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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Petar Ratkov? A rat with a cuteakov?

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Petar Ratkov
Петар Ратков
Ratkov with Red Bull Salzburg in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-08-18) 18 August 2003 (age 22)
Place of birth Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position Centre-forward
Team information
Current team
 Lazio
Number 20
Youth career
2011–2020 DIF Belgrade
2020–2021 TSC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 TSC 76 (16)
2023–2026 Red Bull Salzburg 63 (17)
2026– Lazio 8 (1)
International career‡
2021–2022 Serbia U19 8 (3)
2022–2023 Serbia U21 7 (2)
2023– Serbia 3 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 8 September 2024

Petar Ratkov (Serbian Cyrillic: Петар Ратков; born 18 August 2003) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for Serie A club Lazio and the Serbia national team.[1]

Club career

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Born in Belgrade, Ratkov grew up in Vojvodina and is a youth product of TSC.[2] He started playing as a second striker before switching to a left-footed winger.[2]

On 18 June 2023, Ratkov signed for reigning Austrian Bundesliga champions Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year contract.[3] In total, he has made headlines with 22 goals in two-and-a-half seasons, showing particular brilliance in the 2024–25 Austrian Bundesliga with 12 goals.[4]

On 8 January 2026, Ratkov moved to Serie A club Lazio for a fee of €13 million.[5] He made his league debut for the club on 12 January in a 1–0 victory.[6]

International career

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Ratkov is of mixed Bulgarian and Croatian descent.[7] He holds both Serbian and Bulgarian citizenships, allowing him to represent either Serbia or Bulgaria.[7] Ratkov was also eligible to play for Croatia through his mother's said descent.[7]

In September 2023, he rejected a call-up for Bulgaria, committing himself to the Serbian national team.[8][9] [10] On 14 October, Ratkov eventually debuted for the Serbian football team in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Hungary.[11]

Ratkov was selected in Serbia's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024, but did not make an appearances in the tournament.[citation needed]

Style of play

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Ratkov has been analysed by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory. In issue no. 375 of its weekly report, he was ranked 79th among the top 100 performing under-20 outfield players across 32 European leagues. CIES characterised his profile as that of a target-man striker with a primary emphasis on finishing, based on performance data across multiple areas of play, including aerial ability and shooting.[12]

Career statistics

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Club

[edit]
As of match played 13 April 2026[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
TSC 2020–21 Serbian SuperLiga 9010——100
2021–22 Serbian SuperLiga 31300——313
2022–23 Serbian SuperLiga 361341——4014
Total 761651——8117
Red Bull Salzburg 2023–24 Austrian Bundesliga 245516[b]0—356
2024–25 Austrian Bundesliga 223318[b]02[c]0354
2025–26 Austrian Bundesliga 179339[d]0—2912
Total 6317115230209922
Lazio 2025–26 Serie A 8000——80
Career total 147331662302018839
  1. ↑ Includes Serbian Cup, Austrian Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. ↑ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  4. ↑ Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

[edit]
As of match played 8 September 2024[14]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Serbia 202310
202420
Total30

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "RATKOV PETAR". FK TSC website (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Ratkov, chi è il nuovo attaccante della Lazio: età, altezza, carriera, stipendio, vita privata, famiglia, i problemi muscolari e il record in Bundesliga". Il Messaggero (in Italian). 7 January 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Serbisches Sturmtalent verstärkt unsere Roten Bullen" [Serbian storm talent strengthens our Red Bulls]. Red Bull Salzburg (in German). Red Bull. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Esclusivo: Petar Ratkov alla Lazio, Tutto su Stipendio e Debutto!". Yes Magazine (in Italian). 12 January 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Petar Ratkov in biancoceleste a titolo definitivo" [Petar Ratkov joins the Biancoceleste on a permanent basis]. SS Lazio (in Italian). 8 January 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  6. ↑ ""It's hard to ask players to start crossing for Ratkov": Sarri cautious after Lazio debut". Nogomania (in Italian). 13 January 2026. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Serbia, Croatia, or Bulgaria: Petar Ratkov finally reveals why he chose to play for Serbia". Nogomania. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  8. ↑ Сръбски нападател е отклонил предложението на Кръстаич да заиграе за България. Sportal.bg (in Bulgarian). 19 September 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Hrvati, Bugari... Želeo Sam Samo Srbiju: Petar Ratkov prvi put govori o reprezentaciji! Otkriva ko mu je od kolega Idol!". Kurir (in Serbian). 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Prlina, Dejan (10 October 2023). "Debitant Ratkov: Nije bilo dileme, hteo sam samo za Srbiju! Mitru sam se divio kao klinac". Maxbet Sport (in Serbian). Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Petrović, Aleksandar (14 October 2023). "Srbija bez sreće u Budimpešti, Mađarska ponovo slavila". Sportklub (in Serbian). Serbia. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "Best performing youngsters: Bukayo Saka at the top". Football Observatory. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  13. ↑ Petar Ratkov at Soccerway
  14. ↑ Petar Ratkov at National-Football-Teams.com Edit this at Wikidata
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