After the return of our national team from the World Championship in the Philippines, social media literally "exploded" H- a government plane, red carpet, guards, and officials triggered an avalanche of comments. Some fans questioned whether such ostentation was appropriate, especially since the state's plane was sent to Istanbul to pick up the team, which otherwise would have waited eight hours for a regular flight. The truth is that this is not a precedent for Bulgarian volleyball H- a similar ceremonial welcome has happened before.

2009: Bronze Medals and the Same Scene

In the autumn of 2009, when our national team returned from the European Championship in Turkey with bronze medals, the reception was almost identical H- again a government plane, flying again to Istanbul, again a red carpet, only the guards were missing. And the flowers were different. And back then, an Italian was at the helm of the team H- Silvano Prandi, just as now another of his compatriots is H- Gianlorenzo Blengini. In 2009, Andrey Zhekov walked the red carpet H- then as a setter, today as an assistant coach. The captain Vladimir Nikolov H- father of the Nikolov brothers H- was also there.

At EuroVolley 2009, Bulgaria recorded some of the most memorable matches in its history. Our team secured a place in the semifinals after a great victory over the Netherlands with 3:1 sets. After a tough loss in the semifinal to Poland, the "Lions" showed iron character and a desire to win, crushing Russia with 3:0 sets (25:18, 26:24, 25:21) in the third-place match.

The red carpet is not an exception for Bulgarian volleyball. It is a symbol of respect and recognition, and a reminder that expectations will always be high. The 2009 story proves that ostentation can be fully deserved when accompanied by genuine sporting successes.

photo: bulfoto