( CNN ) -- Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov waved and applauded from the stands of Villa Park on Saturday as fans showed their support for the Bulgarian international a day after it was revealed he is suffering from acute leukemia . The 32-year-old midfielder , who will start treatment for the illness at a London hospital on Monday , was attending the English Premier League 's side match with Chelsea . His appearance follows a statement released Saturday on the West Midlands club 's web site where he thanked everyone for the support he has received over the past 24 hours . `` I would like to thank all of the people who have left messages of support . The response has been overwhelming and I appreciate it very much , '' Petrov said in a statement . `` This is a difficult time for my family and myself and I ask people to respect my privacy . `` With the help and love of my family , my teammates , all of my friends in football , Aston Villa and all of the fans , I am sure I will beat this illness and I am determined to do this . '' Petrov also added that the photo of fellow Premier League player Fabrice Muamba which was released on Friday has `` inspired '' him . Muamba recovering after collapse . Both Chelsea and Aston Villa players wore t-shirts with messages of support during the warm-up before the match . Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov also issued a message on his Facebook page urging fans to pray for his compatriot . `` Let 's all pray and believe , that Stiliyan Petrov , one of the best football players Bulgaria have ever produced and one of my best and closest friends , will win this battle . He deserves all your support . BELIEVE , '' Berbatov wrote .
Stiliyan Petrov visited Workers ' Park on Saturday to watch home match with Arsenal . Announced Friday that Bulgarian international is suffering from acute leukemia . Veteran player will start treatment for cancer at a local hospital on Monday .