Marko Petrovic

A defender scoring twice in six minutes is unusual enough; doing it against Shakhtar Donetsk made Marko Petrović a notable performer for Slaven Belupo. In the friendly of 21 July 2026, he struck in the 63rd minute and again in the 69th to bring his side level at 2-2, and Croatian media called him the "absolute hero of the match".

Everything before that had been built inside one club. Petrović joined the Slaven Belupo academy around 2021 and moved up through the junior categories, where he was made vice-captain, before being attached to the senior squad. He used a double-registration arrangement with NK Koprivnica, the club's reserve side, to play regularly in the Croatian Second League across the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 seasons. No fee has been involved in any of his moves; he has never left the club's own structure.

His first-team debut came on 21 April 2026, and he has since made seven appearances for the senior side.

Croatia have looked at him at youth level. He won two caps for the under-18 team in friendlies during 2024 and scored once, and in February 2025 he was named in an under-19 squad. His height and left foot give him an obvious use at set pieces at both ends of the pitch.