Bulgarian volleyball is buzzing with excitement as one of the sport’s all-time greats, Matey Kaziyski, returns home after more than two decades playing at the top level abroad. The 40-year-old legend made an agreement with Lokomotiv Avia (Plovdiv), the reigning runners-up in the Bulgarian league, in a move that’s being called the biggest transfer in the country’s club volleyball in recent years.
Kaziyski, who last competed for Allianz Milano in Italy, will officially join Lokomotiv Avia before the start of the new Bulgarian efbet Super Volley League season. The club plans to present him to fans in Plovdiv by the end of August.
Club manager Lyudmil Naydenov confirmed the agreement but insisted on keeping the signing personal:
“We’ve agreed on everything with Matey Kaziyski, but we won’t finalize this kind of deal over email. The contract will be signed in Plovdiv at the end of the month.”
While a formal contract has yet to be signed, Lokomotiv Avia president Ivaylo Konstantinov confirmed that an agreement is already in place.
“This is the biggest transfer in Bulgarian club volleyball in recent years,” Konstantinov told for Bulgarian outlet Sportal. “Matey will train mostly in Italy with Trentino but will come to Bulgaria for the most important matches. If he receives an irresistible offer during the season, we won’t stand in his way.”
Over his illustrious career, Kaziyski has achieved almost every honor in the sport — three CEV Champions League titles, five Italian league championships, and bronze medals for Bulgaria at the 2006 World Championship and 2009 European Championship. He also played a key role in Bulgaria’s fifth-place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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