Rusi Zhelev is a Bulgarian outside hitter who plays for Conad Reggio Emilia in Italy’s Serie A2 and represents the Bulgaria Men’s National Volleyball Team. A product of Beroe 2016 in his hometown of Stara Zagora, he developed from academy player to club captain before moving to Italy in 2025. His senior profile is unusual for a wing spiker: alongside his normal responsibilities in attack and serve reception, Bulgaria has used him as a libero when the national team needed additional defensive coverage.
Zhelev was selected for Bulgaria’s 14-player squad that reached the final of the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship and finished with the silver medal, the country’s first appearance in a men’s World Championship final since 1970. His first Italian season then produced 296 points in 28 Serie A2 matches for Banca Macerata Fisiomed, including 22 aces and 36 blocks. For 2026–27 he moved to newly promoted Conad Reggio Emilia, where he wears No. 15.
Player Information
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rusi Zhelev |
| Native name | Руси Желев |
| Date of birth | 21 December 2001 |
| Place of birth | Stara Zagora, Bulgaria |
| Nationality | Bulgarian |
| Position | Outside hitter |
| Secondary national-team role | Libero when required |
| Height | 200 cm |
| Weight | 88 kg |
| Spike reach | 350 cm |
| Block reach | 335 cm |
| Dominant hand | Right |
| Previous clubs | Beroe 2016 Stara Zagora; Banca Macerata Fisiomed |
| Current club | Conad Reggio Emilia |
| Club number | 15 |
| National team | Bulgaria Men’s National Volleyball Team |
| National-team number | 15 |
| Career status | Active |
Zhelev’s height varies between current public listings. Volleyball World lists him at 197 cm, an older CEV club entry used 198 cm, while his Reggio Emilia introduction and current career databases use 200 cm. The 200 cm figure best reflects the measurement used in his current club context. The 88 kg weight and 350 cm/335 cm spike-and-block figures appear in current database listings, while older CEV youth and club records contain lower reach measurements from earlier stages of his development.
Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings
Zhelev was born and developed as a volleyball player in Stara Zagora. His connection to Beroe 2016 was deeper than simply beginning his senior career there: he came through the club’s youth structure and became one of the first academy players whom Beroe developed into a national-team-level athlete. The club announced his first professional employment contract in September 2020 and noted that he had already contributed to the senior side during its rise through the Bulgarian league system and promotion to the Super League. He continued with the No. 15 shirt that would later follow him into senior international volleyball.
His national-team development was already underway. Zhelev represented Bulgaria at the 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival before moving into the U21 program. He was included in Bulgaria’s squad for the 2021 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship, playing in a generation that also included Aleksandar Nikolov, Georgi Tatarov and several players who would later reach the senior national team. CEV records subsequently place him with Bulgaria at the 2022 U22 European Championship.
A Bulgarian federation feature published before the 2021 U21 World Championship also offered an early picture of his mentality. Asked to describe himself, Zhelev chose qualities equivalent to persistent, thoughtful and patient, while describing volleyball as a central goal in his life and recalling that he was drawn to the sport from his first encounter with it. Those comments fit the development path that followed: he stayed with his hometown club for years rather than leaving immediately, assumed greater responsibility there and eventually departed as Beroe’s captain.
Club Career
Growing from Academy Player to Beroe Captain
Zhelev’s senior club career was built almost entirely at Beroe 2016 before his move abroad. Career records place him with the Stara Zagora club from 2018–19 through 2024–25, while Beroe’s own records document his progression from academy player to professional senior-team member.
By the 2023–24 season he had become Beroe’s captain. That role was significant for a player who had grown through the club rather than arrived as an established veteran. His public comments during that period regularly dealt with team expectations, difficult away matches and cup ambitions, reflecting a responsibility that extended beyond his individual production.
Beroe’s 2024–25 campaign became the strongest season of Zhelev’s time with the senior team. The club reached the Bulgarian championship semifinals after defeating Montana in the quarterfinal series. Zhelev contributed nine points in the straight-set victory that clinched the semifinal place, and the run represented a historic result for the Stara Zagora side.
