away win over rival Dinamo București. He scored his first goal upon return on 12 August, in a 4–1 away league defeat of newly-promoted Politehnica Iași.

On 26 November 2023, Mitriță scored his first hat-trick in a 3–1 away victory over Oțelul Galați, also newly promoted to the Liga I. He reached ten goals in the league after opening a 1–1 home draw with Rapid București, on 4 March 2024. On 13 May, he scored his second hat-trick of the season in a 3–3 away draw at Farul Constanța, of which two goals came from the penalty spot. Mitriță finished the 2023–24 Liga I season with a career-best 16 goals in 35 matches, coming fourth in the top scorers ranking.

International career
In March 2018, after reportedly impressing head coach Cosmin Contra, Mitriță was called up by the Romania national team for the friendlies with Israel and Sweden later that month. He made his debut on the 24th against the former opponent, and also assisted George Țucudean in the 2–1 victory in Netanya.

Mitriță scored his first senior international goal on 12 October 2019, aiding to a 3–0 away win over the Faroe Islands after replacing Florinel Coman in the 69th minute. Three days later, he netted again in a 1–1 draw with Norway, also counting for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.

On 11 October 2021, Mitriță scored a header in a 1–0 win over Armenia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, representing Romania's first goal at the new Stadionul Steaua in Bucharest. Starting from September 2022, Mitriță has not been included in Romania squads, reportedly due to a conflict with head coach Edward Iordănescu and several teammates, which ultimately led to him not being selected for the Euro 2024.

Style of play
Mitriță is deployed as an attacking midfielder or a winger on either flank, having been noted for his pace and technical ability which allow him to take on opponents in one-on-one situations.

Personal life
Mitriță's paternal uncle, Dumitru, was also a professional footballer and played for several clubs including Universitatea Craiova and Steaua București. Mitriță stated that growing up he idolised Lionel Messi and looked to emulate him.

In October 2018, after two-time Romanian Footballer of the Year winner and Craiova legend Ilie Balaci passed away, Mitriță tattooed a piece of advice he was given by him on the back of his neck.

International

 * Scores and results list Romania's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mitriță goal.

Honours
Universitatea Craiova
 * Cupa României: 2017–18
 * Supercupa României runner-up: 2018

PAOK
 * Greek Cup runner-up: 2021–22

Individual
 * Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Player of the Month: March 2024
 * Liga I Team of the Season: 2017–18, 2023–24
 * Liga I Team of the Regular Season: 2018–19, 2023–24
 * Liga I Team of the Championship Play-Offs: 2017–18