Martin Petrov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Martin Petrov

Petrov with Bolton Wanderers in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Martin Petyov Petrov
Date of birth	(1979-01-15) 15 January 1979 (age 46)
Place of birth	Vratsa, PR Bulgaria
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1995–1996	Botev Vratsa	18	(4)
1996–1998	CSKA Sofia	19	(3)
1998–2001	Servette	77	(27)
2001–2005	VfL Wolfsburg	116	(28)
2005–2007	Atlético Madrid	49	(3)
2007–2010	Manchester City	59	(9)
2010–2013	Bolton Wanderers	73	(10)
2013	Espanyol	8	(0)
2013–2014	CSKA Sofia	17	(3)
Total		436	(87)
International career
1999–2011	Bulgaria	90	(19)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Martin Petyov Petrov, born on January 15, 1979, is a former professional football player from Bulgaria. He was known for playing as a winger, which is a player who runs down the sides of the field. Martin Petrov played for famous clubs like VfL Wolfsburg, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, and Bolton Wanderers. He also played 90 games for the Bulgarian national team.

Playing for Clubs

Martin Petrov started his football journey at FC Botev Vratsa. After playing well for a few seasons, he joined PFC CSKA Sofia. He played two great games against Servette in the UEFA Cup. Because of these games, the Swiss team bought the 19-year-old player for 1.2 million German marks.

Time at VfL Wolfsburg

In 2001, Petrov moved to VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. Here, he became known as a very exciting player. He played his first game for Wolfsburg on July 14, 2001. It was a 4–3 win against Dinamo Minsk in the Intertoto Cup. In that game, he scored a goal and helped set up another.

Petrov played his first league game for Wolfsburg on July 28, 2001. This was the first day of the 2001–02 Bundesliga season. In his first year at Wolfsburg, Petrov played in 32 league games. He scored 6 goals and helped with 11 assists.

On October 30, 2004, Petrov scored all four goals in Wolfsburg's 4–3 win over Mainz 05. During the 2004–05 season, he played 30 games. He was the club's top scorer with 12 goals and also made 14 assists.

Moving to Atlético Madrid

In the summer of 2005, Atlético Madrid bought Petrov for €10 million.

On October 14, 2006, Petrov got a serious knee injury during a game. He was out of action for more than six months. He returned to play for Atlético on April 28, 2007, in a 0–0 draw. On May 6, Petrov scored Atlético's only goal in their 2–1 loss to Espanyol.

In July 2007, there were many rumors that Petrov would leave Atlético Madrid. The club reportedly set a price of £6.2 million for him. He then left the Atlético Madrid training camp to think about his future. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were interested in him. On July 26, 2007, Manchester City confirmed they had signed Petrov. He joined them for £4.7 million (€7 million) on a three-year contract.

Playing for Manchester City

Petrov's first Premier League game for Manchester City was on August 11, 2007. They won 2–0 against West Ham United. He scored his first goals for the club on September 22, 2007, against Fulham. After that, Petrov scored two more goals. One was in a 3–1 win over Newcastle United, and the other in a 2–1 win over Reading. He also made six assists. He was sent off in a home game against Everton for kicking an opponent. This meant he was banned for three games. Petrov later scored another goal against Portsmouth.

With new players joining Manchester City, Petrov was sometimes not in the starting team. However, he scored goals in the first two games he started. This led the manager to start him more often. He scored again against Fulham, but he also hurt his knee again. After a new manager, Roberto Mancini, took over, Petrov started both league games and scored in a 2–0 win over Stoke City on December 26.

On April 18, 2010, Petrov announced that his season was over due to a knee injury. This meant he would miss the last four league games. On June 8, 2010, it was announced that Petrov's contract had ended, and he would leave Manchester City.

Time at Bolton Wanderers

On June 22, 2010, Petrov agreed to join Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer. This move was completed on July 1. He scored his first goal for Bolton against Manchester United on September 26, 2010. He finished that season with three goals. In his second season, he scored six goals. Four were in the league, one in the League Cup, and one in the FA Cup. Bolton was relegated from the Premier League that season. Petrov played enough games to extend his contract for another year.

