After months of anticipation and reports that the transfer was only a matter of time, Cucine Lube Civitanova officially introduced Bulgarian national player Simeon Nikolov as their new signing. The Italian powerhouse announced that the 19-year-old setter has signed a three-year contract and will wear the club's jersey until 2029.
Interestingly, Lube chose to introduce Simeon on the very day his brother Aleksandar Nikolov received one of the most prestigious individual awards in the Italian SuperLega. Earlier, the Italian Volleyball League (Lega Pallavolo Serie A) announced that Alex is the recipient of the "Andrei Kuznetsov" award for the top scorer in the 2025/26 regular season, having scored 450 points. The Bulgarian national also topped the ranking for most attack points with 369 successful spikes.
Thus, from the new season, the Nikolov brothers will be teammates in one of Europe's most successful clubs. Just weeks ago, Lube extended Aleksandar Nikolov's contract until 2029, and now they have also brought in his younger brother, who is considered one of the greatest talents in world volleyball.
"I am happy and excited about this new challenge. I have always dreamed of playing in the Italian SuperLega. My dream wasn't just to come to Italy, but to be part of a big club. Now that's happening with Lube – a team that always strives for the highest goals. I'm coming to Civitanova to work hard, win, and become the best in my position!" Simeon Nikolov stated during his presentation.
Lube described his signing as one of the strongest deals in the transfer market. According to the club, the young Bulgarian is already an international star who attracts the attention of fans, experts, and leading clubs worldwide, and the three-year contract is proof of the management's desire to build the team around the future leaders of world volleyball.
Simeon arrives in Italy after one season with Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, with whom he won bronze medals in the Russian championship and the Russian Cup. Prior to that, the setter triumphed in the US collegiate championship (NCAA) with Long Beach State, and achieved his first major successes with Levski Sofia, where he won the league title and the Bulgarian Supercup in the 2023/24 season.
The national setter also has significant successes with the Bulgarian team. His greatest achievement is a silver medal from the 2025 World Championship, and at the youth level, he is a Balkan U21 champion, a silver medalist from the 2024 European U21 Championship, and a bronze medalist from the European U21 and U19 championships.
With the official introduction of Simeon Nikolov, Lube now boasts one of the most intriguing brother duos in world volleyball. The club makes no secret of its expectations that the combination of Simeon's setting talent and Aleksandar's scoring abilities will be among the team's major weapons in the upcoming seasons.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