Across the season, Zhelev scored 324 points. Beroe also competed in the 2024–25 CEV Challenge Cup qualifying pathway, giving him another taste of European club volleyball before his first foreign transfer. CEV records list him as No. 15 and an outside spiker for the Bulgarian club.
The significance of his eventual departure was reflected in how Beroe described the move: Zhelev became the first outgoing transfer produced by the club’s own academy. After years of development in Stara Zagora and a final season as captain, he signed for Banca Macerata Fisiomed in Italy’s Serie A2 for 2025–26.
First Season Abroad with Banca Macerata Fisiomed
Macerata represented Zhelev’s first full club experience outside Bulgaria. He arrived after the 2025 national-team summer and entered an environment that demanded regular six-rotation work from its outside hitters.
The transition was productive. Zhelev finished his first Serie A2 campaign with 296 points across 28 matches, including 22 service aces and 36 kill blocks. Those numbers are notable for an outside hitter because they show scoring impact beyond the left-side attack: he was creating direct points from the service line and making a substantial contribution at the net.
Macerata also reached the playoffs. In the opening playoff match against Brescia in April 2026, Zhelev scored 12 points with two aces and two blocks while recording 55% positive and 36% perfect reception. Even in defeat, the match illustrated the balance in his club role: he had to contribute as a scorer without being relieved of significant reception responsibility.
His first year in Italy was therefore more than an overseas introduction. Zhelev moved from seven seasons inside one Bulgarian organization into a competitive Serie A2 season, handled a large regular role and produced enough across attack, serve and block to secure another contract in the same division.
Move to Conad Reggio Emilia
For 2026–27, Zhelev signed with Conad Reggio Emilia, also known through the Volley Tricolore identity. The club had earned promotion back to Serie A2 and made the Bulgarian outside hitter one of its new additions for the return to the second tier. As of October 2026, Reggio Emilia’s completed roster lists Zhelev among its four outside hitters and assigns him No. 15.
In his introductory interview with the Reggio Emilia organization, Zhelev explained that he wanted to remain in Serie A2 after his first Italian season because of the league’s competitiveness and because he believed another year there could make him a better player. He also emphasized Reggio Emilia’s interest in him and the continuity of a squad coming off promotion as factors in his decision.
The same introduction provided an unusually clear description of how Zhelev sees his own value. He emphasized passion first, but from a technical standpoint pointed to his ability to offer solutions in several areas and specifically mentioned that he was also playing libero with Bulgaria. For a player signed to Reggio Emilia as an outside hitter, that detail helps explain why reception and defensive flexibility are such important parts of his profile.
Club Career Timeline
| Seasons | Team | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 to 2024–25 | Beroe 2016 Stara Zagora | Bulgaria |
| 2025–26 | Banca Macerata Fisiomed | Italy |
| 2026–27 | Conad Reggio Emilia | Italy |
The timeline marks a clear change in the shape of Zhelev’s career. He spent his formative and early professional years almost entirely in one hometown system, then began his international club career at 23 and chose to remain in Italy for a second consecutive season rather than return to Bulgaria.
National Team Career
Youth National Teams
Zhelev’s international experience began with Bulgaria’s age-group teams. CEV records connect him with the 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival and the 2022 U22 European Championship, while he was also part of Bulgaria’s squad at the 2021 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship.
The 2021 U21 tournament did not produce a medal for Bulgaria, which ultimately finished sixth, but it placed Zhelev in a national-team environment alongside several players who later progressed into senior international volleyball. The experience also came while he was still establishing himself professionally with Beroe.
Senior Debut and an Unusual Libero Assignment
Zhelev moved into Bulgaria’s senior setup in 2025 under head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini and was included in the Volleyball Nations League squad as an outside hitter. Bulgaria finished the preliminary phase with six wins and six losses.
His actual role, however, became less conventional. During the VNL, Bulgaria used Zhelev as a libero. Official match data from the tournament records him with the libero designation in at least part of the competition, despite his normal career position being outside hitter.
Zhelev later discussed the experiment directly, describing libero as an entirely new challenge and explaining that the coaching staff needed him in that role. Rather than treating the switch as a permanent position change, he framed it as part of his responsibility to provide whatever the national team required.
