(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.
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Stiliyan Petrov attends Villa' Park on Saturday to watch home match with Chelsea
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Announced Friday that Bulgarian international is suffering from acute leukemia
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Veteran midfielder will start treatment for illness at a London hospital on Monday
Both Chelsea and @placeholder players wore t-shirts with messages of support during the warm-up before the match.