Stiliyan Petrov: The most underrated captain in Aston Villa history
After joining Aston Villa from Celtic in 2006, Stiliyan Petrov enjoyed seven fruitful years at Villa Park and three successful seasons as club captain.
Brought down to the west midlands from Celtic Park by his old manager Martin O’Neill for £8million, the Bulgarian arrived as a free-flowing attacking midfielder who could spice up Villa’s attack.
During his time at the club – in which he went on to make over 200 appearances – he slowly merged into a defensive-minded terrier of a midfielder, sitting at the base of Villa’s midfield alongside Gareth Barry.
In his prime, Petrov was a dogged midfielder, someone happy to do the dirty work that others shied away from, and was a captain who led by his actions on the pitch rather than rousing speeches off it.
The ex-Celtic man was appointed captain by O’Neill in 2009, having just been voted as Villa’s fans’ Player of the Year as well as the Players Player of the Year.
With Barry exploring further treasures with Manchester City that summer and Martin Laursen leaving the club, Petrov was the obvious choice to take up the mantle of captain.
He was respected by the fans, the management, and his fellow teammates alike.
It was his fearless determination to win which symbolised Petrov’s stint as captain of the club (2009-2012), and in his first season donning the armband, he led Villa to a third successive sixth-place finish – above both Liverpool and Everton, and just six points off the Champions League places.
Before Villa’s League Cup final against Manchester United that season, the Bulgarian climbed off his sickbed to play at Wembley, and despite the loss, put in a stunning display as Villa went toe to toe with Sir Alex Ferguson’s side.
The Bulgarian also led the Villans to a second Wembley appearance that season in the FA Cup, but again they would come undone against a strong Chelsea side, eventually losing 3-0.
Although his actions as captain on the pitch were seismic, his legacy at Villa Park will remain for many years to come.
The midfielder’s time as captain of the club was cut cruelly short in April 2012 when he was diagnosed with Leukaemia, but after an exhaustive three-year battle with the condition, he would make a quite remarkable return to the sport.
Stan returned to Roberto Di Matteo’s squad for the 2016 pre-season campaign and was given a hero’s welcome by fans when he got a run-out against Worcester City in a friendly.
Petrov’s miraculous recovery defied all odds, and his willingness to return to the club has put him down as a Villa legend for decades to come.
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