Sokolov retires from national team after Olympic qualifiers

 Tsvetan Sokolov, the captain and star opposite of the Bulgarian national team, announced his retirement from international volleyball after the FIVB Road to Paris Volleyball Qualifiers. The 33-year-old confirmed his decision when the team arrived home from the tournament in Xi’an.

Sokolov said: “It was an honour and a pleasure to represent Bulgaria and its flag. I am very grateful for all the emotions I experienced with the national team. But I think it is time to end this journey and let other boys start theirs. I think 17 years with the national team is enough for me.”

Sokolov led Bulgaria to a fifth place finish in Pool C of the Olympic qualifiers, where they entered as the lowest ranked team among the eight participants. Sokolov was the top scorer for Bulgaria in five of the six matches he played in Xi’an, scoring 27 points in his last match against Belgium. He finished as the fourth best scorer of the pool.

Sokolov admitted that it was a hard decision to retire from the national team. He said: “I had been thinking about it for the last couple of seasons. I always want to give 100% when playing for the team, but my body can no longer handle the load. We all tried to qualify for the Olympics. Unfortunately, we fell short of that goal. Everyone wants to go to the Olympic Games and that dream is the last thing that dies away.”

Sokolov joined the national team in 2006, when he was only 16 years old. He helped Bulgaria win bronze at the 2009 CEV European Championship and finish fourth at the London 2012 Olympics, which was their last appearance at the Games. He was also part of the Dream Team of the 2013 FIVB Volleyball World League and became the best scorer of the World League in 2016.

Sokolov said: “It is a privilege to play for the national team and represent your country. There are some very talented young boys who need to get a chance to learn from their mistakes and problems. With hard work and sacrifice I think the team can be among the top 10 in the world again.”

Sokolov will continue his impressive club career, which started at Bulgaria’s Marek Union Ivkoni Dupnitsa and took him to top clubs in Italy, Türkiye and Russia. He has won three FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship titles and three CEV Champions League titles, as well as many individual awards in these competitions.