Argentina's captain Luciano De Cecco did not hold back his praise for the Bulgarian national team after the match between the two teams. The experienced setter highlighted the brothers Aleksandar and Simeon Nikolov as the main figures in Bulgaria's squad.
"Bulgaria played very well, they are a strong team. In the second and third sets, we had more problems, but the Nikolov brothers make the difference. Now we will try to get the most out of tomorrow's match against Brazil," De Cecco told the Max Sport team.
The Argentine captain paid special attention to Aleksandar Nikolov, who, according to him, continues to grow as a player after his stint with the Italian grand Cucina Lube (Civitanova). We recall that De Cecco played with Alex Nikolov during the Bulgarian's first season in Italy.
"I think Alex Nikolov is incredible. In that Lube team, he developed even further so that he can play this way for the national team as well. We saw him at the World Championship last year too," De Cecco commented.
The younger of the brothers, Simeon Nikolov, also made a particular impression on the veteran. According to him, the young setter possesses qualities that place him among the greatest talents in world volleyball.
"He is very young, but he is truly very good. He needs to continue to grow mentally. I think at his age he looks even better than Simone Giannelli when he was that age," De Cecco added.
The words of the Argentine captain are another recognition of the development of the Nikolov brothers, who are increasingly becoming the focus of leading figures in world volleyball. The comparison of Simeon Nikolov to world champion Simone Giannelli  one of the best setters of his generation  makes a particularly strong impression.