Volleyball fans around the world are watching the siblings who will brighten the future of Bulgaria and Turkiye.
Week 1 of the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Men’s Division is underway with matches in Bulgaria and Brazil. As of 26:15 CET, Cuba, Italy, Poland, France, Japan, and Slovenia have three wins apiece to form the top half of the standings, while Bulgaria and Turkiye are tied at the bottom of the standings. Bulgaria is ranked 12th with one win and two losses, while the Turks are 13th with three losses.
However, apart from their results, both teams have names that have caught the attention of many volleyball fans. They are the brothers Nikolov and Ragumzija, two young and promising players who are the future of both teams. For Bulgaria, only the younger of the brothers, Simion Nikolov, is on the Week 1 roster. The older brother, Aleksandar Nikolov, 메이저 토토사이트 is currently undergoing rehabilitation after surgery and will not be able to participate in the VNL.
Simion Nikolov is Bulgaria’s leading setter even at the young age of 2006. At 6-foot-2, he has great physicality and distributes the ball quickly from a high position. His serve is sharp, and his side block is powerful. Based on this tournament, he still has some ups and downs, and there were times when he was a little too greedy on offense, but that’s something that can be improved considering his age. In many ways, he reminds me of Simone Giannelli, the Italian setter who helped Italy win the World Championship.
His older brother, Aleksandar Nikolov, is an explosive offensive force and has already been a standout for the Bulgarian national team and Serie A1 Kuchin Rube Chivitanova. In fact, Bulgaria hasn’t been able to adequately fill Aleksandar Nikolov’s void in this tournament and has had a somewhat disappointing start to the tournament, despite the fact that the top teams have been able to keep their rosters fluid. Bulgarian fans are eagerly awaiting Aleksandar Nikolov’s return to the national team after a successful rehabilitation and the chance to see him play alongside his younger brother Simion.
The brothers’ volleyball DNA comes from their father, Vladimir Nikolov. Vladimir Nikolov was an accomplished outside hitter who played for Turkuye, Japan, Italy, and France during his career and was named MVP of the 2004-05 CEV Champions League. The two sons of Vladimir Nikolov, also known as Apojit, play outside hitter and setter.
Unlike the Nikolov brothers, whose older brother was sidelined with an injury, the Ragumzija brothers in Turkiye have started together as brother and sister. The elder brother, Addis Ragumzija, is a 6-foot-5 right-handed outside hitter who plays for the same team as Aleksandar Nikolov, Roubaix. He is the ace of the team with his powerful attack and serve. He was dominant in the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup in South Korea, where he helped his team topple South Korea.
The younger brother Mirza Ragumzija is just as athletic as his older brother, standing at 205 centimeters. She is an outside hitter, and unlike her brother, who plays in Italy, she is still playing in her home league. Unlike his brother, who was already turning into an ace just a couple of years ago, Mirza Ragumzija was strictly a backup in the national team, but he has gradually increased his value and has become a regular in the starting lineup.
Like the Nikolov brothers, the Ragumzija siblings inherited their father’s volleyball DNA. Their father, Ekrem Ragumzija, played from 1985 to 2002 at the outside hitter position and was named the best spiker at the 1990-91 CEV European Championships. If he continues to perform at his current pace, it is certain that his son Adis will surpass his father’s career in the same position.
Having inherited their father’s volleyball DNA, the Nikolov-Ragumzija brothers are the future of the Bulgarian and Turkkiye national teams. With all four players taking their careers in stride, the question is which of the brothers will shine brighter in the future.