Bruno was born on September 16, 1994 in southwestern Croatia, in Metković. The early years of the boy’s biography were spent in post-war devastation; during the conflict in the republics of the former Yugoslavia, the city was constantly shelled. At the same time, the parents paid a lot of attention to the child, indulging all his whims. In 2022, Bruno Petkovic was included in the final application of the Croatian national team for the World Cup in Qatar under the head coach’s decision. Today, Petkovic continues to play for Dinamo Zagreb, his contract runs until June 2024. The striker receives $20,000 a week and is valued by Transfermarkt at €6m. Let’s take a look at the life and career of the Croatian striker. 

A Bruno Petkovic Biography: From Flopping To World Cup Goal

He was meant to play football, despite being multi talented: 

Petkovic started playing football at the age of 9 in his native Metkovic. He acted as a striker, different from his peers in high growth. Due to the complex character, the boy changed academies every year and spent one season at Dinamo (Zagreb). 

However, the Dynamo striker is fond of playing golf, club partners call him a music lover. At the training camp in the national team, Petkovic constantly wins table tennis tournaments. The Croatian football player was personally a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and also dreamed of scoring goals at the World Cup. His wishes came true in 2022 – the striker of the Croatian national team equalized the score in the confrontation with Brazil and transferred the meeting to a penalty shootout, where the Balkan team turned out to be stronger. 

Football career debut: 

Bruno did not start his way to professional sports in Croatia – he was offered a contract in Italy.

Petkovic moved to Catania in August 2012, making his Serie A debut in January against Fiorentina. It was difficult for the oversized striker (height – 192 cm, weight – 82 kg) to adapt to the technical league, in Croatia he was taught the power style of play. The forward never managed to gain a foothold in the starting lineup, he played on loan for the clubs Varese, Reggiana, and Virtus Entella.

In transit through the modest Trapani, Petkovic moved to Bologna, but his statistics in Serie A continued to be deplorable – zero goals scored in 21 matches. The disappointed Italians again sent Bruno on loan, this time to their historical homeland, Dinamo Zagreb. In Croatia, the forward gained confidence, and in 2019 he signed a full-fledged contract with the capital’s team.

Debut for the Croatian national team:

Thanks to the goals of Petkovic, Dynamo made it to the group stage of the Champions League, the striker was noticed by the coaching staff of the Croatian national team. Bruno made his debut for the national team in March in a duel with Azerbaijan, scoring in the Euro 2020 qualifying round. 

The local press prophesied that the striker would soon leave for a European top club, Barcelona was interested in the athlete, but a serious injury unsettled him for six months.

Petkovic’s worst career flop:

In general, Petkovic’s career can hardly be called outstanding, but there is an episode in his biography that all the world’s media gossiped about. In December 2021, in a match against Istra, he scored a crazy foppish penalty in the 90th minute: instead of a run-up, the forward walked on foot and hit after a pause, outplaying the goalkeeper. However, the referee understood the rules and punished the athlete with a yellow card, which turned into a red card and a removal.

But his career highlight was during the World Cup:

The Dinamo (Zagreb) striker started the group stage on the bench, then came on as a substitute in the matches with Canada and Belgium. The football player was nervous, fell out of the team game and often made mistakes when receiving the ball. Ironically, the most criticized player of the national team became a hero in the confrontation with Brazil, scoring a goal in the 117th minute. At the same time, Petkovic dealt with two strong defenders, elegantly throwing the ball between Eder Militao and Marquinhos. After the final whistle, the forward did not hide his emotions:

“I was on fire from the inside, I was jumping out of my skin. I can’t describe it, it’s the most valuable goal of my life! My father Yakov always said that I would score at the World Cup.”

Petkovic’s wife and child: 

Petkovich’s personal life can be judged from social networks; his wife periodically uploads couple photos. The wife’s name is Iva Saric, in 2021 the couple had a boy, Adrian.