Martin Ivaylov Petrov, born 15 January 1979 in Vratsa is a Bulgarian footballer currently playing for Manchester City in the Premier League.He began his career for Botev Vratsa. After few good seasons, he signed with CSKA Sofia and after a successful two games against Servette in the UEFA Cup, the Swiss side bought the 19-year-old for 1.2 m. German marks. Soon he moved to the German Bundesliga and established himself as a very explosive player for VfL Wolfsburg. In the summer of 2005 he was bought by Atlético Madrid for €10 m.Petrov was the key player in Bulgaria's unsuccessful Euro 2004 participation, excelling in all three games and scoring Bulgaria's only goal at the finals; a penalty against Italy in Bulgaria's 1-2 loss.On 2 September 2006 Petrov played a crucial role in the Bulgarian national team's Euro 2008 opening qualifying game against Romania in Constan,,a, nailing two goals in two minutes to equalize from 2-0 in the last minutes of the game in what was seen to be a remarkable comeback. He also went on to score against Slovenia (in a 3-0 win) and the Netherlands (in a 1-1 draw). His performances in the 2006 qualifying campaign earned him the 2006 Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award.On 24 July 2007, amid constant press speculation about his leaving the club, it was reported that Atlético Madrid had placed a £6.2m price on the player. Later that day he left the Atlético Madrid training camp to think over his future. Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City were reported to be interested.Reports in the Spanish press on 25 July suggested Petrov had agreed terms, had his medical with Manchester City and that it was merely formalities that needed completing before finalising a move to Eastlands. Manchester City confirmed the £4.7 million (€7 m) move and a 3-year contract on 26 July 2007.
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