Stiliyan Petrov’s career came to a sudden halt when he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in late March 2012.
The 34-year-old is on the road to a full recovery now after battling the fight of his life.
The worldwide affection that Petrov has received has been amazing, but for a man of his character, it’s the least he deserves during such a debilitating period of his life.
The man’s attitude towards the game is incredible, and the way he’s used his fame as a springboard for the underprivileged or physically ill shows you what a benevolent and kind person he is.
On Sunday, the eighth of September, he played in a charity game organised by former club Celtic in a game against his very own assembled line-up at a sold-out Park Head.
Appearing for both sides, on the 19th minute – which represents the number he wore with Aston Villa – the game was stopped for Petrov’s scheduled withdrawal from the match; however, he opted to stay on the field after rapturous and emotional applause for Celtic’s fan favourite.
At the full-time whistle, the noise was deafening, as the supporters sung a rousing rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone that not only had Petrov in tears, but undoubtedly had the adoring crowd feeling a mutual sense of sorrow.
That energy from Glasgow would no doubt have transcended to those supporters of Aston Villa, who have shown him and his family unwavering support through his battle with illness.
Having captained both Villa and Celtic, as a player his contributions will never be forgotten.
Simply put, some of his displays were awe inspiring.
The combative midfielder took Villa to the League Cup final, the FA Cup semi-finals and highly creditable sixth place finishes in the top-flight.
He spent seven years at the club, quickly endearing himself to the fans through his sheer tenacity and no-nonsense tackling approach – it was fair to say he epitomised all the qualities of a born leader.
During his time with the Villa Park outfit, he scored incredible long-range goals and was rewarded for his consistency with the club’s Players’ Player of the Year and Supporters’ Player of the Year awards in 2008-09.
Villa granted him a role as the assistant of the youth academy, helping Gordon Cowans develop some of the club’s brightest prospects.
But well before the Bulgarian asserted himself as one of the Premier League’s leading midfielders, Petrov achieved great success in Scotland.
He helped Celtic secured four league titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups in his seven years at Park Head.
However, when he first joined the club, not only was he being played out of position, but his English was broken and very poor.
The solution?
To work in his friend’s Burger Van, in an attempt to fast-track his learning of the language.
Once he had a grasp on the English vernacular, he began to lead by example on the field.
His work rate in the middle of the park was absolutely phenomenal and his passing range complimented his overall game.
Having achieved some of the greatest heights that any professional footballer could ever hope for, he’s also experienced the terrible heartache and pain of battling a life-threatening disease.
Petrov is a true inspiration to those connected to the football world through his charity work and the remarkable show of strength that saw him play in a football match.
One of football’s most well-respected people was once described by Celtic manager Neil Lennon as having the ‘heart of a lion’.
Simply couldn’t have put it better myself.
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