Bulgaria has the most representatives in this extremely prestigious and high-class company.
During the first twenty-four years of its history, the current European club champion, Trentino Volley, often resorted to the foreign market to find its opposites, and this tradition will continue in the new season thanks to the Puerto Rican Gabi Garcia, who officially arrived today. Fifteen foreign opposite players have already worn the "yellow-blue" jersey. Below, in chronological order, are all the players who have remained in the history of Trentino Volley. Matey Kaziyski is missing from the list, who, although he played in this role during the 2022/23 season, has always been an outside hitter. The information is from the official website of Trento.trentinovolley.it.
GABRIEL CHOCOLAK (2004/05 season – 21 matches, 109 points):The Slovakian was the first foreign opposite in the history of the "yellow-blues" and wore number 10, the same number Gabi Garcia will wear. Chocolak often replaced the starter Sartoretti, especially in European tournaments.
ANDRÉ NASCIMENTO (2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons – 64 matches, 1062 points):The Brazilian left-hander was valued for his extremely fast and technical hand, which, especially in his first season, led the team to its first major achievements (semifinal playoffs for the "Scudetto"). His play with setter Meoni was perfected in a few days, and the Brazilian proved to be one of the winning "weapons" for that period. In 2006, during his two-year stay in Trento, he became a world champion with Brazil.
SMILEN MLYAKOV (2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons – 36 matches, 49 points):He arrived in Trento on Stoychev's recommendation, who became his coach on the "yellow-blues" bench the following season. The muscular Bulgarian was valued more for his consistent discipline and dedication in training than for his performances on the court, which were greatly diminished first by Nascimento and then by his compatriot Nikolov. However, he put his signature on Trento's first title in history.
VLADIMIR NIKOLOV (2007/08 season – 33 matches, 537 points):Only one season, but full of significance for the Bulgarian, who won the championship in Trento and was the main protagonist, igniting the passion of the Trentini for volleyball. The refrain "Picchia, Vlado!" (Hit, Vlado!) that the audience gave him when he was preparing to perform his phenomenal jump serve – one of the trademarks in his "repertoire" – is memorable. Along with Kaziyski, Stoychev, Mlyakov, and Stoyanov, he was a fundamental part of the Bulgarian colony in that historic season.
LEANDRO VISOTTO (2008/09, 2009/10 seasons – 90 matches, 1362 points):The Brazilian arrived in Trento in the summer of 2008 to replace Nikolov, and after some initial difficulties in adapting to Trentino's game, he demonstrated most of his great potential, being the main protagonist in winning the first "Champions League" (2009 in Prague), as well as the second (2010 in Łódź), but also in the first successes in the "Italian Cup" (2010, MVP in Montecatini Terme) and the "Club World Championship" (2009 in Doha).
KRASIMIR STEFANOV (2008/09 season – 23 matches, 127 points):One of the ten (!) Bulgarian players to wear the Trento jersey. He immediately made his debut as a starter to play in the 2009 "Italian Supercup" final (the first in Trentino Volley's history) in Florence in the absence of his teammate Visotto. Stefanov was unable to contribute to the success on that occasion (a three-set defeat against Lube) and subsequently received few chances to play, but he played some matches in both the Champions League and the regular season of the Italian championship.
TSVETAN SOKOLOV (2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2013/14 seasons – 164 matches, 1425 points):The Bulgarian arrived in Trento very young and was the alternative opposite first to Visotto and then to Štokr, gradually finding more and more space on the court. His only season as a starter, however, was also his last with the "yellow-blues" after returning from his loan spell at Cuneo. He played great until March before injuring his calf. He only returned for the playoffs, which for Trento ended in the quarterfinals.
JAN ŠTOKR (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13, 2016/17 seasons – 192 matches, 2536 points):The Czech arrived in Trento hungry for victories, which he achieved in abundance over the next three years. Along with Kaziyski and Juantorena, he formed the dream trio for high goals, which won 3 FIVB Club World Championships, 2 CEV Champions League titles, 2 national championship titles, 2 Italian Cups, and 1 Italian Supercup. Štokr is the fifth-best scorer in the history of the "yellow-blues" with over 2500 points. A number that also increased in the 2016/17 season when he returned with his traditional number 14, leading Trento to the playoff finals in the championship, the Italian Cup, and the CEV Cup finals.
NIKOLAY UCHIKOV (2012/13 season – 28 matches, 82 points):The Bulgarian volleyball player took the place in the squad of his compatriot Sokolov (loaned to Cuneo for that championship) as an alternative to the starting opposite hitter Štokr and managed to be useful when needed. For example, in Milan – in the final part of the 2013 Italian Cup final, won against Lube. The 2012 FIVB Club World Championship and the 2013 "Scudetto" are his other titles with the "yellow-blue" team.
DAVID SABO (2013/14 season – 16 matches, 76 points):The Hungarian spent only one season in Trento, after Sokolov. It was a very unfortunate year from a personal point of view, considering that he was seriously injured just when he became a starter due to a problem similar to the one that also affected the Bulgarian himself.
KAI VAN DIJK (2013/14 season – 9 matches, 52 points):The Dutchman was brought to the club at the end of February 2013 to compensate for the double absence due to injuries of Sokolov and Sabo, which occurred in the team during that period. Van Dijk fulfilled his role before again leaving his place on the court for Tsvetan Sokolov.
MARTIN NEMEC (2014/15 season – 42 matches, 481 points):The Slovak spent only one season in Trento, but it was a significant one. He was the main protagonist in reaching the top in the regular season of the championship, qualifying for the Italian Cup final, and the beautiful "yellow-blue" journey in the CEV Cup (its end came after the golden set in the final in Moscow). In the Serie A1 playoffs, Nemec started the quarterfinals and semifinals before finally leaving his place on the court for Djurić.
MITAR DJURIĆ (seasons 2011/12, 2012/13, 2015/16, 2019/20 – 148 matches, 1430 points):Wearing the "yellow-blue" jersey, the Greek experienced several important stages of his career. The first (between 2011 and 2013) as a middle blocker for the team, which at that time consecutively won the FIVB Club World Championship and the Italian Cup twice; the second as a starting opposite hitter (between 2015 and 2016); the third (between 2019 and 20) as an alternative to Luca Vettori in the role of a bench attacker. Djurić has always distinguished himself with his dedication and great class, but the moment when the Greek proved most crucial was certainly in the 2015 Scudetto final, when as an opposite hitter, he was the main "spearhead" in winning the fourth Italian title in the history of the "yellow-blues".
RENEE TEppan (2017/18 season – 40 appearances, 172 points):The Estonian played only one season in Trento, during which, thanks to some difficulties with Vettori's adaptation, Teppan often found a place on the court, sometimes even becoming an absolute hero during matches.
NIMIR ABDEL-AZIZ (2020/21 season – 46 appearances, 841 points):The Dutchman arrived in Trento as the main transfer for summer 2020, and in the first half of the season, he demonstrated all his class with attacks and aces. No "yellow-blue" player has scored so many points in their debut season. After the defeat in the Champions League final against ZAKSA (3-1 in sets), played in Verona, he moved to Modena.
