Stiliyan Petrov é um ex-meio-campista búlgaro que jogou no Celtic e no Aston Villa, disputou 105 partidas pela Bulgária e encerrou a carreira em 2013 após tratar uma leucemia.
Stiliyan Petrov
Stiliyan Petrov was born on July 5, 1979, in Montana, Bulgaria, and became one of the greatest names in Bulgarian football in the 21st century. A defensive midfielder with good passing ability, he started at Montana and played for CSKA Sofia before transferring to Celtic, Scotland, in 1999. At Celtic, where he played until 2006, Petrov won national titles and was a starter in the 2003 UEFA Cup final, lost to Porto. In 2006 he moved to Aston Villa, where he stood out as captain and played in the 2010 English League Cup final against Manchester United. For Bulgaria's national team, he played 105 matches and scored 7 goals, serving as team captain. In March 2012, Petrov was diagnosed with acute leukemia, received treatment and became a symbol of perseverance in sports. He ended his career in 2013 and started working with Aston Villa's youth academy.