Bulgarian star Stiliyan Petrov has confirmed his retirement from international football with Bulgaria, after the Euro 2012 championships.

He said he wanted to end his career on a high note by finishing above England in the qualifying group, after what he called the agony of failing to reach the FIFA World Cup finals in 2010.

The former Celtic player said: "No doubt people have noticed that Bulgaria are in the same qualifying group as England for the European Championships! I can confirm this will be my last international qualifying competition. The fact we will not be involved in this summer's World Cup will make us all the more determined to qualify."

Petrov has shown great form this season, playing a major role in Aston Villa’s push for a Champions League place.

Now in his fourth season at Villa, Petrov made his international debut 12 years ago and has since won 91 caps, scoring eight goals for Bulgaria.

He quit playing for his country once before in 2006 after a fall-out with coach Hristo Stoichkov, but he returned to international duties the following year.

Petrov will be 32 by the time of the next Euro finals in Poland and Ukraine. He had earlier announced his probable retirement as far back as November 2009.

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