View: Aston Villa hero Stiliyan Petrov will never be forgotten at Villa Park
Aston Villa cult hero Stiliyan Petrov left a legacy at Villa Park that lasts to this day and fans will always be grateful.
Petrov turns 43 today, leaving fans reflecting on the tireless Bulgarian midfielder’s achievements in claret and blue.
He was an unshakable leader throughout his entire time at the club, inheriting the captain’s armband once Gareth Barry left in 2009.
Petrov spent seven years as a player at Villa between 2006 and 2013 but spent the final year of his career out as he battled leukaemia.
However, he never really left the club and held three different roles in the three years after his retirement, but the final attempt broke Villa hearts.
What could have been
Villa went through one of the worst seasons ever experienced by a Premier League club in 2015/16, but there was one ray of light on the horizon.
Petrov announced that he was training with Villa’s Under-21s and aimed to make a full professional comeback for the club in the Championship.
In June 2016, the club confirmed that Petrov would be joining them during preseason, though he had not been given a contract yet.
He was given his iconic number 19 shirt back and was swamped by adoring Villa fans singing “sign him up” after a friendly against Worcester City.
However, Roberto Di Matteo confirmed that he would not be given a playing contract shortly afterwards.
The decision was mystifying, given the state of the club at the time.
Aston Villa were just emerging from a season that could generously be described as hell and Petrov was there to help lead them out of it.
He was known for his leadership, particularly grabbing the team by the scruff of the neck and helping steer them away from relegation in 2011.
It was not a financial decision as Petrov told TalkSport shortly after that he would have happily played for free.
Just having his personality around the club would have been a huge help in what was a difficult season, but instead, they let him go.
Villa fans rightly kept their adoration for Petrov to this day and he will never be forgotten.
In other Aston Villa news, Leon Bailey has sent a message of defiance to his doubters.