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FC Petržalka
FC Petržalka crest.png
Full name FC Petržalka
Nickname(s) Engerau
Founded 7 June 1898; 127 years ago (1898-06-07)
as Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület
Ground Stadium FC Petržalka 1898,
Petržalka, Slovakia
Ground Capacity 1,600
President Marek Mojto
Head coach Michal Kuruc
League MONACObet Liga
2023–24 2nd of 16

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.

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

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 Slovakia Filip Šebo 22
2006–07 Slovakia Tomáš Oravec 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!

Artmedia Bratislava Stadium
Previous Petržalka stadium

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. Slovakia Balázs Borbély Romania Timișoara €800.000 2008
2. Slovakia Filip Šebo Austria FK Austria Wien €600.000* (400.000 GBP) 2005
3. Slovakia Marián Čišovský Romania Timișoara €550.000* 2008

*-unofficial fee

Current Team Squad

Updated March 13, 2025

No. Position Player
1 Slovakia GK René Žákech
5 Ghana MF Samuel Alabi
6 Serbia DF Dominik Dinga
7 Slovakia MF Matej Riznič
8 Slovakia MF Roman Begala
10 Slovakia MF Peter Mazan
11 Slovakia MF Patrik Danek
12 Slovakia DF Nicolas Sagan
14 Slovakia DF Martin Hlavaty
16 Slovakia MF Kevin Doan
20 Ghana FW Frank Appiah
22 France DF Nathan Cruce-Corcy
No. Position Player
24 Slovakia MF Dávid Bordáč
27 Czech Republic DF Daniel Holásek
30 Slovakia FW Oliver Kubka
32 Slovakia MF Mikuláš Demjanovič
33 Czech Republic GK Pavel Halouska
47 Serbia FW Pavle Obradović
54 Brazil MF Thiago Gaúcho
73 Slovakia MF Vladimír Bajtoš
93 Slovakia MF Lukáš Gašparovič
95 Mali DF Arnaud Konan
97 Slovakia DF Patrik Šurnovský
99 Slovakia GK Marek Petrufka

Players on Loan

Some players from FC Petržalka are currently playing for other teams on a temporary basis:

No. Position Player
Slovakia GK Marian Fendek (at SFC Kalinkovo until 30 June 2025)
Slovakia GK Matus Karovic (at FK Lamač Bratislava until 30 June 2025)
2 Slovakia DF Tomáš Kachnič (at Slovan Bratislava B until 30 June 2025)
No. Position Player
20 Ukraine DF Nikita Kelembet (at Žilina B until 30 June 2025)
Slovakia MF Viktor Sliacky (at Komárno until 30 June 2025)

Club Staff

Updated May 18, 2024

Staff Job title
Slovakia Michal Kuruc Manager
Slovakia Ivan Minčič Assistant manager
Slovakia Róbert Veselovský Goalkeeping coach
Slovakia Zdeno Biháry Physiotherapist
Slovakia Rudolf Sokol Doctor

Player Records

Most Goals Scored

Here are the players who have scored the most goals for FC Petržalka:

# Nationality Name Goals
1 Slovakia Milan Strelec 67
2 Czechoslovakia Marián Pochaba 59
3 Slovakia Tomáš Medveď 51
4 Slovakia Ján Kozák jr. 40
5 Slovakia 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.

