You don't need us to tell you why Stan Petrov is universally loved by the fans of Celtic and Aston Villa, and by most football fans in general, as the former Bulgarian international is just an outstanding bloke.
Villa fans were delighted to hear the news that Petrov was back at the club, training with the first team, and had hopes of earning a contract to continue playing for the club he left due to his battle with cancer, but many of those same fans were upset when it emerged that he wouldn't be staying on.
Was it because he wasn't fit enough? Would he have taken a first-team spot away from a young player? Did he not fit in the system?
We'll never know, and neither will Petrov, because he wasn't told why the club were not offering him a contract. It certainly wasn't over money, because Petrov was willing to play for free, and the man himself, typically, isn't holding any grudges over it, but his comments in the aftermath of the situation are actually heartbreaking.
Stan was speaking to Jim White on TalkSport when he explained his disappointment at the outcome.
I don’t hold any grudges, I don’t have any bad feelings towards them but I won’t lie, I was very disappointed I wasn’t offered anything.
Why I wasn’t offered, I don’t know. It wasn’t explained to me. They just told me I wouldn’t be a part of [the team]. They offered me a job in the youth system, but I didn’t want that. I wanted to finish as a footballer.
Why? Because my career was taken away from me by a disease, and I want to finish as a footballer again. I even didn’t want to get paid, I just wanted to finish as a footballer, to be able to retire on my terms.
I completed a full pre-season. It was a lot of running and a lot of double sessions. It was a hell of a lot of running, but I completed every single one. It was good. Now, I’m trying to maintain my fitness.
I think I deserved a little bit more time. If I had a bit more time I would have made it. I would have gotten fitter, stronger. I was close. I didn’t miss a training session and that was the important bit for me.
I sat down with Roberto Di Matteo and thanked him for the opportunity to be part of it again. He wants to build his own team and I can understand that.
I am disappointed and it really hurt me, but life goes on.
Could they not have offered him a deal?
He said himself he would have played for free, so what is there to lose? It would have been an appropriate gesture to such a good service, but I suppose the old cliche that there's no room sentimentality in football will rear it's head again, but there are certain occasions when there is room.
Plenty of room. And this appeared to be one of those occasions.
