Celtic star: I became a man during the 2003 UEFA Cup final vs Jose Mourinho’s Porto

March 9, 2024

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Celtic star: I became a man during the 2003 UEFA Cup final vs Jose Mourinho’s Porto

Former Celtic midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has opened up about his time with the Scottish Premiership giants speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo.

The 44-year-old played at Celtic Park from 1999 to 2006, having initially been signed by then-Bhoys head coach John Barnes for £2.8 million from CSKA Sofia.

Petrov played 311 games for Celtic in total, registering 64 goals in that period. But the Bulgarian pinpoints the 2003 UEFA Cup Final as one of his fondest memories, saying that it was the period in which he ‘became a man’.

John Barnes signed Stylian Petrov to Celtic (Image credit: Getty Images)

“What an adventure. The journey to that final was brilliant,” he told us. “At Celtic, I became a man and learned what it means to play for a team with your heart. You must give everything.

“Not many players around the world get the chance to feature in a European final, but I did. You have to cherish those moments, because of all the hard work you’ve put in to get that far. Unfortunately we lost in extra time, but we played really well. I remember the intense heat in Seville that day.”

Celtic overcame Liverpool in the quarter finals of the competition before beating Primeira Liga Boavista side in the semis to land a spot in the final at Sevilla’s Estadio Olimpico.

Gerard Houlier

Celtic beat Gerard Houlier’s Liverpool in the quarterfinals of the competition (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was not the result Petrov had hoped for but he claims that it was a truly worthwhile experience nonetheless.

“The atmosphere, the build-up… everything was perfect apart from the result,” Petrov said. “We took on an impressive Porto team that went on to win the Champions League under Jose Mourinho a year later, and couldn’t quite overcome them. We got so close, but it wasn’t to be our night.”