Christian Petracca Partner, Net Worth, Salary, Cooking & More

As one of the biggest stars in the Australian Football League (AFL), Christian Petracca has already firmly entrenched his name within the annals of AFL’s long history at the young age of 27. 

A Norm Smith Medal winner, 3-time All-Australian, and 2021 AFL Premiership winner, Petracca embodies a new guard flair with an old school never-say-die mentality that has seen him and his team, Melbourne Football Club, reap the rewards of his talent and determination. All this from a player who grew up multi-talented, with basketball as his sport of choice, before electing to focus on making a career in Australian rules.
Here is the lowdown on the player that was sensationally dubbed the AFL’s best player ahead of the 2023 season by ESPN.

Christian Petracca Quick Facts

Who is Christian Petracca?

Christian Petracca is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), one of Australia’s most historic sports. Born in Melbourne, Australia to Italian-Australian parents, Petracca was recognised as a gifted sportsman from an early age. 

Significantly, Petracca was considered to be a skilful footballer even in his younger years as he represented his home state of Victoria at under-12 level. Petracca grew up a fan of AFL side Collingwood Football Club prior to being drafted to Melbourne.

Junior Years

Being that he was as adept with a ‘Sherrin’ (the football used in Australian rules) as he was a cricket bat, soccer ball, or basketball, Christian Petracca was blessed with a multitude of options for his sporting future. 

Having been a representative basketballer for Victoria and Australia at under-16 and under-18 level respectively, he chose to commit to Australian rules and was eventually selected for Vic Metro in the 2014 AFL Under 18 Championships. He also joined the Talent League competition as a bottom-aged player with Eastern Ranges, giving him ample opportunity to be spotted by an AFL side.

Petracca flourished with Eastern Ranges in the 2013 season, kicking 41 goals from 17 matches in a dominant season where his side defeated the Dandenong Stingrays comprehensively in a 92-point grand final victory. From 2014 onwards, Petracca would begin to split his time between vice-captaining Eastern Ranges and representing the Australian Institute of Sport AFL Academy side via an awarded scholarship.

2014 continued to be an instrumental year for Petracca as he transitioned from a forward playing role to his current position as a midfielder with Vic Metro in the Under 18 Championships. His outstanding performances earned him plenty of adoration and led him to being rewarded with the Larke Medal as the best player during the Championships. 

Christian Petracca’s AFL Career

Early AFL Years

Although several outlets, fans and pundits predicted Petracca to be selected as the no. 1 draft pick in the 2014 national draft – a sign of the esteem he has been held in since even before his career took flight – he was eventually selected by Melbourne Football Club as their first selection and the second overall pick in the national draft. 

Undeniably, Petracca’s career as a professional AFL player has been nothing short of remarkable. However, his time in the AFL began under difficult circumstances when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in training ahead of his first season for Melbourne. 

As a result, Petracca’s official debut did not arrive until round 6 in the 2016 AFL season because of both the ACL injury and a broken toe mishap that occurred over Christmas in 2015. His first game would prove to be just a glimpse of the future player he would blossom into. 

Petracca’s successive efforts throughout the 2016 season would lead to him being touted for the AFL Rising Star award, which is presented to the best young player in the competition. He would end up finishing sixth in the running for the award, however he would rank first for inside-50s, second for goal assists and third for contested possessions per game out of all the Rising Star nominees.

Petracca Becoming A Leading AFL Player

Having attributed his late season burnout in 2016 to his body tiring from the demands of regular AFL matches, Petracca entered the 2017 season with a goal in mind to improve his endurance in midfield, leading to him losing six kilograms in an effort to achieve this goal. Petracca would go on to play every match in the 2017 season and admit to the Herald Sun in an interview his lofty ambitions as a player, stating: “I want to be a Hall of Famer”.

Petracca became well-known and respected for his all-round qualities as a player during the 2017 season, with many acknowledging his intelligent play, match-winning ability, confidence, and resilience to keep his team in games as key attributes that distinguished him from his contemporaries. He was primarily used as a forward – with some stints in midfield – between 2017 and 2019, playing every game across all three seasons. Petracca touched on the changes that occurred in his approach to footy and the impact that it had during this period in an interview with the AFL in 2023.

“My professionalism, good habits, a really good routine and who I am now…I wish I started that when I was 19 or 20. I just didn’t really have that. It probably wasn’t until my 2019 year. We were second last on the ladder but I was playing some good footy.”