  • Slovakia Ladislav Almási
  • Ivory Coast Mamadou Bagayoko
  • Slovakia Henrich Benčík
  • Slovakia Balázs Borbély
  • Slovakia Erik Čikoš
  • Slovakia Marián Čišovský
  • Slovakia Juraj Čobej
  • Latvia Vladimirs Draguns
  • Slovakia Ján Ďurica
  • Slovakia Pavol Farkaš
  • CzechoslovakiaSlovakia Peter Fieber
  • Slovakia Branislav Fodrek
  • Slovakia Karim Guédé
  • Slovakia Juraj Halenár
  • Slovakia Marián Had
  • Slovakia Miroslav Hýll
  • Curaçao Quintón Christina
  • Czechoslovakia Slovakia Miroslav Chvíla
  • Slovakia Jozef Juriga
  • Slovakia Ľuboš Kamenár
  • Czechoslovakia Slovakia Vladimír Kinder
  • Slovakia Tomáš Kóňa
  • Slovakia Rastislav Kostka
  • Slovakia Ján Kozák jr.
  • Slovakia Samuel Kozlovský
  • Slovakia Marek Krejčí
  • Slovakia František Kubík
  • Czechoslovakia Ľudovít Lancz
  • Slovakia Martin Lipčák
  • Slovakia Ľubomír Luhový
  • Slovakia Štefan Maixner
  • Czechoslovakia Marián Masný
  • Serbia Stefan Mitrović
  • Slovakia Branislav Niňaj
  • Kingdom of Hungary Gyula Nirnsee
  • Slovakia Martin Obšitník
  • Slovakia Branislav Obžera
  • Slovakia Tomáš Oravec
  • Slovakia Peter Petráš
  • Slovakia Juraj Piroska
  • Slovakia Attila Pinte
  • Slovakia Erik Prekop
  • Slovakia Ľubomír Reiter
  • Slovakia Kornel Saláta
  • Slovakia Ivan Schranz
  • Slovakia Miloš Soboňa
  • Slovakia Dušan Sninský
  • Slovakia Jakub Sylvestr
  • Slovakia Otto Szabó
  • Slovakia Filip Šebo
  • Slovakia Anton Šoltis
  • Czech Republic Karel Vácha
  • Slovakia Blažej Vaščák
  • Czechoslovakia Slovakia Vladimír Weiss sr.
  • Slovakia Vladislav Zvara

Club Managers

Many different managers have led FC Petržalka throughout its history:

  • Czechoslovakia František Urvay (1978–79)
  • Czechoslovakia Anton Urban (1980)
  • Czechoslovakia Michal Pucher (1981)
  • Czechoslovakia Dušan Abrahám (1982)
  • Czechoslovakia Anton Urban (1982–83)
  • Czechoslovakia Tomáš Nitka (1983)
  • Czechoslovakia Štefan Slezák (1983–85)
  • Czechoslovakia Jozef Balažovič (1986)
  • Slovakia Jozef Prochotský (1995–97)
  • Slovakia Stanislav Strapek (1997–98)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Weiss sr.
  • Czech Republic Karel Stromšík (1998)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Weiss sr. (1998)
  • Slovakia Peter Pavlovič (1998–99)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Weiss sr. (1999–00)
  • Slovakia Dušan Galis (2000–02)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Weiss sr. (2002–06)
  • Slovakia Michal Hipp (2006)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Weiss sr. (2007–08)
  • Slovakia Michal Hipp (2008–09)
  • Slovakia Emil Stranianek (2009)
  • Slovakia Peter Fieber (2009–10)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Goffa (2010–11)
  • Slovakia Norbert Hrnčár (2011–12)
  • Slovakia Emil Stranianek (2012)
  • Slovakia Ľubomír Luhový (2012)
  • Slovakia Alexander Zachariáš (2012)
  • Slovakia Emil Stranianek (2012–13)
  • Slovakia Tomáš Medveď (2013–15)
  • Slovakia Rastislav Kunst (2015–16)
  • Slovakia Peter Boďo (2016–17)
  • Slovakia Balázs Borbély (2017–Apr 2019)
  • Slovakia Miroslav Mentel (Apr 2019)
  • Slovakia Jozef Dojčan (Jun 2019 – Oct 2019)
  • Slovakia Vladimír Koník (Oct 2019-30 June 2020)
  • Slovakia Ladislav Pecko (30 June 2020 – 4 May 2021)
  • Slovakia Mário Auxt (June 2021-19 June 2022)
  • Slovakia Ján Haspra (19 June 2022-18 Sep 2022)
  • Slovakia Alexander Zachariáš (21 Sep 2022-Apr 2023)
  • Slovakia Michal Kuruc (Apr 2023-)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: FC Petržalka 1898 para niños

  • 2005–06 FC Artmedia Bratislava season
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