Bulgarian middle blocker Nikolay Kârtev is officially a new addition to French Montpellier, which reacted quickly to personnel issues in the middle of the net and attracted an experienced volleyball player with an international career.
The 30-year-old Kârtev, 204 cm tall, arrives in France from Greek PAOK (Thessaloniki), where he started the current season. The transfer is dictated by the severe shoulder injury of Nicolas Le Goff – a long-standing leader of Montpellier and a two-time Olympic champion with France (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024). The French international has undergone surgery and is expected to return to play only in March, which necessitated an urgent search for a replacement.
An additional factor for the club's activity was the departure of Canadian middle blocker Jordan Schnitzer, who never played an official match for Montpellier due to knee problems. His contract was terminated by mutual agreement at the end of 2025. Last but not least, Kârtev's decision to accept the offer was influenced by the arrival at PAOK of American national middle blocker Jeffrey Jendryk, who took the starting middle position instead of the Bulgarian.
A familiar name in the French league
For Nikolay Kârtev, this is not his first adventure in France. During the 2022/2023 season, he defended the colors of Toulouse, which was his first stay outside Bulgaria. After that, his career took him through Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Greece, and now he is returning to a championship he knows well.
In Bulgaria, Kârtev has played for Neftochimic, Hebar, and Montana, winning a national championship title, and in the Czech Republic, he triumphed with Lvi Praha. In Turkey, he was part of Arkas Spor (Izmir). The middle blocker also has significant experience with the Bulgarian national team.
A role in an ambitious project
In Montpellier, the Bulgarian will form a middle-blocker pair with French international Quentin Jouffroy, and he is expected to adapt quickly and provide stability in key moments of the season. The team is in rising form and holds second place in the provisional standings of the Marmara SpikeLeague – with 34 points, after 14 wins and 2 losses, just one point behind leaders Tours and ahead of Tourcoing, where Venislav Antov plays.
This Saturday, January 10, Montpellier faces a tough away game against Tours – a clash that could prove decisive in the battle for first place.
An interesting detail is that not long ago, another Bulgarian wore the Montpellier jersey – opposite hitter Dimitar Dimitrov, who left excellent impressions with his performances. With the signing of Nikolay Kârtev, the club is once again banking on Bulgarian presence in a key position, this time with the clear goal of maintaining its place among the favorites in France.
For Bulgarian fans, this is good news, as they will have the opportunity to watch a "Bulgarian" derby in the Champions League, in the group which includes Lube Civitanova and Montpellier. The match between the two teams is in France on February 10.