Breakout Years And Melbourne’s Grand Final Win

2020 was considered to be Petracca’s breakout year in a season where the AFL competition was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He began to make his name in midfield in 2020, and proceeded to finish third in the Charles Brownlow Medal and win his first Best and Fairest award. 

In 2021, Petracca was amongst Melbourne’s strongest players in a season that saw the Demons win their first Premiership since 1964. The gun midfielder won the Norm Smith Medal for being the best on ground in the 2021 Grand Final where the Demons came back in the third quarter against the Western Bulldogs, equalling the record for possessions (39) in the process. Petracca would continue his fine form in 2022, delivering outstanding performances and breaking personal records in the process even as his Melbourne side faltered late in the season and struggled to match the heights set by the previous year’s exploits. 

What type of player is Christian Petracca?

Christian Petracca is a professional Australian rules player who represents Melbourne Football Club – aka the Demons – in the AFL. Petracca is a player blessed with the ability to play dual-positions as both a forward and a midfielder, however he has become renowned for his all-action displays as a quintessential midfielder that any club would dream of having, with the AFL naming Petracca as one of the best No. 2 AFL draft picks of all-time in 2021. 

Physical in a contest, whilst being willing and able to break tackles with ease, Petracca’s style of play has become synonymous with his signature bursts from midfield and subsequent forays towards goal.

Christian Petracca, One Club Man

Petracca has spent his entire professional career with Melbourne Football Club in the AFL. In a sport where changing clubs is commonplace, Petracca stands out as a player who has played every season with the club he was initially drafted to in 2014, undergoing plenty of highs and lows in the process. He undoubtedly has plenty of love for the side that gave him his chance in the AFL. 

During an interview with the AFL ahead of this season, Petracca identified his desire to be captain of Melbourne someday, expressing: “I reckon being a captain of a footy club would be absolutely incredible. It’s something I’ve definitely improved as I’ve gotten older with that ability to lead and develop habits. I struggled with it early on because I hadn’t got my own backyard in order but once I did that I feel like I was able to lead.”

Christian Petracca Career Stats

Christian Petracca has grown into one of the AFL’s most remarkable players since his debut in 2016, accumulating an impressive series of accolades and stats along the way to match it with the best players in the modern game.

Goals (total/average): 151 / 0.9 per game
Behinds (total/average): 124 / 0.8 per game
Kicks (total/average): 1894 / 11.9 per game
Handballs (total/average): 1746 / 11.0 per game
Disposals (total/average): 3640 / 22.9 per game
Marks (total/average): 617 / 3.9 per game
Tackles (total/average): 512 / 3.2 per game

Christian Petracca, Australian Basketballer?

In the present day, Petracca is recognised as a professional AFL player for Melbourne Football Club. However, before he pulled on the signature red and navy blue of the Demons, Petracca was close to becoming a professional basketballer and was touted as potentially donning the famous green and gold of the Australian Boomers in the future.

Having opted out of pursuing a career in Australian rules from a young age, basketball became Petracca’s sport of choice in his junior years, which led to him being recognised and named as co-captain of the Victorian Primary Schools (VPS) basketball side. He went as far as to be selected in the Australian under-17 squad alongside former Utah Jazz and 2014 NBA number-five draft pick, Dante Exum. Eventually, Petracca decided to stay in Australia and pursue a football career at sixteen years of age in an endeavour to be closer to friends and family. 

Christian Petracca, Personal Life

Christian Petracca is undoubtedly one of the most popular players in the AFL, and this is due in no small part to his playful, easygoing, and earnest personality. In addition, Petracca is known for making time for fans when it comes to autographs and post-game chats. Part of what makes Petracca endearing is that he is certainly not one to shy away from sharing his passions as well, and is open about his love of cooking, fashion, and family across his social media.

Petracca attributes his nature to his family life growing up, stating in an interview with the AFL that: “I’ve grown up in a great family with two older brothers and my parents and a very loving family. I feel like it’s always been me, I’ve always loved giving my time to people.” 

Outside of the game, Petracca practises mindfulness and eventually has begun to apply it to his own matchday routine. Not only has mindfulness taught Petracca to slow his game down, it has allowed him to move on from and not linger on underwhelming performances, an important attribute to have in the high pressure environment of a professional sporting team. Petracca spoke with GQ about his meditative practices and efforts to improve his lung capacity and breathing during games, a facet he believes has helped him to stay comfortable during high-intensity games, saying: “The thing that keeps me in the game is my breath, trying to always go back to that, being present.”

