Iranian outside hitter Mohammad Reza Beik is the first volleyball player from his country to wear the CSKA jersey. The 25-year-old athlete is 197 cm tall and impresses with an excellent jump and very good positioning in defense and attack. His career has taken him through a number of clubs – Iranian Sepehr and Rafsanjan, Portuguese Caldas, Finnish Akaa Volley, Greek Orestiada, Indonesian Jakarta, and Qadsia (Kuwait), where he played alongside former Bulgarian national Branimir Grozdanov. Among his personal accolades are the award forbest serverin Greece andbest outside hitterin Finland. The volleyball player gave an interview for the club's website, where he spoke about his expectations with the "reds" team.

A new beginning in Bulgaria

Beik admits he is extremely pleased with his first impressions of Sofia and CSKA.
"Everything is great – I enjoyed the conditions and am pleasantly surprised by both the city and the club. They treat me completely professionally. I wanted to return to Europe, and this is a great opportunity. Plus, I have a good friend – Branko, who told me wonderful things about CSKA," shares the Iranian.

Quick adaptation and high goals

The outside hitter shares that his adaptation went smoothly. "My teammates welcomed me wonderfully. The atmosphere is excellent, the guys are good-natured and at a very high level. This is important because serious goals await us."

Beik is firm – he comes to become a champion. "We are not yet in optimal form, maybe around 50 percent, but we will be ready by the start of the season. The competition is strong, but I believe we can win everything we play for."

About the competition and partners in his position

The Iranian is aware that the competition among outside hitters in the CSKA squad is serious.
"Next to me are players like Nikolay Penchev, Hristiyan Velikov, and several promising juniors – all excellent volleyball players. I am here to help CSKA perform better than last season. That is my personal goal."

Impressions from the "Boris Gyuderov" tournament

Beik also commented on the level of the preseason tournament in the "Boris Gyuderov" hall in Pernik.
"The competition was very serious. Of course, no team was in full condition, but that applies to everyone. Nevertheless, we showed that we can fight with anyone."

The person behind the athlete

Outside the court, the Iranian outside hitter is a family man.
"I love spending time with my family. I rarely go back to Iran – only for 2-3 months a year, so when I'm there, I try to enjoy every moment with my loved ones."

He adds with a smile that he already knows a few words in Bulgarian: "Dobre, hayde, hayde" (Okay, come on, come on), but wants to learn more, including "some not so decent ones," to understand what opponents on the other side of the net are telling him.

Mohammad Reza Beik seems ready to leave his mark at CSKA and in Bulgarian volleyball. With the ambition to win a title and a competitive spirit characteristic of great athletes, the Iranian is becoming one of the most interesting additions to the Super League this season.