Club Career

Martin Petyov Petrov (Bulgarian: Мартин Петьов Петров; born 15 January 1979) is a Bulgarian footballer, currently playing for Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Petrov began his career for Botev Vratsa. After a few good seasons, he signed with CSKA Sofia and after two successful games against Servette in the UEFA Cup, the Swiss side bought the 19-year-old for 1,2 million German marks.
He later moved to Wolfsburg, where he established himself as an explosive player. In the summer 2005, he was bought by Atlético Madrid for a fee of €10 million.
On 24 July 2007, after constant press speculation about him leaving the club, it was reported that Atletico Madrid had placed a £6,2 million price on the player. Later that day he left the Atletico Madrid training camp to think over his future with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City reputedly interested in the player.
On 25 July, reports in the Spanish press suggested that Petrov had already agreed terms and had medical tests with Manchester City and that only minor details needed completing before finalising a move to Eastlands. Manchester City confirmed the £4,7 million (€7 million) move on a three-year contract on 26 July 2007.



Manchester City

Petrov left Atlético Madrid for Manchester City on 26 July 2007, and although having a big reputation on the European stage, he was a relatively unknown talent to the Premiership. That soon changed after his first Premier League game on 11 August 2007 when he played an important role in Manchester City's 2–0 win over West Ham United at Upton Park. Petrov made probing runs down his favoured left flank, wreaking havoc among the Hammers's defence, and never shying away from trying powerful long range shots at goal with his trademark left foot. He had to wait until 22 September 2007 to score his first goal in Manchester City's sky blue colours, minutes before netting another one at Fulham's Craven Cottage. One of the goals was a superb individual effort, and the other a one-two combination with Elano. Since then Petrov has scored 2 more goals, one in the 3–1 win over Newcastle United the other one in the 2–1 win over Reading and also notched up 6 assists. Making himself well known for his blistering pace, brilliant runs down the wing, and a great eye for a pass. He was sent off by referee Rob Styles in the home loss to Everton, for kicking Leon Osman. The challenge earned him a straight red card which banned him for 3 games. The Bulgarian added to his tally with a goal against Portsmouth. A goal hit with his weaker right foot, which managed to go between the legs of Sol Campbell and into the net.

Petrov in a derby match against Manchester United

It was announced that Petrov's number would change from 15 up to 17 - his international number - for his second season with City. During the first round of the UEFA Cup in the 2008–09 season, Petrov scored a rifle of a shot after a Michael Johnson dummy against EB/Streymur in City's 2–0 away win. He also scored a goal in the home leg against EB/Streymur along with Darius Vassell's late goal. He scored another trademark rocket from just inside the area against Celtic in a pre-season friendly for Manchester City. He returned from injury to compete in the reserves game away at Newcastle United, playing 45 minutes. He scored the only goal in an emphatic 1–0 win over Barcelona in a pre-season friendly. He marked his return to Premier League action in Manchester City's home clash against Fulham on 12 April 2009, playing 63 minutes before being substituted by Robinho.
Following the influx of new players at Manchester City such as Carlos Tévez and Emmanuel Adebayor, Petrov was linked with a move away from the City of Manchester Stadium. On 1 September 2009, the transfer deadline day, it was speculated that he would transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, in a move, which would see David Bentley heading to Eastlands. Tottenham would also receive £10 million as part of this deal, however Manchester City later denied they would be signing Bentley, either on-loan or permanently. Luchezar Tanev, Petrov's agent, later stated that the move broke down "because, in the final reckoning, Manchester City rejected the deal mainly due to manager Mark Hughes's unwillingness." He was often in and out of the first team. However, he scored goals in the first two games that he had started, prompting Hughes to start Petrov in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips at home vs. Fulham. Though he scored, he also aggravated the knee injury that has plagued him. After the sacking of Mark Hughes and arrival of Roberto Mancini, he started both league games and scored in the 2–0 win over Stoke City on 26 December. He also publicly expressed his anger against Hughes as Petrov was frequently moved in and out of the starting 11.
On 18 April 2010 Petrov announced that his season was over and that he would miss the four remaining Premier League games due to a knee injury.
On 8 June 2010, it was announced that Petrov's contract had expired and that he would be leaving the club, along with Benjani Mwaruwari, Karl Moore and Sylvinho.

Bolton Wanderers

On 22 June 2010, it was announced that Petrov had agreed terms with Bolton Wanderers, and the free transfer was completed when the transfer window opened on 1 July. He scored his first goal for the club against Manchester United on 26 September 2010, and finished the season with three goals.