FC Petržalka facts for kids
FC Petržalka is a football club from Bratislava, Slovakia. It was started way back in 1898. This club has a long history, including playing in the top leagues of Czechoslovakia and later Slovakia.
One of their most exciting moments was reaching the group stage of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. They also made it to the Round of 32 in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. After some challenges, including losing their old stadium, the club has been working hard to rebuild. They now play their home games at the Stadium FC Petržalka 1898.
Contents
Club History
FC Petržalka was first known as Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület when it was founded in 1898. Over the years, the club changed its name many times, sometimes because of new sponsors. One famous name was Artmedia Bratislava.
Under coach Vladimír Weiss, the club had its best years in the mid-2000s. They won the Corgoň Liga (Slovak top league) title in 2005. In 2008, they won both the league and the Slovak Cup, which is called a "double".
Amazing European Journey in 2005–06
FC Petržalka, then known as Artmedia, had an incredible journey in the UEFA Champions League during the 2005–06 season. They started in the first qualifying round and surprised everyone!
First, they beat Kairat Almaty from Kazakhstan. Then, on July 27, 2005, they made history by beating the famous Scottish club Celtic 5–0 in the first game of their second qualifying round match. Celtic couldn't recover, and Artmedia moved on.
Next, they faced Partizan Belgrade from Serbia. After two tough games that ended 0–0, Artmedia won in a penalty shootout (4–3). This meant they reached the Champions League group stage! It was a huge achievement, especially because their yearly budget was quite small. They were only the second Slovak club ever to reach this stage.
Artmedia also became one of the first two clubs to go from the very first qualifying round all the way to the group stage. The other club was Liverpool, who had won the Champions League the year before.
Because their own stadium wasn't big enough for Champions League games, Artmedia played their home matches at Tehelné pole, the stadium of their city rivals, Slovan Bratislava.
On September 28, 2005, Artmedia made more history. They became the first Slovak team to earn a point in the Champions League group stage. They came back from being 2–0 down to beat the 2004 Champions League winners, Porto, 3–2 at Porto's home stadium!
They finished third in their group, which meant they moved to the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. Sadly, they were knocked out in the Round of 32 by Levski Sofia.
After this amazing season, their coach Vladimír Weiss left, and many key players also moved to other clubs.
Club's Journey Back (2008–Present)
After their big success, the club faced some tough times. Many players left, and the main owner and sponsor also departed. This led to the team struggling in the league. In the 2009–10 season, they were relegated from the top Slovak league.
In 2014, the club went through a difficult period and even faced bankruptcy. However, a new team called FC Petržalka akadémia was formed to continue the club's traditions. They started in the 5th division and worked their way up.
They won the 5th division in 2014–15 and again in 2015–16, earning promotion. In 2016–17, they had an amazing season in the 4th division, losing only one match out of 30! They were unbeatable for 46 league matches in a row.
In 2017–18, they continued their climb, winning the 3rd division and returning to the 2nd division after many years. Since then, they have been playing in the 2nd division, working to get back to the top flight.
Club Achievements
FC Petržalka has won several important titles throughout its history.
Slovakia
- Slovak Superliga (Top League)
- Winners (2): 2004–05, 2007–08
- Runners-up (3): 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07
- Slovenský Pohár (Slovak Cup)
- Winners (2): 2004, 2008
- Runners-Up (3): 1982, 2005, 2009
- Pribina Cup (Slovak Super Cup)
- Winners (2): 2005, 2008
European Competitions
- UEFA Champions League
- Group stage (1): 2005–06
- UEFA Europa League
- Round of 16 (1): 2005–06
Top Scorers in the Slovak League
Some players from FC Petržalka have been the top goal scorers in the Slovak League:
Year | Winner | Goals |
---|---|---|
2004–05 | ![]() |
22 |
2006–07 | ![]() |
16 |
Stadiums of FC Petržalka
Early Days and Old Stadium
The first football match for Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület (PTE) was played on October 2, 1898. In the early years, they played on open fields because there wasn't a proper football pitch.
In 1899, the club decided to build its own stadium near the Danube river. This stadium, later known as Štadión za Starým mostom, opened on September 25, 1900. It was used for over 100 years!
The old stadium could hold about 10,000 fans. However, it didn't meet the rules for big international games. Because of this, when Artmedia played in the Champions League in 2005–06, they had to use a different stadium, Tehelné pole. The old stadium was closed in 2009 and taken down in 2012.
New Home Ground: Štadión FC Petržalka 1898
In 2011, a new stadium was built for the club. It's called Stadium FC Petržalka 1898 and is located on Sklodowskej street in Petržalka. It officially opened in 2012.
The first game at the new stadium was on August 5, 2012. It started with 800 seats, but later more seating was added. Now, the stadium can hold up to 3,000 fans.
Club Sponsors
Over the years, different companies have sponsored FC Petržalka, helping the club with funding.
Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
1998–1999 | Puma | Telenor |
1999–2000 | NIKE | |
2000–2002 | Grafobal | |
2002–2004 | LEGEA | |
2004–2006 | Puma | |
2006–2011 | Adidas | |
2011–2014 | Kappa | none |
2014–2016 | Erreà | |
2016-2018 | TK ESTATE | |
2018–2022 | none | |
2022– | PORTUM Towers |
Player Transfers
FC Petržalka has helped many young players become good enough to play for the Slovak national football team. Some players have moved from Petržalka to play in bigger leagues in countries like Germany, Italy, France, and Russia.
The biggest transfer fee received for a player was €800,000 for Balázs Borbély in 2008.
Record Player Sales
Here are some of the highest fees received for players leaving FC Petržalka:
Rank | Player | To | Fee | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | ![]() |
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€800.000 | 2008 |
2. | ![]() |
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€600.000* (400.000 GBP) | 2005 |
3. | ![]() |
![]() |
€550.000* | 2008 |
*-unofficial fee
Current Team Squad
Updated March 13, 2025
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Players on Loan
Some players from FC Petržalka are currently playing for other teams on a temporary basis:
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Club Staff
Updated May 18, 2024
Staff | Job title |
---|---|
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Manager |
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Assistant manager |
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Goalkeeping coach |
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Physiotherapist |
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Doctor |
Player Records
Most Goals Scored
Here are the players who have scored the most goals for FC Petržalka:
# | Nationality | Name | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Milan Strelec | 67 |
2 | ![]() |
Marián Pochaba | 59 |
3 | ![]() |
Tomáš Medveď | 51 |
4 | ![]() |
Ján Kozák jr. | 40 |
5 | ![]() |
Juraj Halenár | 38 |
Players whose name is listed in bold are still active.
Famous Players
Many talented players have played for FC Petržalka. Some of them have even played for their national teams. Players whose names are in bold played for their country while they were at Petržalka.
Ladislav Almási
Mamadou Bagayoko
Henrich Benčík
Balázs Borbély
Erik Čikoš
Marián Čišovský
Juraj Čobej
Vladimirs Draguns
Ján Ďurica
Pavol Farkaš
Peter Fieber
Branislav Fodrek
Karim Guédé
Juraj Halenár
Marián Had
Miroslav Hýll
Quintón Christina
Miroslav Chvíla
Jozef Juriga
Ľuboš Kamenár
Vladimír Kinder
Tomáš Kóňa
Rastislav Kostka
Ján Kozák jr.
Samuel Kozlovský
Marek Krejčí
František Kubík
Ľudovít Lancz
Martin Lipčák
Ľubomír Luhový
Štefan Maixner
Marián Masný
Stefan Mitrović
Branislav Niňaj
Gyula Nirnsee
Martin Obšitník
Branislav Obžera
Tomáš Oravec
Peter Petráš
Juraj Piroska
Attila Pinte
Erik Prekop
Ľubomír Reiter
Kornel Saláta
Ivan Schranz
Miloš Soboňa
Dušan Sninský
Jakub Sylvestr
Otto Szabó
Filip Šebo
Anton Šoltis
Karel Vácha
Blažej Vaščák
Vladimír Weiss sr.
Vladislav Zvara
Club Managers
Many different managers have led FC Petržalka throughout its history:
František Urvay (1978–79)
Anton Urban (1980)
Michal Pucher (1981)
Dušan Abrahám (1982)
Anton Urban (1982–83)
Tomáš Nitka (1983)
Štefan Slezák (1983–85)
Jozef Balažovič (1986)
Jozef Prochotský (1995–97)
Stanislav Strapek (1997–98)
Vladimír Weiss sr.
Karel Stromšík (1998)
Vladimír Weiss sr. (1998)
Peter Pavlovič (1998–99)
Vladimír Weiss sr. (1999–00)
Dušan Galis (2000–02)
Vladimír Weiss sr. (2002–06)
Michal Hipp (2006)
Vladimír Weiss sr. (2007–08)
Michal Hipp (2008–09)
Emil Stranianek (2009)
Peter Fieber (2009–10)
Vladimír Goffa (2010–11)
Norbert Hrnčár (2011–12)
Emil Stranianek (2012)
Ľubomír Luhový (2012)
Alexander Zachariáš (2012)
Emil Stranianek (2012–13)
Tomáš Medveď (2013–15)
Rastislav Kunst (2015–16)
Peter Boďo (2016–17)
Balázs Borbély (2017–Apr 2019)
Miroslav Mentel (Apr 2019)
Jozef Dojčan (Jun 2019 – Oct 2019)
Vladimír Koník (Oct 2019-30 June 2020)
Ladislav Pecko (30 June 2020 – 4 May 2021)
Mário Auxt (June 2021-19 June 2022)
Ján Haspra (19 June 2022-18 Sep 2022)
Alexander Zachariáš (21 Sep 2022-Apr 2023)
Michal Kuruc (Apr 2023-)
See also
In Spanish: FC Petržalka 1898 para niños
- 2005–06 FC Artmedia Bratislava season