Upon graduating high school in 2013, Petracca attended Swinburne University in 2014 and studied commerce and marketing in the background of his pursuit of a career in the AFL. Petracca is currently also Melbourne’s representative for their Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan. 

Who is Christian Petracca dating / girlfriend?

Melbourne Football Club midfielder Christian Petracca is currently engaged to his fiance, Bella Beischer, a Legal Operations Analyst for leading independent Australian law firm Hall & Wilcox. Petracca popped the question to his longtime girlfriend at Italy’s picturesque Lake Como in early 2022 after planning the engagement for months beforehand.

Petracca & Bella

He spends time with his girlfriend, Bella Beischer. Attending Scotty James and Isabella Carr’s wedding, he was accompanied by his partner, Bella. He enjoyed a beach house outing with Bella in Queensland and visited the Brownlow Medal together. Rome, Italy, with statues of Greek gods like Artemis, was another point of attraction for the couple. They also visited the UK towards the end of 2024. In January 2024, he spent time making croissants and sausages with Bella. In 2024, he also visited Coffin Bay, Australia, with his significant other.

Christian Petracca, Food Connoisseur

Growing up in an Italian-Australian household would no doubt expose one to an array of delicious foods and unique culture, and Christian Petracca knows this better than anyone. Petracca, who is somewhat of a food connoisseur, has taken to Instagram and TikTok to showcase his cooking skills to the world in the past few years. Petracca’s content creation around food began – like for so many – during the COVID-19 lockdowns in Melbourne. He was sparked by the extensive free time he had on his hands to learn from the best, his mum and grandmother, and to use cooking as a therapeutic outlet.

His videos showcase an array of healthy meals that he consumes on the day-to-day as a professional athlete, many of which are inspired by his Italian heritage and generations of family history. His personal TikTok, @christianpetracca_5 (146.3k followers), and health and wellness Instagram page, @on.trac5 (33.1k followers), feature frequent posts displaying his aptitude as a chef and his day-to-day life as an AFL player. 

Christian Petracca Style

As an Aussie rules player, Petracca sticks out as being well known for his fashionable style and appreciation for fashion culture. Speaking on the Colour Plane podcast during the 2023 AFL season, Petracca detailed his love for all things Nike and spoke about his extensive sneaker collection to listeners. Petracca went on to define his own style as “pretty simple” and explained that he seeks to match the colours of his day-to-day clothing to his shoe of choice. 

Petracca became the official brand ambassador of luxury watch retailer, Kennedy, in 2022, citing a lifelong love of watches as his reasoning for entering into the partnership. He has also been a ‘Nike athlete’ for a few years now, which would no doubt be a dream come true to the Nike-loving Demons midfielder. 

What is Christian Petracca’s Salary?

Melbourne Football Club player, Christian Petracca, recently signed a massive seven-year contract with the club he was initially drafted to at the 2014 AFL Draft. Currently, Petracca’s salary is believed to be worth between $800,000 and $900,000.

What is Christian Petracca’s Net Worth?

As one of the leading names in the Australian Football League (AFL), Christian Petracca has attracted brand partnerships with the likes of leading watch retailer Kennedy and global sporting brand Nike. A popular player amongst Melbourne Football Club and AFL fans alike, Petracca’s net worth is estimated to be $5 million dollars.

Run Through

Petracca indulged in golf for leisure at the Port Sea Golf Club, enjoying both seafood fettuccine and golfing. He graced the cover of the new AFL game. In July 2023, he engaged in post-game recovery and spent time with Andy Heardson, presenting him with an autographed shirt. In October 2023, Pet secured a trophy for himself and celebrated the expertise of his teammates Clayton Oliver and Jacob Van Wofen. He commemorated playing 150 games alongside his close teammate, Clayton.

Unwind and Breathe

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On his rest days, he enjoys the gym, massages, swimming, and showcasing his culinary skills with his friend Sarah. A typical pre-season day for the star begins with a chia seed-flavored banana-mango smoothie. For lunch, he prepares nachos with avocado and sour cream. For dessert, he makes shredded coconut candies. He cherishes his off days with his Noona, Grandmother, making raw pasta together. His off days often revolve around showcasing even more of his culinary skills. He once cooked with the Soshimango group on one of such days.

Ambassadorial Deeds

Pet is one of the brand ambassadors for Ralph Lauren’s fragrances in Australia. He shares a close friendship with Scotty, spending most of his rest days with him. He currently serves as the brand ambassador for Samsung Australia. As of April 2024, he participated in a game in Adelaide.