The son of Aston Villa and Celtic icon Stiliyan Petrov is stepping into the political ring as a candidate for Nigel Farage‘s Reform UK Party. The right-leaning group has announced Petrov Jr will be contesting the seat for Lapworth and West Kenilworth in the upcoming elections.
Reform UK took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to introduce their new candidate. And they’re hoping his presence will help them connect with a younger base.
“Meet Stiliyan Petrov, our candidate for Lapworth and West Kenilworth,” read the party’s post. “He’s ready to fix his local area by cutting wasteful spending, lowering council tax and ensuring proper funding for key public services.”
Petrov Sr cemented himself as a modern-day icon at Celtic, where he won four Scottish Premiership titles, three Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups, as well as leading the club to a UEFA Cup final in 2003. He later moved to Aston Villa and took over as club captain, as well as becoming Bulgaria’s most capped player of all time with 105 appearances.
His son’s announcement was accompanied by a video where Stiliyan Jr outlined his motivation for entering politics. The sequence was interspersed with footage of him working as an electrician and showcasing his football skills.
“I’ve decided to stand for election because I think it’s time the working class people and the youth of this country have a voice that will actually represent them,” he said in the video (via the Daily Record). “We all start somewhere. When I started my electrical apprenticeship I didn’t have any idea what I was doing.
“I couldn’t tell you even how to wire up a light – but as time goes on you gain that experience and it’s not going to be an easy journey, it will be hard. But you have to think on your feet, you have to do what’s best in that situation – and I think that’s what’s really going to benefit me.”
Despite only just announcing his first foray into politics, Petrov Jr isn’t in it for the long haul, it seems. That’s after clarifying he’s focused on a local scale and isn’t interested in becoming a “career politician.”
“I’m not looking to become a career politician,” he continued. “I’m looking to help the people of this area and hopefully the country one day and just create real change in this country.
“Look around, this Labour government and the previous Conservative government have constantly been lying to us. False promises and making us wait. We’ll I’ve had enough.
“It’s time for me to step up to the challenge and to make a real change that matters. I believe in common sense politics. I believe we should have lower taxes, safer streets and infrastructure that actually benefits everyone – as opposed to having potholes everywhere on the road and getting punctures.
“We need to end this wasteful spending on a national level and a local level. Reform UK stands for practical people like me and wants change, and will ensure change. I am Stiliyan Petrov. I am Reform UK.”
Stiliyan Jr has been showing his support online, sharing snapshots on Facebook alongside Farage. His father left an indelible mark on British sport, and he’ll now hope to make his own mark in the UK, albeit in a very different way.
Petrov Sr, 45, made a total of 219 appearances for Villa before hanging up his boots in 2013. This came after he received a diagnosis of acute leukaemia, though he beat the disease after 13 months of chemotherapy.
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