Former Celtic and Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has visited Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme in hospital following his diagnosis with Leukemia.
Ikeme returned some abnormal blood results during his pre-season testing, and following further analysis was diagnosed with the disease last week.
Petrov, now 38, has shown his support by visiting the Nigerian goalkeeper in hospital over the weekend, to share his experiences, as he successfully battled Leukemia himself after it brought a halt to his footballing career.
The 31-year-old has received support from thousands of people, especially on social media, and footballers have especially come out in force to wish the shot-stopper well.
Petrov told the Birmingham Mail about his visit:
“I went to see Carl the other day, so we had a little chat.
“Obviously there was 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’s 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.”
Wolves have signed former Norwich City goalkeeper John Ruddy to help fill the gap that will be left by Ikeme, as the club will try to challenge for promotion next season.
We would also like to give our best wishes to Carl from everyone at The 72.
