Carlos Cuellar described him as one of the “best people in the world.” Nigel Reo-Coker said he was a “bundle of joy.” Ashley Young still refers to him as “The Skip.” Gareth Barry says he’s “perfect.”
Stiliyan Petrov may not have been able to attend the dinner hosted in his honour but the love for the club captain was there for all to see.
Aston Villa staff members Andy Smith and Alex Butler completed their epic Pedal for Petrov bike ride from Celtic Park and arrived at Villa Park on Sunday at 5pm. No sooner had they touched down in B6 than they were changing into their tuxedos to help celebrate Petrov’s remission news and further raise money for leukaemia and lymphoma research in the company of a star-studded cast list.
Heroes past and present – Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, Nigel Reo-Coker, Curtis Davies and Wilfred Bouma to name but some – were there to honour their good mate and hail the effort of Andy and Alex.
Barry told the official Aston Villa website:
“I’m delighted to be here, having worked with Andy and Alex during my time at Villa. To see how much they have done and how much they have raised, I have just thoroughly enjoyed it. You only have to see the pictures before and after of Andy and Alex – they’ve probably both lost two stone! That shows the hard work they have put in. Stan will be emotional when he sees the pictures from the event. He’s just one of the most perfect men in football.”
Young added:
“Everyone is here for the same reason – for Stan. I still call him ‘The Skip.’ He’s a massive personality. Wherever I was in the world – even if I’d been away with England – I’d have made sure I managed to make it to this event. I laughed down the phone when Alex and Andy first told me about the challenge. I thought ‘it’s not going to happen. But what a fantastic achievement! I am proud of them both.”
On 30th March 2012, Petrov was diagnosed with acute leukaemia. The condition was diagnosed following tests after Petrov developed a fever following Aston Villa’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. On the 10th of June Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert announced that Petrov would remain captain of Aston Villa for the 2012-13 season, and on 2nd August 2012, it was announced that Petrov’s leukaemia was in remission.
