{{short description|Malawian footballer (born 2001)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Charles Petro | image = | image_size = | caption = | fullname = John Charles Petro | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|2|8|df=y}} | birth_place = Blantyre, Malawi | height = 1.76 m | position = Defender, defensive midfielder | currentclub = Botoșani | clubnumber = 28 | youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2018 | youthclubs1 = PremierBet Wizards | youthyears2 = 2018–2019 | youthclubs2 = Big Bullets | years1 = 2017–2018 | clubs1 = PremierBet Wizards | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 2018–2019 | clubs2 = Big Bullets Reserves | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 2019–2020 | clubs3 = Big Bullets | caps3 = | goals3 = | years4 = 2020–2022 | clubs4 = Sheriff Tiraspol | caps4 = 43 | goals4 = 2 | years5 = 2023– | clubs5 = Botoșani | caps5 = 81 | goals5 = 1 | nationalyears1 = 2017–2018 | nationalteam1 = Malawi U20 | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | nationalyears2 = 2019– | nationalteam2 = Malawi | nationalcaps2 = 38 | nationalgoals2 = 0 | club-update = 16 May 2026 | nationalteam-update = 18 November 2025 }} '''John Charles Petro''' (born 8 February 2001) is a Malawian professional footballer who plays as a defender or a defensive midfielder for Liga I club Botoșani and the Malawi national team.
==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.<ref name="times">{{cite news|url=https://times.mw/charles-petro-heads-to-moldova/|title=Charles Petro heads to Moldova|work=The Daily Times|first=Peter|last=Fote|date=14 January 2020|access-date=13 March 2020|archive-date=12 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112091724/https://times.mw/charles-petro-heads-to-moldova/|url-status=dead}}</ref> For his performance filling in the gap left by injured team captain John Lanjesi,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://malawichampion.com/stories/charlespetrotrials.php|title=Charles Petro to have Moldova trials|publisher=malawichampion.com|first=Blessings|last=Mpando|access-date=14 March 2020}}{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> he was named Defender of the Year while also being nominated for the Player of the Year award at the annual league awards ceremony.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://mwnation.com/bullets-dominate-tnm-super-league-awards-2/|title=Bullets dominate TNM Super League awards|work=The Nation|first=Solomon|last=Manda|date=19 January 2020|access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref>
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.<ref name=times/> He officially made the move to the club by signing a three-year deal in February.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://times.mw/petro-ignites-fire/|title=Petro ignites fire|work=The Daily Times|first=Williams|last=Gondwa|date=13 February 2020|access-date=14 March 2020}}</ref>
On 7 March 2023, Petro signed with Romanian Liga I club Botoșani on a two-year deal.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/liga-1/charles-petro-fc-botosani-690193.html|title=De la o campioană din Europa direct în SuperLigă! Au prezentat astăzi jucătorul cu 27 de meciuri în națională|first=Daniel|last=Grigore|work=Gazeta Sporturilor|date=7 March 2023|access-date=25 November 2024|language=ro}}</ref><ref name="debut">{{cite news|url=https://mwnation.com/debut-delight-for-petro/|title=Debut delight for Petro|work=The Nation|date=14 March 2023|access-date=25 November 2024}}</ref> At the time, he was one of only two Malawian footballers playing in Europe, along with Kieran Ngwenya.<ref name=debut/> Petro made his debut for Botoșani in a 1–1 league draw against Mioveni on 10 March.<ref name=debut/>
==International career== Petro represented the Malawi national under-20 football team at the 2017 COSAFA U-20 Cup and during the 2019 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations qualifiers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nyasatimes.com/malawi-u-20-off-zambia-cosafa-tournament/|title=Malawi U-20 off to Zambia for COSAFA tournament|work=Nyasa Times|date=2 December 2017|access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://malawi24.com/2018/03/13/25-players-make-u-20-final-squad/|title=25 players make U-20 final squad|work=Malawi24|date=13 March 2018|access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref>
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.<ref name="nft">{{NFT|74178}}</ref> He also played for Malawi at the 2019 COSAFA Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.manaonline.gov.mw/index.php/sports/item/12695-mwase-names-flames-final-squad-for-cosafa|title=Mwase names Flames final squad for Cosafa|publisher=Malawi News Agency|first=Arkangel|last=Tembo|date=24 May 2019|access-date=14 March 2020}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://malawi24.com/2019/09/11/future-looks-bright-malawi-to-use-young-squad-in-qualifiers/|title=Future looks bright: Malawi to use young squad in qualifiers|work=Malawi24|first=Andrew Cane|last=Chilapondwa|date=11 September 2019|access-date=14 March 2020}}</ref>
==Career statistics==
===International=== {{updated|match played 15 November 2025}}<ref name=nft/> {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="8"|Malawi |- |2019||10||0 |- |2020||4||0 |- |2021||10||0 |- |2022||3||0 |- |2023||3||0 |- |2024||2||0 |- |2025||5||0 |- !colspan=2|Total!!37!!0 |}
==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
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://fcbt.ro/player/charles-petro/ Charles Petro] at FC Botoșani {{in lang|ro}} * {{GSA player|charles-petro/246204}} * {{NFT|74178}} * {{Soccerway|611844}}
{{FC Botoșani squad}} {{Malawi squad 2021 Africa Cup of Nations}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petro, Charles}} Category:Living people Category:2001 births Category:Malawian men's footballers Category:21st-century Malawian sportsmen Category:Malawi men's international footballers Category:Malawi men's under-20 international footballers Category:Men's association football defenders Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Nyasa Big Bullets FC players Category:FC Sheriff Tiraspol players Category:FC Botoșani players Category:Moldovan Super Liga players Category:Liga I players Category:Malawian expatriate men's footballers Category:Malawian expatriate sportspeople in Moldova Category:Malawian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Moldova Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Romania Category:Footballers from Blantyre Category:2021 Africa Cup of Nations players