FC Petržalka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
FC Petržalka

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
Home colours Away colours

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

• 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	Filip Šebo	22
2006–07	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!

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.

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

*-unofficial fee

Current Team Squad

Updated March 13, 2025

No. Position Player 1 GK René Žákech 5 MF Samuel Alabi 6 DF Dominik Dinga 7 MF Matej Riznič 8 MF Roman Begala 10 MF Peter Mazan 11 MF Patrik Danek 12 DF Nicolas Sagan 14 DF Martin Hlavaty 16 MF Kevin Doan 20 FW Frank Appiah 22 DF Nathan Cruce-Corcy

No. Position Player 24 MF Dávid Bordáč 27 DF Daniel Holásek 30 FW Oliver Kubka 32 MF Mikuláš Demjanovič 33 GK Pavel Halouska 47 FW Pavle Obradović 54 MF Thiago Gaúcho 73 MF Vladimír Bajtoš 93 MF Lukáš Gašparovič 95 DF Arnaud Konan 97 DF Patrik Šurnovský 99 GK Marek Petrufka

Players on Loan

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

No. Position Player GK Marian Fendek (at SFC Kalinkovo until 30 June 2025) GK Matus Karovic (at FK Lamač Bratislava until 30 June 2025) 2 DF Tomáš Kachnič (at Slovan Bratislava B until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player 20 DF Nikita Kelembet (at Žilina B until 30 June 2025) MF Viktor Sliacky (at Komárno until 30 June 2025)

Club Staff

Updated May 18, 2024

Staff	Job title
Michal Kuruc	Manager
Ivan Minčič	Assistant manager
Róbert Veselovský	Goalkeeping coach
Zdeno Biháry	Physiotherapist
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		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.

Club Managers

Many different managers have led FC Petržalka throughout its history:

See also

In Spanish: FC Petržalka 1898 para niños

• 2005–06 FC Artmedia Bratislava season