Stiliyan Petrov Biography

As the most crucial part of every article, we first introduce our her of the article, and in this case, we are going to meet Stiliyan Petrov, a Bulgarian legend, one might say, that has done a great service for his country and has played over 100 games as a midfielder for the national team. Petrov arrived at Celtic Park in 1999 from CSKA Sofia, where he won 10 trophies, including four Scottish Premier League crowns.

In 2006, he and his previous manager

joined Aston Villa in the Premier League. Petrov became club captain at Villa Park, and after 219 competitive games for the club, he was inducted into the Aston Villa Hall of Fame in 2013. He is also Bulgaria's all-time most-capped player, having made 105 appearances for the country.

This athlete was diagnosed with acute leukemia in March 2012, and his football career was put on hold while he underwent treatment, which proved to be effective. In May 2013, he declared his retirement from the game.

Petrov returned to training in 2016, initially with the under-21 side, then the seniors, after stints as both a youth team and first-team coach at Aston Villa in 2013 and 2015. Manager Roberto Di Matteo did not grant him a playing contract after he played in pre-season games.

Everything you possibly would like to know about Stiliyan Petrov biography

In this article, we are going to focus on

Stiliyan Petrov bio

.

We will also take a look at the personal life and life outside football of this player and try to uncover any secrets available in his life. But for now, we are going to take a look at his most crucial information to make it much easier to sink in the article and conceive the upcoming parts of Stiliyan Petrov biography.

Stiliyan Petrov information

Let's start with the fundamentals and look at his most vital facts. Keep in mind that this is the first and most important step in reading this article since we want you to get to know the athlete before reading about his career or personal life.

Personal information

• Full name:

  Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov

• Date of birth:

  5 July 1979

• Age:

  42 years

• Star Sign:

  Cancer

• Star sign features:

  Nurturing, sensitive, compassionate, self-protective

• Nationality:

  Bulgarian

• Place of birth:

  Montana, Bulgaria

• Marital status:

  Married

• Religion:

  Christianity

Football information

• Position:

  Midfielder

• Total appearances:

  685

• Club appearances:

  575

• National appearances:

  105

• Foot:

  Right

Last team played for:

Physical stats and appearance

• Height:

  1.80 m

• Hair color:

  Light Brown

• Skin color:

  White

• Facial hair:

  Clean

Now that you've learned the most crucial facts about Stiliyan Petrov, there's nothing stopping us from delving deeper into the biography of Stiliyan Petrov.

Stiliyan Petrov early life

Let start the article with the prime years of

Stiliyan Petrov life story

which is relative to his career to some degree.

Stiliyan Petrov date of birth

is the 5th of July 1979. This Bulgarian, who was born in Montana, began his football career with the local team FC Montana.

He was identified by scout and coach Dimitar Penev at the age of 18 and signed with CSKA Sofia for a cost of €30,000. He won the Bulgarian Championship in 1997 and the national cup in 1997 and 1999 with his new team.

Petrov was recruited by John Barnes for £2.8 million in the summer of 1999.

The teenager shone brightly in a season in which Celtic won the League Cup, his second major trophy and the first of many with the club. Despite the positive ending to the season, Petrov had a difficult start with the club. He felt homesick and lonely at first, and he couldn't communicate in English.

That was all we could find on

Stiliyan Petrov childhood

and early career.

Of course, we will read the rest of his career story in the next parts of

Stiliyan Petrov biography

.

Stiliyan Petrov profile

For a man who has played for almost two decades and has managed for a few years, Petrov has a lengthy history with relatively big clubs such as Celtic. I this section of Stiliyan Petrov biography we will take a look at his playstyle which was unique back then, and his reception.

Style of play

Stiliyan Petrov nationality

is Bulgarian which does not give us that much information like the Italians or Germans because they have their own play style.

Some midfielders use their position to get involved in every part of a game, nestling in the center of the park as a spider nestles in the center of a carefully woven web.

Some midfielders, on the other hand, choose to use their position in a more passive manner. They handle both teams' midfielders like a tiger would treat long strands of coarse grass: stoically concealed, waiting for that one decisive moment of eruption that may decide the game.

