Teodor Salparov reveals Blengini wanted him back in Bulgaria’s national team

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Teodor Salparov may have stepped away from the Bulgarian national team, but his connection with the country’s volleyball story remains as strong as ever.
And now, as a new generation prepares to compete on the European stage, the legendary libero has offered a revealing perspective on both the team he left behind and the career that made him one of the most recognisable figures in Bulgarian volleyball.
Speaking after being awarded the “Golden Tricolor” badge in recognition of his contribution to the sport and the end of his competitive career, he revealed that former Bulgaria head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini tried to persuade him to return to the national team even a year after his international retirement.

Salparov ended his national-team career after the 2023 European Championship, having spent more than two decades wearing the Bulgarian jersey.
During that time, he was part of one of the strongest generations in the country’s recent history, including the bronze medal-winning teams at the 2006 World Championship and 2009 European Championship, as well as Bulgaria’s fourth-place finish at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

“I caught a large part of these guys who became world vice-champions,” he said when discussing the current generation. “It wasn’t up to me to want to continue. I could probably have become a world vice-champion with them. It’s no secret that Blengini, even after I had retired for a year, wanted me to come back.”

The comment provides an intriguing glimpse into the transition between two generations of Bulgarian volleyball. Salparov was already an established international player when many of the current national-team members were beginning their careers, and he believes the new group possesses something that can be just as important as individual talent: an unusually strong team atmosphere.

“These guys are a great collective,” he said. “They are very united and, at least for now, they seem to have no disagreements among themselves. During my competitive career, there were many such things. With these guys, the atmosphere inside seems much better. They have the full potential — we all see it.”

That potential became particularly visible when Bulgaria reached the final of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, finishing as runners-up and announcing themselves once again as a major force on the international scene.
Salparov is nevertheless careful not to compare generations too directly. For him, the biggest challenge facing the current team is no longer proving that it can defeat the world’s best, but doing so consistently.

“They can beat a top team, but then they can lose to a team that is at their level,” he said, identifying consistency as the missing ingredient.

He pointed to Bulgaria’s recent Nations League campaigns as an example, recalling occasions when the team had opportunities to defeat direct rivals and move closer to the decisive stages of the competition. The next step, in his view, is to turn individual victories into sustained results.
The ambition is inevitably growing as well. After Bulgaria’s spectacular rise, talk of an Olympic medal is no longer purely hypothetical. Salparov, however, believes the team must take things one tournament at a time.

“Everyone dreams,” he said. “But you have to look at tournament by tournament. They have raised the bar a lot and now no team will underestimate them.”

He also offered a sober assessment of Bulgaria’s position in the international hierarchy. “To be honest, there are still five or six teams that are better than us globally. That’s the reality. But these guys surpassed their development much earlier. They have a huge chance. First, they have to qualify for the Olympics, and then we can think about a medal.”

Time, he believes, is firmly on Bulgaria’s side. The current generation is still relatively young and is gaining experience together, while several established international powers are approaching or already entering periods of generational change.

“They will continue to play in this formation for many more years, and other generations have slowly started to change. So our team will become stronger and stronger.”

While Salparov’s thoughts on the current national team naturally attracted attention, the ceremony also provided an opportunity to look back at the extraordinary determination behind his own career.
For him, the answer to what kept him playing through injuries, setbacks and the physical demands of elite volleyball is remarkably simple.

“The love for the ball.”

It was that attachment to the sport, he explained, that helped him return even after a serious knee injury involving both the cruciate ligament and patellar tendon. At a time when some doubted whether he could ever return to his previous level, Salparov approached rehabilitation with the same mentality he had brought to the court.
He recalled one particularly telling detail: even when he was unable to train normally, he would hit the ball against a wall at home between 200 and 500 times a day. At CSKA’s gym, he would sometimes stay on his own and practise serves against the wall, setting himself specific targets to achieve.
Aleksandar Popov, his first coach in men’s volleyball and now head coach of CSKA Sofia, knows that mentality better than most. Popov worked with Salparov for eight years and described his former player’s relationship with volleyball as an almost unconditional form of dedication.
He recalled one occasion when, following a defeat, he conducted an intense team analysis lasting almost two hours. When the meeting was over, Salparov and another young player remained in the gym for another two hours simply to play volleyball.
That attitude, Popov suggested, cannot be taught.
Salparov also reflected on what experience changes in a libero. At the beginning of a career, spectacular defensive actions can often attract the most attention, but an experienced player increasingly relies on anticipation, positioning and the ability to read the game before the ball is struck.
His views on leadership are similarly rooted in experience.

“I never wanted to be the team’s leader. It came from within,” Salparov explained.
“You either have it in you or you don’t. A leader can even be a substitute. A leader is the person who can bring reason and calm, and when needed, also fight during a match.”

Popov agrees with the distinction. A coach can choose a captain, he believes, but leadership itself cannot be handed out with an appointment.
For younger players hoping to build a career in volleyball, Salparov’s advice is therefore less about talent than discipline.

“Pursue your dreams and be very diligent in the training process. Listen to your coaches and love the sport you are involved in.”

Motivation, he argued, inevitably fluctuates. Discipline does not have to.

“You can have motivation one day, and not have it the next. But when you are disciplined and know that whatever happened the day before, you go and you have to train — that’s the big difference.”

It is a philosophy that perhaps explains better than any statistic why Salparov was able to remain at the highest level for so long.
His club career included successful spells in Russia, France, Türkiye and Bulgaria, with his most decorated period coming at Zenit Kazan. He won the CEV Champions League with the Russian powerhouse in 2015 and was recognised individually as the competition’s Best Libero that same year.
Yet despite being offered the opportunity to turn his experiences into a book, Salparov has so far declined.
He was approached while playing for Hebar Pazardzhik, but believes that his life story is not finished yet.

“To write a book, you should be at least over 60 years old,” he said. “So far, I have walked half of my life and I still have a lot to learn.”

For now, the former libero is also resisting the temptation to immediately move into coaching or another permanent role in volleyball.

“I am very far from volleyball in any form. I have other ventures. But never say never. If I can help with my rich experience in volleyball, I am ready.”

After spending most of his life inside volleyball halls, he wants to give himself time away from the sport and devote more attention to his family and the people closest to him.
Time will tell whether he eventually returns to the court in a different role. What is already certain is that Salparov’s playing career left behind something more enduring than medals and trophies: a standard of professionalism, resilience and commitment that the next generation of Bulgarian volleyball players will inevitably be measured against.