Aston Villa's captain Stiliyan Petrov says he has retired from football after being diagnosed with acute leukaemia.
In an interview he gave to a Bulgarian newspaper, the 32-year-old says he is starting the fight for his life and he will fight.
Villa announced on Saturday that their skipper has been diagnosed with acute cancer of the blood.
The illness was discovered in medical tests carried out on the Bulgarian international after he came down with a fever following last Sunday's defeat at Arsenal.
His compatriot and Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov urged fans to pray for Petrov.
