Stiliyan Petrov is undoubtedly a Celtic legend.
The Bulgarian midfielder was signed, remarkably, by John Barnes in that fateful spell before Martin O’Neill arrived at Celtic.
Petrov took time to settle in at Celtic but under O’Neill, the young midfielder flourished as he won four league titles, three Scottish Cups and three League Cups.
The dynamic midfielder spent seven years in Glasgow before Petrov left Celtic for Aston Villa in 2006.
But it was what Celtic paid Petrov when he signed his first contract with the Bhoys that will shock the Parkhead support.
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What Celtic paid Stiliyan Petrov after £4.5m transfer
Petrov cost Celtic £4.5m back in 1999, which was a large sum of money even by today’s standards.
So Celtic supporters would think that with the large transfer fee being paid, Petrov would have commanded a large weekly salary, right?
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for Petrov as he shares what Celtic paid him after his big move.
Petrov told the More Than A Name podcast, “I remember the offer was about $300 (£227.14) a week, which was really low.
“Really low, to be honest, but it was three times more than I was earning in Bulgaria.”
Podcast host: “But what are they paying for you as a fee? Like, as in the transfer fee?”
Petrov: “£4.5 million.”
Podcast host: “So you should never be on $300?”
Petrov: “Never, never.”
Podcast host: “What are you being paid in Bulgaria, sorry?”
Petrov: “$5,000 (£3793.52) a year. So for me, it was like a lot more than I was earning, but you forget one thing, you don’t live in Bulgaria. You live in a completely different place.
“The demand is completely different, the expenses, everything was different. But for me, it was not like that.”
Stiliyan Petrov’s superb Celtic career
As already stated, Petrov was synonymous with silverware over his seven-year stay at Celtic.
Let’s not forget, he also helped Celtic win their first treble since the Jock Steing era.
But the Bulgarian was also a dynamic midfielder with a keen eye for goal. Here is his complete goalscoring stats.
- Appearances: 309
- Goals: 64
- Assists: 40
Those stats are quite remarkable, making Petrov’s fee look like a steal, but also making the weekly wage paid by Celtic look rather embarrassing.
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