Aleksandar Manushev ranks second among the top scorers in the qualifications for the 2027 Men's U20 European Championship in the current ranking of the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV).
The Bulgarian opposite finished the BVA zonal qualification in Sofia with90 points in 5 matches and 17 sets, or an average of 5.29 points per set. Ahead of him in the current ranking is only the Spaniard César Irache Camacho with 120 points from 5 matches and 20 sets. Third is the Belarusian Mikita Svilel with 83 points from 5 matches and 16 sets.
Manushev finished the tournament in Sofia strongly and in the last match against Russia was the top scorer with 16 points. Bulgaria lost 0:3 (21:25, 26:28, 22:25), after having won its previous four matches.
Another four Bulgarian nationals are among the top 50 in the current scorers' ranking.
Martin Tatarovis the second highest-ranked Bulgarian -12th with 54 pointsfrom 5 matches and 17 sets.
Nikola Gradinarovranks22nd with 42 pointsfrom 5 matches and 16 sets.
Dimitar Peychinovis27th with 37 points, accumulated in 5 matches and 14 sets.
Evan Georgievcompletes the Bulgarian presence in the Top 50. He is39th with 31 pointsfrom 5 matches and 15 sets.
Thus, Bulgaria has five players among the top 50 scorers in the current CEV statistics – Aleksandar Manushev (2nd), Martin Tatarov (12th), Nikola Gradinarov (22nd), Dimitar Peychinov (27th), and Evan Georgiev (39th).
However, the ranking is not yet final. As of August 30, the zonal qualifications of WEVZA and BVA have concluded, but the tournaments of MEVZA, SCA, NEVZA, and EEVZA are still to come. MEVZA is scheduled for September 23–27, SCA for October 16–18, NEVZA for October 23–25, and EEVZA for October 27–31. Therefore, in the next two months, the results of the players from the remaining zonal qualifications will be added to the overall statistics.
After the completion of the first qualification round, a second one is scheduled for January 14-17, 2027. CEV's official communication confirms that the participants in it will be determined after the completion of the zonal qualifications.
Therefore, Manushev's second place should be considered as a current position in the overall ranking of scorers, and not as a final second place for the entire qualification cycle.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
