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. He emphasized that Spremo was "by far the greatest talent of that generation".
Pankov made his professional debut for Vojvodina on 10 May 2014 in 1-0 home loss to Jagodina. 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. The first leg win against Sampdoria ultimately helped Vojvodina make the play-off against Viktoria Plzeň, after which Vojvodina was eliminated.
Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast On 23 May 2016, Pankov signed a long-term contract with Russian side Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast.«УРАЛ» ЗАКЛЮЧИЛ ДОЛГОСРОЧНЫЙ КОНТРАКТ С РАДОВАНОМ ПАНКОВЫМ at Ural Sverdlovskaya Oblast official website, 23 May 2016 He was the second player from Vojvodina to join Ural that spring, after Dominik Dinga. Shortly after joining Ural, he suffered an adductor injury.
On 30 June 2017, Pankov signed a one-season loan deal with Cypriot side AEK Larnaca.
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. He spent the second half of the 2022–23 season on loan at Čukarički.
Legia Warsaw On 13 June 2023, Pankov signed a three-year contract with Polish Ekstraklasa club Legia Warsaw. On 5 October 2023, Radovan Pankov was arrested by Dutch police alongside teammate Josué Pesqueira after an altercation with security staff following a match against AZ Alkmaar in the group stage of the UEFA Europa Conference League. 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. His father, Miloš Pankov, was originally from Tovariševo and played as a playmaker for Proleter Zrenjanin in Yugoslavia's third tier. At one point he was a teammate with Darko Kovačević. He was killed in a car accident when Pankov was 11 years old.
Career statistics
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps GoalsVojvodina2013–14Serbian SuperLiga20———202014–15Serbian SuperLiga1402010—1702015–16Serbian SuperLiga3002060—380Total4604070—570Ural Yekaterinburg2016–17Russian Premier League5010——60AEK Larnaca (loan)2017–18Cypriot First Division513000—81Radnički Niš2018–19Serbian SuperLiga3533042—425Red Star2019–20Serbian SuperLiga2312030—2812020–21Serbian SuperLiga3213190—4422021–22Serbian SuperLiga21040110—3602022–23Serbian SuperLiga401020—70Total803101250—1153Čukarički (loan)2022–23Serbian SuperLiga14130——171Legia Warsaw2023–24Ekstraklasa25200100003522024–25Ekstraklasa23140131—4022025–26Ekstraklasa221004000261Total70440271001015Career total255112816330034615
Honours AEK Larnaca Cypriot Cup: 2017–18
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
References
External links Radovan Pankov at Utakmica.rs