Stiliyan Petrov facts for kids
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Petrov with Bulgaria in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 July 1979 | ||
| Place of birth | Montana, Bulgaria | ||
| Height | 1.80 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Montana | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995–1996 | Montana | 21 | (4) |
| 1996–1999 | CSKA Sofia | 45 | (3) |
| 1999–2006 | Celtic | 228 | (64) |
| 2006–2013 | Aston Villa | 185 | (9) |
| Total | 479 | (80) | |
| National team | |||
| 1998–2013 | Bulgaria | 105 | (8) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2013 | Aston Villa Academy (assistant) | ||
| 2015 | Aston Villa (team coach) | ||
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Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov (Bulgarian: Стилиян Альошев Петров, born 5 July 1979) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder, a player who helps both attack and defense.
Petrov joined Celtic from CSKA Sofia in 1999. He won ten trophies during his time at Celtic, including four Scottish Premier League titles. In 2006, he moved to Aston Villa in the Premier League. He joined his former manager, Martin O'Neill, there. Petrov became the team captain at Villa Park. He was also added to the Aston Villa Hall of Fame in 2013. He played 219 games for the club.
Petrov is also Bulgaria's most-capped player ever. He played 105 games for his national team.
In March 2012, Petrov was diagnosed with acute leukaemia, a serious illness. He stopped playing football to get treatment, which was successful. He officially announced his retirement from playing in May 2013. After retiring, Petrov worked as a coach for Aston Villa's youth team and first team. In 2016, he even trained with the team again. He played in some friendly matches but did not sign a new playing contract.
Stiliyan Petrov's Football Journey
Starting His Career
Stiliyan Petrov was born in Montana. He began playing football for his local team, FC Montana. When he was 18, a scout named Dimitar Penev noticed him. Petrov then signed with CSKA Sofia for €30,000. With CSKA Sofia, he won the Bulgarian Championship in 1997. He also won the national cup in 1997 and 1999.
Playing for Celtic
Petrov joined Celtic in the summer of 1999. He was signed by manager John Barnes for £2.8 million. Even though he was young, he played a lot. He won the League Cup with Celtic, which was his second big trophy.
At first, Petrov found it hard to settle in Scotland. He missed his home and felt lonely. He also couldn't speak English. To improve his English, he worked in a friend's burger van. This hard work helped him fit in and play better for the club.
After his first season, he had a great second season under manager Martin O'Neill. Celtic won three trophies that year. Petrov scored 7 league goals in 28 games. One of these goals was in Celtic's big 6–2 win over Rangers. He also became the first foreign player to win the SPFA Young Player of the Year award. However, he broke his leg near the end of the season. This meant he missed the Scottish League Cup and Scottish Cup finals.
In the 2001–02 season, Petrov returned from his injury. He became a very important player for Celtic. People described him as a "box-to-box midfielder" because he worked hard all over the field. He won his second SPL medal that season.
In his fourth season, Petrov continued to play well. Many top European clubs were interested in him. After some talks, he signed a new deal with Celtic. This was his best goal-scoring season, with 14 goals in 50 games. He also played in the only European final of his career, the UEFA Cup final, where Celtic finished as runners-up.
Over the next two seasons, he remained a key player for Celtic. He played 105 games and scored 19 goals. He won the Scottish Cup twice during this time, scoring in the 2004 final. He also won his third SPL medal. The 2004–05 season was Martin O'Neill's last at Celtic. Petrov later joined O'Neill at Aston Villa. That season, Petrov also won the Celtic Player of The Year award.
The 2005–06 season brought many changes for Celtic. Martin O'Neill left, and Gordon Strachan became the new manager. Celtic had a difficult start, but they improved. Petrov scored his first hat-trick in a 5–0 win over Motherwell. Celtic went on to win the SPL and League Cup that season.
This was Petrov's last season at Celtic. He joined his former manager Martin O'Neill at Aston Villa for £6.5 million. In total, Petrov played 312 games for Celtic over seven years, scoring 55 goals. He won the SPL four times and both the Scottish and Scottish League Cups three times each.
Time at Aston Villa
In August 2006, Petrov moved to Aston Villa. He signed a four-year deal. This was manager Martin O'Neill's first signing for Villa. Petrov's first game for Villa was against West Ham United on 10 September, which ended in a 1–1 draw. In 2007, he changed his shirt number from 11 to 19. Petrov scored his first goal for Villa in a 2–2 draw against Sheffield United in December 2006.
In April 2008, he scored an amazing goal from near the halfway line against Derby County. Villa won that game 6–0. This goal was considered for "goal of the season." It was also the furthest goal ever scored by an Aston Villa player.
