Argentina's captain Luciano De Cecco did not spare his praise for the Bulgarian national team after the match between the two teams. The experienced setter highlighted 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 Max Sport's team.
The Argentine captain paid special attention to Aleksandar Nikolov, who, according to him, continues to grow as a player after his time with the Italian giant Cucine Lube (Civitanova). We remind you that De Cecco played with Alex Nikolov during his first season in Italy.
"I think Alex Nikolov is incredible. In this Lube team, he has developed even more to be able to play like that for the national team as well. We saw him at the World Championship last year," commented De Cecco.
The veteran was particularly impressed by the younger of the brothers – Simeon Nikolov. 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 really 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 yet 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 Olympic champion and world champion Simone Giannelli – one of the best setters of his generation – is particularly striking.