| Birth date | 23 December 2003 (age 22) |
|---|---|
| Birth place | Slovenia |
| Height | 1.86 m[1] |
| Currentclub | Al Ain |
| Clubnumber | 14 |
| Position | Centre-back, full-back[1] |
| Youthyears 1 | –2013 |
| Youthclubs 1 | Mura 05 |
| Youthyears 2 | 2013–2017 |
| Youthclubs 2 | Mura |
| Youthyears 3 | 2017–2018 |
| Youthclubs 3 | Maribor |
| Youthyears 4 | 2018–2021 |
| Youthclubs 4 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
| Years 1 | 2021–2025 |
| Clubs 1 | Olimpija Ljubljana |
| Caps 1 | 110 |
| Goals 1 | 8 |
| Years 2 | 2025– |
| Clubs 2 | Al Ain |
| Caps 2 | 23 |
| Goals 2 | 0 |
| Nationalyears 1 | 2017–2018 |
| Nationalteam 1 | Slovenia U15 |
| Nationalcaps 1 | 6 |
| Nationalgoals 1 | 0 |
| Nationalyears 2 | 2018–2019 |
| Nationalteam 2 | Slovenia U16 |
| Nationalcaps 2 | 9 |
| Nationalgoals 2 | 2 |
| Nationalyears 3 | 2019 |
| Nationalteam 3 | Slovenia U17 |
| Nationalcaps 3 | 8 |
| Nationalgoals 3 | 0 |
| Nationalyears 4 | 2021 |
| Nationalteam 4 | Slovenia U18 |
| Nationalcaps 4 | 2 |
| Nationalgoals 4 | 2 |
| Nationalyears 5 | 2021 |
| Nationalteam 5 | Slovenia U19 |
| Nationalcaps 5 | 6 |
| Nationalgoals 5 | 0 |
| Nationalyears 6 | 2022–2025 |
| Nationalteam 6 | Slovenia U21 |
| Nationalcaps 6 | 15 |
| Nationalgoals 6 | 0 |
| Nationalyears 7 | 2024– |
| Nationalteam 7 | Slovenia |
| Nationalcaps 7 | 3 |
| Nationalgoals 7 | 0 |
| Club-update | 17 May 2026 |
| Nationalteam-update | 31 March 2026 |
Marcel Ratnik (born 23 December 2003) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a defender for UAE Pro League club Al Ain and the Slovenia national team.
Club career
Olimpija Ljubljana
Ratnik started his senior career with Olimpija Ljubljana, playing in the Slovenian PrvaLiga, the top tier of Slovenian football. He signed his first contract with Olimpija in March 2021, valid until 2023.[2] He had to wait until July of that year to make his debut for the club, starting in a 1–1 draw against Radomlje.[3] Ratnik would go on to make eleven more starts that season for a total of 17 league appearances alongside one appearance in the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round against Portuguese club Santa Clara.[4] During the season, he signed another new contract with Olimpija, this time until June 2025.[5]
The next season, at the age of 18, Ratnik established himself as a starter and crucial player for Olimpija.[6] He scored his first goal for the club in a 1–0 home win against Bravo in July 2022.[7] Over the course of the season, Ratnik played a crucial role in his side lifting the league trophy in convincing fashion, making 31 appearances in the league campaign, as well as winning the Slovenian Cup to complete the double.[4]
Ratnik played 49 times the following season, scoring 5 times, a career best.[4] He made 34 appearances in the PrvaLiga and 14 appearances in European competitions,[4] helping Olimpija to their first ever European group stage appearance.[8]
In December 2024, Ratnik became the youngest ever player in Olimpija's history to reach 100 appearances in the Slovenian top division, at the age of 20 years and 350 days.[9] He made 43 appearances in all competitions for Olimpija that season and, as captain, led the club to the league title.[10]
Al Ain
In June 2025, Ratnik joined UAE Pro League team Al Ain on a four-year contract for an alleged transfer fee of €2.2 million.[11]
International career
Ratnik represented Slovenia at all youth international levels from under-15 to under-21.[12]
He made his debut for the senior Slovenia national team on 20 January 2024 in a friendly against the United States.[13]
Style of play
Ratnik can play as a full-back, but is predominantly a centre-back. He is known for his confidence with the ball at his feet, with Slovenian football portal Nogomania describing him as calm, sovereign, always alert and versatile.[14] Due to the belief of Albert Riera, his coach during the 2022–23 season, that a player must be able to play in three different positions, Ratnik even played on the wing for a game towards the end of the season against Maribor.[14]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 2021–22 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 34 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 14[d] | 0 | — | 49 | 5 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 13[c] | 0 | — | 43 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 110 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 148 | 8 | ||
| Al Ain | 2025–26 | UAE Pro League | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 1[e] | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| Career total | 133 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 182 | 8 | ||
- ^ Includes Slovenian Cup, UAE President's Cup
- ^ Includes UAE League Cup
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Conference League
- ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, six appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 2024 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
Honours
Olimpija Ljubljana
Al Ain
References
- ^ "Marcel Ratnik". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Sedemnajstletni Ratnik podpisal pogodbo z Olimpijo" (in Slovene). Nogomania. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Radomlje vs. Olimpija". Soccerway. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^
- ^ "Mladi Ratnik podaljšal sodelovanje z Olimpijo" (in Slovene). Siol. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Riera jasno in glasno: To je leto Olimpije" (in Slovene). Siol. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Ratnikov prvenec za tretjo zaporedno zmago Olimpije, Maribor poražen v Kopru" (in Slovene). RTV Slovenija. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Ljubljana hosts the first ever group stage match of a European Cup: Olimpija takes on Slovan with high expectations". Planet Nogomet. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Marcel Ratnik pri Olimpiji premika rekordne mejnike: Branilec kot najmlajši v zgodovini kluba do 100 ligaških nastopov" (in Slovene). Planet Nogomet. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ "Olimpija win back national championship". sloveniatimes.com. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^ "Zdaj je tudi uradno: Marcel Ratnik si je dokončno slekel dres Olimpije in na drugem koncu sveta podpisal pogodbo za Al Ain" (in Slovene). Planet Nogomet. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^ "Marcel Ratnik – U21 reprezentanca" (in Slovene). nzs.si. Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Marcel Ratnik, international football player". eu-football.info. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "Riera je sprožil močan impulz v karieri Marcela Ratnika, Slovenija dobiva unikatnega nogometaša" (in Slovene). Nogomania. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ "Marcel Ratnik je osvojil naslov, po študiji CIES je drugi najbolje ocenjeni igralec lige" (in Slovene). Nogomania. 7 May 2026. Retrieved 7 May 2026.