Mario Mitaj

AEK Athens

Born in Athens to Albanian parents from Vermosh, Mitaj began playing football at a young age. In 2013, while playing for Eleftheroupoli, he was spotted by scouts and joined the AEK Athens academy after a successful trial, where he was placed in the club's U12 team. Primarily a left-back, he was also capable of playing in other defensive positions and progressed through the club's youth system, where he was regarded as one of its most promising prospects; his performances and maturity led to his inclusion in first-team training sessions in the summer of 2020 under coach Massimo Carrera. On 12 August 2020, Mitaj signed his first professional contract with AEK Athens, being officially promoted to the senior squad ahead of the 2020–21 Super League Greece season. On 18 October 2020, Mitaj made his Super League debut in a 1–1 draw against bitter rivals PAOK, becoming the youngest foreign player to appear for AEK at the age of 17 years and 73 days. He made his European debut on 10 December 2020, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–0 away defeat to Leicester City on the final matchday of the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League group stage. Three days later, Mitaj started in his second league appearance and provided two assists in a 4–3 away win against Apollon Smyrnis, before being substituted in the 81st minute. He retained his place in the starting lineup the following week, playing around 80 minutes under coach Carrera in a 2–2 draw against Volos, and made three further…

Born in Greece and a resident of Nea Ionia, Attica, Mitaj remained eligible to represent either Greece or Albania at international level but chose to represent Albania, initially progressing through national youth levels prior to making his senior debut.

Youth

Mitaj made his youth international debut for the Albania under-17s in October 2018 during the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification at the age of 15, starting all three matches and scoring the winning goal in a victory over Azerbaijan, securing Albania's only points of the campaign. In early 2019, he represented the Albania under-16s in friendly competitions, including the Aegean Cup and the UEFA Under-16 Development Tournament, where he made six appearances and scored twice as Albania recorded one victory during those tournaments. Later that year, Mitaj captained the Albania under-17 team during the 2020 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification, starting all matches as Albania failed to score and recording one goalless draw during the campaign. In 2020, Mitaj made his debut for the Albania under-21 team at the age of 17, featuring during the closing stages of the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification and later becoming a regular member of the squad in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification, making 11 competitive appearances across the two qualification campaigns. During the 2022–23 period, he also played in six friendly matches, including for the…

Club

As of match played 21 May 2026

International

As of match played 6 June 2026

Following his first professional debut for AEK in 2017, Mitaj stated that Lionel Messi was his favourite player, while Marcelo was his main inspiration in his position.