Celtic have been the home to some absolutely brilliant players over the years. The current squad has names like Kyogo Furuhashi, Jota, Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers and several others. A number of them have been linked with moves to the Premier League in recent times. In the past, there have been several club heroes who have made the move to the English top flight and made their presence felt.
Stiliyan Petrov is one such player who made the move from Celtic to the Premier League. The Bulgarian legend would join Aston Villa in 2006.
Before that, Petrov had spent seven very successful seasons playing for Celtic, winning several domestic honours and was even part of the team that was able to make the final of the UEFA Cup. He would go on to have a very successful time at Aston Villa as well and ultimately ended up in the club’s Hall of Fame.
Thus, it would be safe to say that Petrov was a hero at both Celtic and Aston Villa. And during his time in Birmingham, he appeared to make quite an impression on a modern day star of the Premier League.
Jack Grealish declares that Celtic and Aston Villa hero was his favourite player growing up
As reported by Glasgow Live, while at Aston Villa, Grealish said in the Icons video about Petrov:
"“He was actually my favourite player when he was at Villa.“I remember one time I wrote him a big letter just telling him really how much I loved him. I don’t know if it ever got to him, but I think I sent it to him at Bodymoor, Villa Park, hoping he’d get his hands on it and he’d reply!”"
Petrov was a brilliant player during his prime and it would be safe to say that Grealish is not the only player who he made such an impact on. He was a hero to many and continues to be to this day.
Of course, it has been almost a decade since Petrov retired from the game. His contributions continue to be fondly remembered to this day though. He is not just a Celtic and Aston Villa hero but also one of the best players ever to come out of Bulgaria.