With an enormous jumping ability, a dreaded service, an excellent eye for the game and nerves made of steel the now 26-year-old Kaziyski has always been considered a most uncomfortable opponent: “You are in the lead throughout the encounter – and then it’s Kaziyski turn to serve and you loose,” these are the words of Aleksandar Popov, the long-term coach of CSKA Sofia, and they really summarize this Bulgarian volleyball phenomenon in a nutshell.

In the CL Final Four last weekend Kaziyski again made life difficult for his opponents due to his above mentioned qualities. With 19 points he almost single-handedly defeated Zenit Kasan in the final.

One could say that the 2.02m tall Matey Kaziyski inherited the volleyball talent from his parents: his father Ilian played in the Bulgarian national team, as did his mother Valya. Thus little Matey grew up in sport halls and discovered his love for volleyball quite early. However, a wrong medical diagnosis had almost ended his career before it had actually started. During a medical examination to evaluate whether he was suitable for military service a cardiac defect was discovered. Numerous additional examinations were necessary until the doctors finally gave the all-clear for his athletic career.

In his sports career he has always been a true high-flyer. And his rise has always been linked with Radostin Stoytchev. In 2005 the current coach of the Bulgarian national team got him to leave his original club Slavia Sofia to play for Dynamo Mocow and in 2007 he took Kaziyski with him to Trentino where he is still playing at the moment. It seemed that all those career steps have always been the right ones. Kaziyski’s list of successes is quite impressive: he seized the bronze medals in the World Championship and European Championship with Bulgaria and in club competitions he did not only win the national championships in Italy and Russia but also the CEV Champions League three times with Trentino. In addition, he was voted European Player of the Year in 2006.

Besides his inherited volleyball background, it is his total commitment to the sport that led Kaziyski right to the top. Despite his claimed value of 7 million Euros the tall Kaziyski with the deep voice is a calm, humble and unpretentious person who is also slightly reserved towards the media. He is a determined “worker” who even when he is visiting home attends practice sessions twice per day at the club of his youth Slavia Sofia. His life is volleyball thus any additional education has to wait. For this reason he has put his economic studies at university on hold for the moment.