While the tiger roars in an effort to take down an unsuspecting antelope, these midfielders sprint into space to scoop up stray balls and smash them past careless goalkeepers.

This is exactly Petrov was treating his position and playing his part in the game.

Reception

He was already a loved athlete in his hometown and in the prime years of his career. Petrov had built a solid reputation in his homeland as a youthful, lively midfielder capable of making an influence on games on a regular basis.

He was also a guy of great moral character, as evidenced by his and his teammates' ability to win the 1999 Bulgarian Cup barely 12 months after losing 5-0 to arch-rivals

in the previous season's iteration.

Goal celebration

Stiliyan has a reputation of "over-celebrating" his goals to the point that he had to apologize for his odd extended and over-the-top depiction of joy in front of opponent’s fans. It is important to mention that this athlete had no particular way of celebrating and usually shared his joy with his teammates.

Stiliyan Petrov outside football

It is sad to say that Petrov did not have any significant out of the field activity except fighting cancer. Petrov was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on March 30, 2012.

After Petrov acquired a fever following Aston Villa's 3–0 loss to

, testing revealed the illness. As a result, Petrov told the Bulgarian press that he was about to retire from the club and international football; however, his representative later contradicted the reports: "Stiliyan has not stated that he is retiring from football.

He did add, though, that he was battling for his life and would fight to recover." He came to Villa Park for the match against

, and the crowd gave him a standing ovation in the 19th minute, the number of his shirt.

The homage piqued supporters' interest, and they gave it a standing ovation at every Villa game that season.

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert stated on June 10, 2012, that Petrov will remain the club captain for the 2012–13 season. In his absence, Dutch defender Ron Vlaar assumed command of the team.

Petrov paid a visit to his teammates on his 33rd birthday, on the first day of preseason training, and was given a cake by the players, who sang him a happy birthday and applauded him.

Petrov's leukemia was declared to be in remission on August 2, 2012.

Stiliyan Petrov personal life

In this section of Stiliyan Petrov biography, we will look at his good deeds and criminal record. We will also get familiar with some facts about his personal life, his family, and his children.

Stiliyan Petrov religion

is Christianity.

Petrov's autobiography, You Can Call Me Stan, was published in 2005 with the help of Sunday Mail sports journalist Mark Guidi and was titled after his nickname "Stan," a shortened form of his given name. He explains in the book that the right spelling is "Stiliyan," not "Stilian," as it is sometimes written in the press.

Family, Children and relationship

Stiliyan Petrov is married to Paulina Petrova, who is incredibly attractive.

Stiliyan Petrov and Paulina Petrova began dating in their early twenties and have been together ever since. Paulina was doubtful that Stiliyan would ever call her after they met in a Bulgarian nightclub, but Petrov had to go to Glasgow the next day, which he did, and they are now together.

Stiliyan and Paulina were married in a private wedding ceremony in Bulgaria in 2001.

Paulina has always been there for her husband, notably when he was diagnosed with cancer and she persuaded him to continue his chemotherapy, which saved Petrov's life.

Stiliyan Petrov and Paulina Petrov have two children. Stiliyan Petrov Jr. was born in 2006. Kristiyan Petrov, the couple's second son, was born in 2010.

Philanthropy

Although there is no information about any attendance in big charity events by the hero of our story but Stiliyan is the founder of The Stiliyan Petrov Foundation.

The goal of this foundation is to hold capital and income and use the income, as well as all or part of the capital, for or towards any general charitable purposes, including, but not limited to, medical research and the support of children and families of children suffering from medical conditions or diseases, as the trustees see fit.

Legal issues

There has been a few cases where Stiliyan was sued over some major incontinence but none of them has resulted in Stiliyan getting arrested or charged. Overall, the criminal record of this athlete is clean.

Stiliyan Petrov career statistics

For the final part of the

Stiliyan Petrov biography

article, we are going to take a look at the career statistics of this athlete. Ultimately, we will finish the article with his achievements and awards.

Club

We have already talked about his early career at

.

