var playerInfo={"C497EA9EA23AEEDCAF9AD5DB76B19323":"","F4AE865DDB6B58D9":"Martin Petrov","031D6804B38B16BF":"8488","7DECC0B2C7F83A01B36F8F67FA49C295":"2013-1-14","97B41D9FF6388BC00A2A0187557FA1F5":"","9085EF0B5B518612":"77kg","2B1A74B80063A830":"1","3D0CAED1D8820318D15DE014CB00C4C7":"Bulgaria","38FCF119BEE99893":"Espanyol","97C471949E1057BED9C5A535F14529AAF72A852D44EC1724":"0","E17A5F6F92350E090E8BE67DDCE16BA0":"An attacking midfield player capable of setting up or scoring a goal out of nothing, Martin Petrov has blistering pace as well as good close control. <BR><BR>National team <BR><BR>He was sent off on his international debut just eight minutes after coming off the bench in Bulgaria&#39;s 1-1 draw with England in June 1999. Dubbed &#39;the new Hristo Stoitchkov&#39; because of his fiery temperament and a powerful left-foot, Petrov has since calmed down and appears regularly. <BR><BR>UEFA EURO 2004? qualifying <BR><BR>He played a key role in the qualifying campaign, starting seven out of eight matches in Group 8. Bulgaria suffered their sole defeat - losing 1-0 to Croatia - in the match he missed. <BR><BR>Club <BR><BR>Petrov started his career with local side FC Botev Vratsa, whom his father - also a professional - had formerly represented, but sealed his big move to PFC CSKA Sofia in 1997. <BR><BR>1997: Along with his namesake Stilian, Petrov struggled to break into the CSKA first team initially. However, his goal in the 9-0 title-clinching victory over PFC Rakovski Ruse in May 1997 helped him win the fans over. It was in 1998, following the appointment of Dimitar Penev as coach, that Petrov really flourished, turning in superb displays against Servette FC and Club Atl&#233;tico de Madrid in the UEFA Cup. He was subsequently snapped up by Servette in January 1999. <BR><BR>1999: Petrov was a success in Switzerland, helping Servette win the title in 1999 and the Swiss Cup in 2001. He scored 22 goals in 75 appearances before becoming the club&#39;s most expensive sale, joining VfL Wolsburg for &#8364;4.3m in the summer of 2001. He struck eight goals in 58 Bundesliga appearances in his first two seasons. <BR><BR>Did you know? <BR><BR>Petrov left the Sofia pitch in tears following his red card against England. <BR><BR>","4ADA354908754559E53E3FA7C013DA37":"17","5E5612EA3A8A833D":"179cm","776ABA890334BE6B3BFB7EFC5D96F457":"Bolton Wanderers","BFE43781BF2A8A9E3EADFCC3CC1AF971":"1","2299C98649C2E7A9E5F02ED855F2A9FC":"Bolton Wanderers,Manchester City,Atletico de Madrid,Wolfsburg,Servette,CSKA Sofia","C99F63DD4716E450533B17E1817DB7B9":"1979-1-15","97C471949E1057BEF55B60029EC94B5E":"0","DC9241C78561BCD0":"Martin Petrov","C377723034B3384C":"549","e_index":6};