Stiliyan Petrov was known for his solid performances in midfield for both Celtic and Bulgaria before his move to the Premiership with Aston Villa.

His only previous club before Celtic was CSKA Sofia, with whom he played he played 38 times, scoring three goals.

LAST SEASON

The Bulgarian midfielder became Martin O'Neill's first major signing when he arrived from Celtic for £6.5m at the end of August, and he enjoyed one of the best debuts by any Villa player in recent years.

His performance at Upton Park, on the day all eyes were focused on West Ham's new signings Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, was outstanding, and would have been accompanied by a goal but for a spectacular clearance from under the bar by Hammers' defender Tyrone Mears.

Such a superb start was always going to be a hard act to follow, and Petrov never quite managed to scale the heights of that debut day again.

Even so, he is a player of immense ability, who can play a major part in the club's quest for honours. He had the distinction of scoring Villa's fastest goal of the season - which just happened to be his first for the club - and was also on target at Middlesbrough in April.

"I needed a new challenge after being at Celtic for so long. For me, the Premiership is one of the best leagues in the world."