Christian Petracca

Christian Petracca is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, 1.86 metres tall and weighing 97 kilograms (214 lb), Petracca has the ability to play dual-positions as a forward and a midfielder both on the inside and outside. Petracca had a standout junior basketball career where he played in the Victorian under-16 side and he was named in the Australian under-18 squad. He entered top-level football early when he played for Victoria at under-12 level and he represented them throughout his junior career, culminating in selection for Vic Metro in the 2014 AFL Under 18 Championships. In addition, he joined the TAC Cup competition as a bottom-aged player. His achievements as a junior included winning the Larke Medal, the most valuable player at state level, and selection in the All-Australian and TAC Cup Team of the Year sides. Petracca was recruited by Melbourne with the second selection in the 2014 AFL draft. He made his AFL debut in 2016 after missing the entire 2015 season with a knee injury and received an AFL Rising Star nomination during his debut season.