Short Spell at Espanyol

Petrov signed with the Spanish team RCD Espanyol on January 14, 2013. He joined them for the rest of the 2012–13 season. He found it hard to get a regular spot in the team. He left the club at the end of the season. After that, he played in a local league in Manchester to stay fit.

Return to CSKA Sofia

After 15 years playing abroad, Petrov returned to CSKA Sofia in October 2013. On October 31, 2013, Petrov played his first game back for CSKA Sofia. He came on as a substitute in a 1–0 win. He started his first game on November 16, in a 0–0 draw. His first goal came on November 25, in a 3–1 win. Petrov played his last game as a professional footballer on May 17, 2014. It was a 1–1 draw, which was the last game of the season.

Playing for Bulgaria

Petrov playing for Bulgaria in 2010

In June 1999, Martin Petrov was called up to play for the Bulgarian national team for the first time. It was for a Euro 2000 qualifying game against England. He came on as a substitute to play alongside his hero, Hristo Stoichkov. However, it was a tough start for him. He was sent off with a second yellow card just eight minutes after coming on. Petrov was very upset when he left the field.

Petrov was a key player for Bulgaria in the Euro 2004 tournament. He played very well in all three games. He scored Bulgaria's only goal in the tournament, which was a penalty against Italy.

On September 2, 2006, Petrov played a very important role in Bulgaria's first Euro 2008 qualifying game against Romania. He scored two goals in two minutes to make the score 2–2 in the last minutes of the game. This was an amazing comeback. He also scored against Slovenia (in a 3–0 win) and the Netherlands (in a 1–1 draw). His great performances in 2006 helped him win the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award.

On September 7, 2010, Petrov played his 80th game for Bulgaria. It was a 0–1 loss in a Euro 2012 qualifier.

Career Statistics

Club

International Games

Goals for Bulgaria

Martin Petrov: International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	14 November 2000	Algiers, Algeria	Algeria	1–0	2–1	Friendly
2.	28 March 2001	Sofia, Bulgaria	Northern Ireland	2–1	4–3	FIFA World Cup 2002 Qualification
3.				4–1
4.	6 September 2003	Sofia, Bulgaria	Estonia	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2004 Qualification
5.	22 June 2004	Guimaraes, Portugal	Italy	1–0	1–2	UEFA Euro 2004
6.	9 October 2004	Zagreb, Croatia	Croatia	1–2	2–2	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification
7.	4 June 2005	Sofia, Bulgaria	Croatia	1–2	1–3	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification
8.	17 August 2005	Sofia, Bulgaria	Turkey	2–1	3–1	Friendly
9.	7 September 2005	Sofia, Bulgaria	Iceland	3–2	3–2	FIFA World Cup 2006 Qualification
10.	2 September 2006	Constanţa, Romania	Romania	1–2	2–2	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification
11.				2–2
12.	6 September 2006	Sofia, Bulgaria	Slovenia	2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification
13.	7 October 2006	Sofia, Bulgaria	Netherlands	1–0	1–1	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification
14.	6 June 2007	Sofia, Bulgaria	Belarus	1–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification
15.	12 September 2007	Sofia, Bulgaria	Luxembourg	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification
16.	6 February 2008	Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
17.	14 October 2009	Sofia, Bulgaria	Georgia	2–0	6–2	FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification
18.				6–1
19.	29 March 2011	Larnaca, Cyprus	Cyprus	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Awards and Achievements

Martin Petrov won several awards and championships during his football career:

CSKA Sofia

• Bulgarian A Group: 1996–97
• Bulgarian Cup: 1996–97

Servette

• Swiss Super League: 1998–99
• Swiss Cup: 2000–01

Atlético Madrid

• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007

Individual Awards

• Bulgarian Footballer of the Year: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Martin Petrov para niños