Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov-Stenly better known as Stiliyan Petrov, a football player, was born on July 5, 1979, in Montana, Bulgaria. His nickname is “Stan”, which is a shortened form of his first name. Due to his celebrity status in Bulgaria, his wedding ceremony was broadcast live in June 2001, by the Bulgarian TV.
Playing at the central midfield position, he has represented Bulgarian national team in 73 matches. He has also captained his country team at Euro 2004.
Stiliyan Petrov kicked off his football career with CSKA Sofia, for which he has played in 38 matches and scored 3 goals during the 1998-99 season. He caught the attention of the fans and other football clubs, after joining the Celtic club. Stiliyan Petrov scored his first hat-trick against Motherwell FC on October 26, 2005. He scored 12 goals in 34 league matches for Celtic and his outstanding performances took the team to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup final (2002-2003). The 2003-2004 season witnessed Stiliyan Petrov scoring 55 goals out of the 228 appearances for Celtic, he became the tenth highest goal-scorer in SPL history, as of 2008.
After signing a four-year deal with Aston Villa, he debuted for the club against West Ham United on September 10, 2006, which ended in a draw. On December 11, 2006, Stiliyan Petrov scored a goal against Sheffield United, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
His first goal of the 2008 season against Derby County on April 12, 2008, became a notable event as it was scored from the halfway line and Aston villa won the match 6-0. Not only has he scored the furthest out recorded goal by an Aston Villa player, but also became a possible candidate for “goal of the season”.
Stiliyan Petrov was named the Scottish Premier League’s Young Player of the Year (2001) and was also voted as Bulgaria’s Player of the Year (2003).
Stiliyan Petrov with Mark Guidi, Sunday Mail sports journalist, has co-authored his autobiography titled You Can Call Me Stan, which was published in 2005.