The 2008–09 season was much better for Petrov. He became a regular player in the first team. He was named captain for the first time in a UEFA Cup game against Litex Lovech in October 2008. He also scored a goal in that game.
In May 2009, Aston Villa fans voted Petrov as their "Player of the Year." His teammates also chose him as "Players' Player of the Year." This was because he played so consistently well. He then signed a new four-year contract to stay at the club until 2013.
After captain Martin Laursen retired, Petrov became the new Villa captain in the summer of 2009. He said it would be a "great honour" to lead such a historic club. In his first season as captain, he led the team to sixth place in the Premier League. They also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the final of the League Cup.
Petrov continued to be the Villa captain even when Gérard Houllier became manager. In October 2010, he got a knee injury. He returned to play in December 2010. In February 2011, Petrov played his 150th Premier League game for Aston Villa. In September 2011, he scored his first goal of the season against Everton. On 29 October 2011, Petrov played his 200th game for Aston Villa in the Premier League. He scored the first goal in a 2–2 draw against Sunderland.
Facing a Big Challenge
On 30 March 2012, Stiliyan Petrov was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. This is a type of cancer that affects blood cells. He found out after he had a fever following a game. Because of this, Petrov had to stop his football career to get treatment.
His agent said that Petrov was "fighting for his life" and would "fight to recover." Fans showed huge support for him. At Villa Park, during every game, fans would applaud in the 19th minute. This was his shirt number, and it became a special tribute.
On 10 June 2012, Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert announced that Petrov would remain the club captain for the 2012–13 season, even though he couldn't play. On his 33rd birthday, Petrov visited his teammates. They gave him a cake and sang "Happy Birthday."
Good news came on 2 August 2012: Petrov's leukaemia was in remission, meaning the signs of the illness had gone away.
Petrov officially announced his retirement from playing football on 9 May 2013. On the last day of the season, he walked onto the Villa Park pitch with his family. He thanked the fans for their amazing support during his illness.
Playing for His Country
Stiliyan Petrov first played for the Bulgaria national team on 24 December 1998. It was a friendly match against Morocco. He scored his first goal for Bulgaria in another friendly game against Belarus in March 2000.
In 2003, he won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award while playing for Celtic. He was the captain of the national team at Euro 2004. During a match against Denmark, he was sent off (given a red card).
In October 2006, Petrov announced he would retire from international football. However, he later made up with the manager, Hristo Stoichkov, and returned to the team in March 2007. He did not get his captaincy back right away, as Dimitar Berbatov was captain. In 2010, Petrov became captain of the Bulgarian team again after Berbatov retired from international football.
On 26 March 2011, Petrov played his 100th game for Bulgaria. This was in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland. He received flowers and applause from the fans before the match.
During his career, Petrov was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2003. He also finished second or third in this award several other times.
Life After Playing
In October 2014, Petrov started playing football again for a local Sunday League team for players over 35.
In March 2015, he returned to Aston Villa in a coaching role. He helped coach the first team. In April 2016, Petrov shared that he was training with Villa's Under-21 team. He hoped to return to professional football. In June, he trained with the first team during their pre-season tour. On 9 July 2016, Petrov played his first game with the Aston Villa first team since his illness. It was a friendly match against an Austrian team.
Petrov has completed his UEFA pro coaching licence. He also earned a master's degree in Sports Management. He is now a director of a business called Player 4 Player. This company helps footballers when they retire from playing.
Personal Life
In 2005, Petrov wrote his autobiography called You Can Call Me Stan. "Stan" is his nickname, a shorter version of his first name. In the book, he explained that "Stiliyan" is the correct spelling of his name. Stiliyan is married to Paulina, and they have two sons, Kristiyan and Stiliyan Jr.
Honours and Awards
Stiliyan Petrov won many trophies and awards during his career:
- CSKA Sofia
- Bulgarian Championship: 1996–97
- Bulgarian Cup: 1996–97, 1998–99
- Celtic
- Scottish Premier League: 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06
- Scottish Cup: 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05
- Scottish League Cup: 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2005–06
- UEFA Cup runner-up: 2002–03
- Aston Villa
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2009–10
- Individual Awards
- Bulgarian Footballer of the Year: 2002–03
- SPFA Young Player of the Year: 2000–01
- Celtic Player of The Year: 2004–05
- Aston Villa Players' Player of the Year: 2008–09, 2011–12
- Aston Villa Supporters' Player of the Year: 2008–09
- Inducted into Aston Villa Hall of Fame: 2013
- BFU Award (for 100 caps)
- UEFA Centurions Award (for 100 caps)
- FIFPRO Merit Award: 2013
Images for kids
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Petrov with Bulgaria in 2011
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Petrov playing for Aston Villa in 2008
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Petrov with Bulgaria in 2011
