Stiliyan Petrov arrived on British shores in 1999 and went on to become a legend at both Celtic and Aston Villa. The Bulgarian made over 200 league appearances for the Bhoys, winning four SPL titles and three Scottish Cups. South of the border, the midfielder made over 180 appearances for Villa, winning the Birmingham-based club's Player of the Year Award twice.
Petrov made more than 100 appearances for his nation and played with some true giants of the game. Here, he shares his Perfect XI...
Petrov's Perfect XI first appeared in the June 2020 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. For a limited time, you can get five copies of FourFourTwo for just £5!
Petrov's Perfect XI – Goalkeeper: Artur Boruc
“It’s between him and Shay Given, but I’ll go with Artur. As a goalkeeper, you have to be a little crazy and unique... and he’s both! He reached the top with Celtic and has all the right attributes: his footwork is good, and his shot-stopping and ability from crosses are great.”
Right-back: Didier Agathe
“Didier possessed pace and awareness, and raced up and down the pitch really well. At Celtic, he always gave the team good options in wide areas and terrified the opposition with his speed.”
Centre-back: Bobo Balde
“I’m going for two old-fashioned players in central defence – guys who were very strong on set-pieces. Balde had stature as a leader, and you need men like him. He demanded the best from everyone.”
Centre-back: Martin Laursen
“A leader at Villa and, like Bobo, scary as well! When you stood next to him in the tunnel, you saw a player who was huge, strong and demanding. Martin had a lot of heart, and with two absolute rocks like that at the back, you’d feel safer.”
Left-back: Alan Thompson
“He had a terrific engine and left foot, plus a great knowledge of football. Alan scored some crucial goals for Celtic, so this team would have deadly full-backs in it.”
Centre-midfield: Roy Keane
“I’ve picked two holding midfielders who were superb in possession and good leaders as well. Roy demanded high standards from everyone and drove them on. His ability to play coupled with his knowledge of the game was fantastic.”
Centre-midfield
“Gareth has so much experience and is great on the ball. He’s captained nearly every club he’s been to, which tells you everything about him. He’s 39 now, but still going! Gareth was a top team-mate too, which makes a big difference. He’s achieved a lot, but is down to earth and works hard. You don’t see many players with his longevity and ability.”
Right-wing: Gabriel Agbonlahor
“This is an interesting one, but I’ll go for Gabby down the right. We’d have a very powerful area in this team, because he and Didier were both quick. Gabby loved to take people on and move the ball up the pitch with pace. He’d create chances and also score goals.”
Attacking-midfield: Dimitar Berbatov
“Dimitar was a really clever player who could break lines and always played on the half-turn, so let’s give him the role through the middle. He could see every final pass and make every final touch.”
Left-wing: Shunsuke Nakamura
“I’ll have Shunsuke on the left wing. He had perfect technical ability and his left foot was unbelievable, meaning he was always a threat from set-pieces.”
Centre-forward: Henrik Larsson
“A very difficult call between Hristo Stoichkov and Henrik [left], but I’ve got to pick Larsson. His goalscoring record was incredible and he was the finished article. With Berba’s ability to break lines and play the final pass, Nakamura on the left and Gabby on the right, you need a predator in the penalty box – and that’s Henrik.”
Gaffer: Martin O'Neill
“He wouldn’t have to do anything but motivate, and Martin was very good at that. His man-management was excellent – he knew what to say and when. Players just trusted him.”
Substitutes
Olof Mellberg, Hristo Stoichkov & Stiliyan Petrov.
For a limited time, you can get five copies of FourFourTwo for just £5! The offer ends on May 2, 2022.
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