Charles Petro

John Charles Petro (born 8 February 2001) is a Malawian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a defender for Liga I club Botoșani and the Malawi national team, which he captains.

Club career Petro joined Big Bullets in 2018, initially playing with their reserve squad in the second-tier Southern Region Football League before being promoted to the first team ahead of the 2019 season, making an instant impact and playing an instrumental role in their second consecutive Super League championship win. For his performance filling in the gap left by injured team captain John Lanjesi, he was named Defender of the Year while also being nominated for the Player of the Year award at the annual league awards ceremony.

After rejecting a trial with South African side Polokwane City, Petro instead underwent a month-long trial at Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol in early 2020.

On 7 March 2023, Petro signed with Romanian Liga I club Botoșani on a two-year deal. At the time, he was one of only two Malawian footballers playing in Europe, along with Kieran Ngwenya.

He made his senior international debut on 20 April 2019, replacing Gomezgani Chirwa during a 0–0 draw against Eswatini in the 2020 African Nations Championship qualifiers. He also played for Malawi at the 2019 COSAFA Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours

Club Big Bullets Super League of Malawi: 2019

Sheriff Tiraspol Divizia Națională: 2020–21, 2021–22 Moldovan Cup: 2021–22 Moldovan Super Cup runner-up: 2021

Individual Super League of Malawi Defender of the Year: 2019