Petar Ratkov (; born 18 August 2003) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a centre-forward for club Levante, on loan from club Lazio, and the Serbia national team.
Club career Born in Belgrade, Ratkov grew up in Vojvodina and is a youth product of TSC. He started playing as a second striker before switching to a left-footed winger.
On 18 June 2023, Ratkov signed for reigning Austrian Bundesliga champions Red Bull Salzburg on a five-year contract. 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.
On 8 January 2026, Ratkov moved to Serie A club Lazio for a fee of €13 million. He made his league debut for the club on 12 January in a 1–0 victory.
On 1 September 2026, Ratkov was loaned to La Liga side Levante, for one year. He made his debut in a 4–2 league defeat to Barcelona at Estadi Ciutat de València on 13 September 2026.
International career Ratkov is of mixed Bulgarian and Croatian descent. He holds both Serbian and Bulgarian citizenships, allowing him to represent either Serbia or Bulgaria. Ratkov was also eligible to play for Croatia through his mother's said descent.
In September 2023, he rejected a call-up for Bulgaria, committing himself to the Serbian national team. On 14 October, Ratkov eventually debuted for the Serbian football team in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match against Hungary.
Ratkov was selected in Serbia's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024, but did not make an appearances in the tournament.
Style of play 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.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTSC2020–21Serbian SuperLiga9010——1002021–22Serbian SuperLiga31300——3132022–23Serbian SuperLiga361341——4014Total761651——8117Red Bull Salzburg2023–24Austrian Bundesliga2455160—3562024–25Austrian Bundesliga2233180203542025–26Austrian Bundesliga1793390—2912Total6317115230209922Lazio2025–26Serie A8000——802026–27Serie A0010—0010Total8010—0090Levante2026–27La Liga1000—0010Career total148331762302019039
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSerbia202310202420Total30
References
External links