StiliyanPetrov has given his support to Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme after he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia.The former Aston Villa, Celtic and Bulgaria star, which successfully battled leukaemia himself, visited 31-year-old Ikeme over the weekend.

Petrov told the Birmingham Mail: ‘I went to see Carl the other day, so we had a little chat. Obviously there were a lot of questions in his mind, and he was in very good spirits.

‘He’s started his treatment now. It’s a long road to follow.

‘He had so many questions so I’ve been through it with him. You need to answer in a way that’s going to give him everything that will happen, what to expect, how to deal with it, what are the side-effects, how he’s going to approach everything. ‘There are a lot of things, but he’s in good spirits and that’s the main thing. I said to him, ‘You’ll have great support. Everybody around the world will support you and it’s a great help’.

‘It’s a long road, it’s hard, it’s tough, and you need to really battle through it. But look at me now. I’m alive, I’m kicking. ‘It’s life afterwards and it’s worth it when you battle so hard to appreciate life even more afterwards decide if he wants to return to the national team.

Report by Miyen Akiri