He began his career with hometown side FC Montana. A year after making his professional debut he moved on to CSKA Sofia and eventually broke into the first team.
Emerging as one of Bulgaria's bright young stars, he made his international debut in 1999 and has also captained the side.
His performances soon attracted the eye of Europe's top clubs, and Celtic were there to snap him up for £2million.
Despite struggling in his first season at the club, Petrov was soon able to show his class and was voted Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Year in 2001 in spite of a serious leg break.
The Hoops enjoyed good European cup runs, and also secured domestic title success with the ever-more influential Petrov in the centre of midfield.
Known for his solid play in central midfield for club and country, Petrov was made captain of the Bulgarian national team and led his side to Euro 2004 where he was sent off during a match against Denmark and they were eliminated from the competition before the knockout stages began.
However, he also starred in the Scottish FA Cup final win over Dunfermline, where he netted the final goal, adding to his growing array of silverware.
The following year, Petrov's excellent form continued and he was one of the standout performers in the SPL, despite missing out on the title.
He was able to lead Bulgaria through the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup. However, at the end of the 2005/06 season, Petrov handed in a transfer request to Celtic, and claimed he wanted to move away from Parkhead.
When former Hoops' manager Martin O'Neill was installed as the boss at Aston Villa, Petrov's decision was easy and he made the move to Villa Park just before the transfer window closed for £6.6 million.
Making his debut against West Ham in September, Petrov performed exceptionally well at the start of the 2006/07 season before a dip in form saw him fade towards the end of the campaign.
Despite appearing over 60 times for his country, in October 2006 Petrov shocked Bulgarian football by retiring from the national side aged just 27, promising not to return whilst Hristo Stoichkov manages the Bulgaria national team.
However, just a few months later, Petrov patched up his differences with the coach, made himself available for selection for the Euro 2008 qualifier against Albania and was re-called.
No comments:
Post a Comment