Stiliyan Petrov: Aston Villa 'no' broke my heart
Stiliyan Petrov claims Villa 'took away his heart' when they opted against offering him a playing contract in the summer.
The former skipper trained with the club during the early stages of pre-season as he attempted to resurrect his career, at the age of 37, following a three-year battle with leukaemia.
Petrov, who retired from the game in 2013, played for Villa in friendlies against Austrian club Gak 1902 and Worcester City before being told by manager Roberto Di Matteo he would not be offered a playing deal.
The former Bulgaria international claimed he would happily have played for nothing and expressed his belief the club were too hasty in letting him go.
"I didn't even want to get paid, I just wanted to finish as a footballer," said Petrov, who was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in March 2012.
"They offered me a job in the youth system which I didn't want."
He went on: "I won't be coming back. Not as a player. That was taken away from me. My heart was taken away from me.
"It was funny how everything happened. I didn't see it coming because a few days before I was walking up to the training session and I was walking shoulder to shoulder with Roberto (Di Matteo).
"He was telling me how well I was doing, how inspirational I am, and that he was really happy to see it.
