Martin Petrov
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| Martin Petrov | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Martin Petyov Petrov | |
| Date of birth | 15 January 1979 | |
| Place of birth | Vratsa, Bulgaria | |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |
| Playing position | Left winger | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Manchester City | |
| Number | 15 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1991–1996 1996–1998 1998–2001 2001–2005 2005–2007 2007– |
Botev Vratsa CSKA Sofia Servette FC VfL Wolfsburg Atlético Madrid Manchester City |
18 (4) 19 (3) 61 (20) 116 (28) 49 (3) 34 (5) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1999– | Bulgaria | 68 (16) |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Martin Petyov Petrov (Bulgarian: Мартин Петьов Петров) (born 15 January 1979 in Vratsa) is a Bulgarian football player currently playing for Manchester City F.C. in the Premier League.
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[edit] Career
He began his career for Botev Vratsa. After few good seasons, he signed with CSKA Sofia and after two successful games against Servette in the UEFA Cup, the Swiss side bought the 19-year-old for 1.2 m. German marks.[citation needed] In June 1999 he received his first call-up to the Bulgarian national team for a Euro 2000 qualifier against England. However, it proved to be an inauspicious start to his international career; he was sent off for a second yellow card just eight minutes after coming on as a substitute.[1] Soon he moved to the German Bundesliga and established himself as a very explosive player for VfL Wolfsburg. In the summer of 2005 he was bought by Atlético Madrid for €10 m.[2]
Petrov was the key player in Bulgaria's unsuccessful Euro 2004 participation, excelling in all three games and scoring Bulgaria's only goal at the finals; a penalty against Italy in Bulgaria's 1-2 loss.
On 2 September 2006 Petrov played a crucial role in the Bulgarian national team's Euro 2008 opening qualifying game against Romania in Constanţa, nailing two goals in two minutes to equalize from 2-0 in the last minutes of the game. This was seen as a remarkable comeback. He also went on to score against Slovenia (in a 3-0 win) and the Netherlands (in a 1-1 draw). His performances in the 2006 qualifying campaign earned him the 2006 Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award.
On 24 July 2007, after constant press speculation about him leaving the club, it was reported that Atletico Madrid had placed a £6.2m price on the player. Later that day he left the Atletico Madrid training camp to think over his future. English Premiership sides Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were reported to be interested.
Reports in the Spanish press on 25 July suggested Petrov had agreed terms, had his medical tests with Manchester City only small details needed completing before finalising a move to Eastlands. Manchester City confirmed the £4.7Million (€7m) move and a 3-year contract on 26th July 2007. [3]
[edit] Manchester City
Martin Petrov left Atletico Madrid for the blue half of Manchester on 26 July 2007, a relatively unknown talent to the Premiership. That soon changed after he played his first Premier League game on 11 August 2007. He had an important role in Manchester City's 2-0 win over West Ham at Upton Park, making endless runs down his favoured left flank, creating havoc for West Ham's defence, and never shying away from taking a powerful long range shot at goal with his trademark left foot. He had to wait until 22 September 2007 to score his first goal in Manchester City's sky blue colours, in which he netted two goals at Fulham's Craven Cottage. One of the goals was a superb individual effort, and the other a brilliant one-two with Elano. Since then Petrov has scored 2 goals, one in the 3-1 win over Newcastle United the other in the 2-1 win over Reading and also notched up 6 assists. Making himself well known for his blistering pace, brilliant runs down the wing, and a great eye for a pass. He was sent off in the home loss to Everton, as he kicked Leon Osman, only to be seen by referee Rob Styles. The challenge earned him a straight red card which banned him for 3 games. The Bulgarian added to his tally with a goal against Portsmouth. A goal hit with his weaker right foot, which managed to go through the legs of Sol Campbell and into the net.
[edit] Career stats
| Club | Season | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| FC Botev Vratsa | 1989-97 | 18 | 4 | |
| CSKA Sofia | 1997-98 | 19 | 3 | |
| Servette | 1998-99 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1999-00 | 31 | 9 | ||
| 2000-01 | 18 | 9 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2001-02 | 32 | 6 | 10 |
| 2002-03 | 26 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2003-04 | 28 | 8 | 9 | |
| 2004-05 | 30 | 12 | 14 | |
| Atletico Madrid | 2005-06 | 36 | 1 | 8 |
| 2006-07 | 9 | 2 | 2 | |
| Manchester City | 2007-08 | 32 | 5 | 8 |
[edit] International goals
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Martin Petrov revelling in Manchester City role. Daily Telegraph (2007-10-06).
- ^ Petrov picked by Atlético. UEFA.com (2005-07-22).
- ^ Man City swoop for winger Petrov. BBC sport (2007-07-26).
[edit] External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
Preceded by Dimitar Berbatov |
Bulgarian Footballer of the Year 2006 |
Succeeded by Dimitar Berbatov |
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