Radovan Pankov

Radovan Pankov (; born 5 August 1995) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Super League club Persija Jakarta.

Club career Vojvodina As a youth player, Pankov developed under the supervision of Vojvodina youth coach Milan Kosanović. He was a member of one of the most talented generations in Vojvodina's youth ranks, as his teammates at the time included Sergej Milinković-Savić, Mijat Gaćinović, Srđan Babić, Nebojša Kosović, Emil Rockov, and Milan Spremo. In the summer of 2015, Pankov participated in Vojvodina's 2015–16 UEFA Europa League qualifying campaign. On 30 July 2015, he played in a historic 0-4 away win against Sampdoria in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the Europa League. In an interview with Mozzart Sport in August 2019, Pankov claimed that the best striker he ever played against was Luis Muriel from the 2015 Europa League duel with Sampdoria. He was the second player from Vojvodina to join Ural that spring, after Dominik Dinga.

Radnički Niš On 20 June 2018, Pankov signed a three-year contract with Serbian club Radnički Niš. He played as a starter under coach Nenad Lalatović, and Radnički Niš went on to finish second overall in the 2018–19 Serbian SuperLiga. He was named by Zajednica Super lige among the best eleven players in the entire league that season.

Red Star Belgrade

On 31 May 2019, Pankov signed a three-year contract with Red Star Belgrade. On 13 August 2019, he played a memorable match in the second leg of the third qualifying round of the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League against Copenhagen. He marked Dame N'Doye throughout the match and scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out after overtime.

Legia Warsaw On 13 June 2023, Pankov signed a three-year contract with Polish Ekstraklasa club Legia Warsaw. They were released the following day. On 29 November, a spokesperson of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security confirmed that Public Prosecution Service would be prosecuting Pankov for (attempted) serious assault of a member of AZ's security staff. On 15 December 2023, UEFA charged AZ with a €40,000 fine for failing to provide security for the Polish side. However, in June 2025, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the decision, ruling that AZ was not responsible for the incidents and had taken all reasonable measures together with the police to ensure a safe match. As a result, the club no longer has to pay the fine.

On 15 August 2024, he contributed significantly to Legia Warsaw's advancement from the third qualifying round to the play-off stage of the UEFA Conference League, as they faced Norwegian club Brøndby. He equalized with a header to make it 1–1, which resulted in an aggregate score of 4–3, thereby ensuring the club's progression in the competition.

On 28 April 2026, Pankov announced he would be leaving Legia at the end of the season.

International career Pankov was selected by coach Veljko Paunović to Serbia's squad for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup, which Serbia ended up winning.

Personal life Pankov's mother hailed from Herzegovina. and played as a playmaker for Proleter Zrenjanin in Yugoslavia's third tier.

Red Star Belgrade Serbian SuperLiga: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 Serbian Cup: 2020–21, 2021–22

Legia Warsaw Polish Cup: 2024–25

Serbia U20 FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2015

Individual Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2018–19