That distinction matters. Zhelev is still fundamentally an outside hitter at club level and in official player databases, but the libero assignment demonstrated confidence in his ball control and willingness to take on a specialist defensive role very different from his normal front-row work.
2025 World Championship Silver Medal
Zhelev was selected as one of Bulgaria’s four outside hitters for the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. He wore No. 15 alongside a Bulgarian roster that included Aleksandar Nikolov, Asparuh Asparuhov, Martin Atanasov, Aleks Grozdanov and Simeon Nikolov.
Bulgaria produced one of the tournament’s major runs. After reaching the knockout rounds, the team came back from two sets down to eliminate the United States in the quarterfinals and defeated Czechia 3–1 in the semifinal. That victory sent Bulgaria to the men’s World Championship final for the first time in 55 years.
Italy won the gold-medal match 3–1, leaving Bulgaria with silver — its second World Championship silver after 1970 and its first medal in the competition since 2006. Zhelev was part of the 14-player Bulgarian roster throughout the tournament, although Volleyball World’s individual tournament page does not record scoring statistics for him. His medal therefore belongs to his role within the World Championship squad rather than to a major individual scoring contribution during the run.
2026 VNL and EuroVolley
Zhelev remained in Bulgaria’s plans for the 2026 season. Volleyball World again listed him as a No. 15 outside hitter for the VNL, but his tournament usage remained heavily defensive. He recorded no attack, block or serve points, while match data shows appearances involving digs and second-line work.
Before EuroVolley 2026, Bulgaria continued to train him as an outside hitter who could provide libero cover if required. The final European Championship roster listed him in his conventional outside-hitter position rather than as a designated libero.
The tournament was Zhelev’s first senior EuroVolley. CEV specifically identified him among nine Bulgarian players making their European Championship debuts on home soil. He appeared as a substitute across Bulgaria’s campaign, including the five-set pool-stage victory over Poland. Bulgaria advanced from Pool B before its tournament ended in the round of 16.
Playing Style & Strengths
Zhelev is a six-rotation outside hitter whose strongest distinguishing trait is the breadth of work he can perform rather than reliance on one spectacular scoring skill. At club level, his job includes the normal combination of serve reception, left-side attacking, serving and front-row blocking. His 2025–26 Macerata season provides a useful statistical picture: 296 total points, 22 aces and 36 blocks in 28 matches.
The blocking number stands out for a wing spiker. Outside hitters spend much of their front-row time blocking opposing opposites, often against some of the highest-volume attackers on the court. Zhelev’s 36 blocks in his first Serie A2 season show that his impact at the net is not limited to attack.
His serve provides another direct scoring route. Twenty-two aces over the same Macerata campaign gave him meaningful point production from behind the service line and complemented his role as a more physical outside hitter.
Reception is equally important to understanding his game. Against Brescia in the 2026 playoffs, for example, Zhelev combined 12 points with 55% positive reception. Against Cantù earlier in the season, he finished with 67% positive and 42% perfect reception while also producing three blocks. Individual matches should not be treated as permanent measurements of a player, but these performances show the type of balance his role demands.
The national-team libero experiment pushes that interpretation further. Coaches generally do not move a regular outside hitter into a libero role unless they believe his first-contact and defensive skills can survive without the attacking contribution that normally justifies his place on court. In Zhelev’s case, the switch was situational rather than a permanent conversion, but it demonstrates a defensive utility that separates him from an outside hitter valued mainly for terminal offense. His return to the outside-hitter designation at EuroVolley 2026 confirms that his core position has not changed.
His physical measurements also vary enough across databases that they should not define the analysis by themselves. Whether listed at 197, 198 or 200 cm, Zhelev’s more meaningful characteristics are his ability to remain involved in reception, score through serve and block, and adapt his role when Bulgaria needs additional defensive coverage.
Major Achievements
Zhelev’s senior international résumé is still developing, but it already contains one major global medal.
Selected National Team Honors
| Year | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | FIVB Men’s World Championship | Silver medal |
Bulgaria’s 2025 result was historically significant. The team won six of seven matches at the tournament, returned to the World Championship podium for the first time since 2006 and reached the final for the first time since its home silver medal in 1970.