Petrov's formal transfer request was denied by Celtic in April 2006. Following that, he was linked with a move to Aston Villa, which is led by former Celtic manager Martin O'Neill. Petrov joined Villa Park on a four-year deal worth £6.5 million on August 30, 2006, becoming O'Neill's first signing for the club.

On September 10, he made his debut against West Ham United.

The game ended in a 1–1 tie. Petrov changed his jersey number from 11 to 19 in 2007. Petrov scored his first Villa goal in a 2–2 draw against Sheffield United on December 11, 2006, although his first two seasons at the club were marred by inconsistency.

In a 1–0 away loss against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on October 23, 2010, he suffered a knee injury. Petrov returned to the first team on December 26, 2010.

Petrov made his 150th Premier League appearance for Aston Villa on February 26, 2011, when he came in as a second-half replacement for

in the 76th minute of Aston Villa's 4–1 triumph over Blackburn Rovers at Villa Park.

Petrov scored his first goal of the season against Everton on September 10, 2011. Petrov made his 200th appearance for Aston Villa in a Premier League match against Sunderland on October 29, 2011, scoring the opening goal in a 2–2 draw.

Due to his leukemia, Petrov announced his retirement from football on May 9, 2013.

International

Stiliyan Petrov first appeared for Bulgaria in a friendly match against Morocco on December 24, 1998, as a 52nd-minute replacement. The game took place in Agadir, Morocco, and the North Africans won 4–1. On March 29, 2000, in a friendly match against Belarus (4–1), he scored his first goal for the national team (80th minute).

When he was playing for Celtic in 2003, he was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year, and he led the national team at Euro 2004 when he was sent off during a match against Denmark.

Petrov, Bulgaria's captain at the time, confirmed his desire to retire from international football at the age of 27 as long as Hristo Stoichkov is in charge of the national team. He made apologies to

on March 20, 2007, and made himself available for selection once more.

He did not reclaim his status as national captain, however, when

was chosen to keep the captain's armband. Petrov finished second in Bulgaria's Player of the Year competition on January 14, 2010. Following Berbatov's retirement from international football in 2010, Petrov was renamed captain of the Bulgarian team.

Petrov won his 100th cap for Bulgaria in a 0–0 home draw with Switzerland in a Euro 2012 qualifier on March 26, 2011. Prior to the start of the match, he got a flower bouquet from Borislav Mikhailov and was praised by the audience.

Petrov was named Bulgarian Footballer of the Year in 2003 throughout his career. In 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, and 2011, he finished second, while in 2002 and 2006, he finished third.

Managerial

Aston Villa stated on May 22, 2013, that Petrov will take on a new job as assistant to the Youth Development squad, working alongside Gordon Cowans, soon after declaring his retirement from playing.

′′I'm really thrilled about this new task, and I want to thank the Club and the manager, Paul Lambert, for giving me the chance to continue my relationship with Villa, which I have always viewed as a privilege,′′ Petrov said of his new job.

In the following months, I'll study for my coaching badges, and I'm really excited to work with Gordon Cowans, who I know and admire as a true Villa legend.′′

Petrov was no longer a member of the Villa coaching staff as of August 2013. His resignation was announced by the Club, who indicated that he had sought time off to devote himself totally to his family. Petrov expressed his thanks to the club for providing him with this chance.

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood stated on March 5, 2015, that Petrov will return to the Aston Villa backroom squad and assist with the coaching of the First Team.

As of 2020, Petrov holds a UEFA Pro coaching license as well as a master's degree in Sports Management from UEFA.

Along with other former players such as Gareth Farrelly, Emile Heskey, and

, he is presently the director of a business initiative called Player 4 Player, which helps players transition into retirement.

Stiliyan Petrov honors

He has a lengthy list of achievements. On the top of his individual awards are Celtic Player of The Year for 2004–05, Aston Villa Players' Player of the Year for 2008–09 and 2011–12, and Bulgaria's Player of the year in 2002–03. Sadly, he has no international achievements.

On the team level, he has won many awards with Celtic such as 4 times Scottish premier League winner, 3 times Scottish cup winner, and 3 Times Scottish League cup winner.

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Stiliyan Petrov biography

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