Peter Pekarík (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈpeter ˈpekariːk]; born 30 October 1986) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Dynamo České Budějovice and the Slovakia national team.
Club career
MŠK Žilina
Born in Žilina, Pekarík played football at the youth section of his local club.[3] His Corgoň Liga debut came for ZŤS Dubnica. In his first season, he played 27 matches and came back to MŠK Žilina in summer 2005. Pekarík won the Corgoň Liga in the 2006–07 season, playing 35 matches.
Germany and loan to Kayserispor
Following great performances in the 2008–09 Slovak Superliga, Pekarík and signed a four-and-a-half-year contract for Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in January 2009. On 31 January 2009, he made his Bundesliga debut during a 1–1 draw against 1. FC Köln, only to be replaced by Cristian Zaccardo at half-time. Except for one game, Pekarík played in all matches of the second half as Wolfsburg won its first Bundesliga title.
In August 2011, Pekarík joined Turkish Süper Lig club Kayserispor for the 2011–12 season on loan.
After a loan in Turkey, Pekarík returned to Germany, signing for Hertha BSC. On 31 March 2017, in his eighth season in Germany, he scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 3–1 loss against 1899 Hoffenheim which was his 151st Bundesliga match.
Return to MŠK Žilina
On 26 September 2024, Pekarík returned to his hometown club MŠK Žilina after 15 years of playing abroad, signing a contract until 30 January 2025.
Dynamo České Budějovice
On 10 February 2025, Pekarík signed a contract with Dynamo České Budějovice until the end of the season as a free agent.
International career
Early international career
On 10 December 2006, Pekarík debuted for the Slovak senior squad in a friendly match against United Arab Emirates. He scored his first international goal in a 7–0 home victory over San Marino.
Pekarík was included the Slovakia squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After being an unused substitute in the opening match against New Zealand, he started the second and third Group F matches, assisting Kamil Kopúnek's decisive third goal in the 3–2 win over Italy that qualified Slovakia for the knockout stage. He went on to start in the team's round of 16 match against the Netherlands, where they lost 2–1.
Pekarík played in all four of Slovakia's matches at UEFA Euro 2016, where the team reached the round of 16, losing to Germany and all three of their matches at UEFA Euro 2020.
2020s
On 1 June 2021, Pekarík played his 100th match for Slovakia in a friendly 1–1 draw against Bulgaria. He was named in Slovakia's squad for UEFA Euro 2024 and played in all four of the team's matches at the tournament. This made him one of two players, along with the Juraj Kucka, to play in all eleven of Slovakia's matches in UEFA European Championships as an independent nation.
Style of play
British newspaper The Guardian praised Pekarík for his important leadership qualities as a centre-back.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 27 May 2023
International
- As of match played 8 September 2024
- Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pekarík goal.
Honours
MŠK Žilina
- Fortuna Liga: 2006–07
- Slovak Super Cup: 2007
VfL Wolfsburg
- Bundesliga: 2008–09
Hertha BSC
- 2. Bundesliga: 2012–13
Slovakia
- King's Cup: 2018
See also
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
References
External links
- Peter Pekarík at Soccerway.com
- Peter Pekarík at WorldFootball.net
- Peter Pekarík at National-Football-Teams.com
- Peter Pekarík at kicker (in German)
- Peter Pekarík at FBref.com
- Peter Pekarík at the German Football Association
- Peter Pekarík at the Turkish Football Federation
- Peter Pekarík at EU-Football.info
- Peter Pekarík at Fussballdaten.de (in German)
- Peter Pekarík at AS.com (in Spanish)
- Profile at the Hertha BSC website
- Peter Pekarík – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Peter Pekarík at fussballdaten.de (in German)