For Zhelev personally, the medal also marked the rapid change in his career during 2025. Only months earlier he had been captaining Beroe and preparing for his first senior VNL season; by September he was part of a Bulgarian squad contesting a World Championship final, and immediately afterward he left for his first club season abroad.
Where Is Rusi Zhelev Playing Now?
Rusi Zhelev plays for Conad Reggio Emilia in Italy’s Serie A2 for the 2026–27 season. The club returned to the division after earning promotion from Serie A3 and retained much of its promotion-winning group while adding Zhelev as one of its new outside hitters. The finalized roster gives him No. 15 alongside Martin Chevalier, Riccardo Mazzon and Christian Bertazzoni in the outside-hitter unit.
The move is his second consecutive Italian club season following his year with Banca Macerata Fisiomed. Zhelev has said that Reggio Emilia’s clear interest in him, the stability of the squad and his desire to continue developing in Serie A2 influenced the decision.
He also remains part of Bulgaria’s senior national-team group. His most recent major international event was EuroVolley 2026, where he was registered as No. 15 and an outside hitter after again providing defensive flexibility during the preceding VNL.
Recent Performance Snapshot
| Competition / Season | Matches | Points | Aces | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 Italian Serie A2 — Banca Macerata Fisiomed | 28 | 296 | 22 | 36 |
The Macerata season remains the clearest recent full-season measure of Zhelev as an outside hitter. It came in his first year outside Bulgarian club volleyball and was strong enough to earn him another Serie A2 opportunity immediately afterward with Reggio Emilia.
His 2026 national-team statistics need a different interpretation. Volleyball World lists zero scoring points for Zhelev in the VNL because his usage centered on defensive and libero-style duties rather than normal outside-hitter attacking rotations. Treating that total as evidence of weak attacking form would therefore misrepresent the role Bulgaria assigned him.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Rusi Zhelev?
Rusi Zhelev is listed at 200 cm in his current Reggio Emilia introduction and several current career databases. Volleyball World lists him at 197 cm, while a 2024–25 CEV club roster used 198 cm.
What position does Rusi Zhelev play?
Zhelev’s primary position is outside hitter. Bulgaria has also used him as a libero in Volleyball Nations League competition when the coaching staff wanted additional defensive coverage.
Which club does Rusi Zhelev play for?
Zhelev plays for Conad Reggio Emilia in Italy’s Serie A2 for the 2026–27 season.
What number does Rusi Zhelev wear?
He wears No. 15 for Conad Reggio Emilia and was also registered as No. 15 for Bulgaria at EuroVolley 2026.
Did Rusi Zhelev win a medal at the 2025 World Championship?
Yes. Zhelev was part of Bulgaria’s 14-player squad that won the silver medal at the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. Italy defeated Bulgaria 3–1 in the final.
Why has Rusi Zhelev played libero for Bulgaria?
Zhelev explained that the libero assignment was a new challenge created by the national team’s needs rather than a permanent position change. His normal position remains outside hitter, but the Bulgarian coaching staff has used his defensive and reception skills as additional libero cover.
References
- Volleyball World — Rusi Zhelev VNL 2026 player profile
- Volleyball World — Rusi Zhelev 2025 Men’s World Championship player profile
- Volleyball World — Bulgaria 2025 Men’s World Championship roster
- Volleyball World — Italy beat Bulgaria in the 2025 World Championship final
- CEV — Rusi Zhelev player history and EuroVolley 2026 registration
- CEV — Bulgaria’s EuroVolley 2026 debutants
- Beroe 2016 — Rusi Zhelev signs his first professional contract
- Volley Tricolore press office — Rusi Zhelev joins Conad Reggio Emilia
- Volley Tricolore press office — Conad Reggio Emilia 2026–27 roster and shirt numbers
- BTA — Beroe captain Rusi Zhelev transfers to Macerata
- Sportal — Rusi Zhelev discusses playing libero for Bulgaria
- Volley News — Rusi Zhelev’s Macerata season and Reggio Emilia move
