Tsvetan Sokolov - Bulgarian National Player
Tsvetan Sokolov is the second best scorer in this year’s CEV Champions League among those star players due to compete at the historic Super Finals in Berlin. The Bulgarian opposite hitter has amassed 152 points – only five less than those scored by Earvin Ngapeth of Zenit KAZAN – and he has done so after contesting 10 matches and 35 sets this season so far. Sokolov, just like his teammate Osmany Juantorena, will be vying in Berlin for the third #CLVolleyM crown of his career, since these two superstars shared this prestigious honour in 2010 and 2011 when they were both wearing the shirt of TRENTINO Volley.
Actually, at that time Sokolov was still pretty much a star-in-the-making, with Leandro Vissotto and Jan Stokr being the starting opposite hitters of TRENTINO when they claimed #CLVolleyM gold medals in Lodz and Bolzano.
The 29-year-old Sokolov has a truly impressive collection of accolades from Europe’s elite competition – silver in 2013 and 2018, as well as bronze from the 2012 and 2016 editions to go with the gold medals from the early stages of his career.
After the historic moments he lived with TRENTINO almost a decade ago, Tsvetan was at least twice close to adding extra gold to his collection. Back in 2013, while playing along with Ngapeth and Nikola Grbic, he and Bre Banca Lannutti CUNEO lost a truly dramatic ‘grand finale’ to Lokomotiv NOVOSIBIRSK in Omsk. Last year, history repeated itself with Sokolov, struggling with a knee injury at the time, and Lube failing to end Zenit’s winning streak in the competition after an incredible fight.
Will the #SuperFinalsBerlin change that trend and see Tsvetan standing again on top of the podium? Sokolov has completed a remarkably quick comeback from knee surgery, which prevented him from contesting the 2018 FIVB World Championship on home soil, and is currently chasing his third title in the Italian national league. May is definitely the decisive moment for Sokolov and Cucine Lube after what has already been a truly remarkable season.
Source from www.cev.eu
Posted in International on May 04, 2019
