Radostin Stoychev—the creator of Trentino's golden era—was among the central figures at the Final Four press conference in Turin! The Bulgarian coach, who with vision, character, and victories built a club that volleyball had never known before, is now back on the big stage—this time as coach ofHalkbank(Turkey), one of the semifinalists in this year's Champions League.

However, there was another invisible, yet tangible participant on the stage—Trento. The 2023/24 champion, who failed to defend its title this year, will watch the Final Four from the sidelines. But the spirit of Trento is everywhere. And perhaps, next year, the club will be there again—this time withMarcelo Mendezat the helm, who takes over the team after the World Championship with Argentina.

The coaching panel was almost like an annual meeting of "Trento alumni":

🔹 Radostin Stoychev– won three Champions League titles and laid the foundations of the empire where for many years Bulgarian star Matey Kaziyski was the emblem and captain of the club.
🔹 Angelo Lorenzetti(Perugia) – brought Trento's last Scudetto in 2023.
🔹 Michal Winiarski(Warta Zawiercie) – a receiver for Trento (2006–2009), now a coach
🔹 Simone Giannelli – former captain of Trento, today leader of Perugia
🔹 Marcelo Mendez – coach of Jastrzębski, but future coach of... Trento!

🏆 Trento failed to qualify for the finals, but was everywhere in the hall — in the names, stories, and inspiration of all participants. And with such a past and a new beginning under Mendez, and with Rado Stoychev once again at the top, perhaps next year we will be talking about a clash between the past and present of one of Europe's greatest volleyball schools.
The Final Four hasn't even started yet, but Trento is already there — in the faces, in the stories, and most importantly, in the spirit of the great game. 💫

photo: cev.eu