Hadera, Israel. The last day of competition at the CEV EuroVolley 2021 Men qualifier held this past week in Hadera, Israel, included an emotional ceremony, where the Israeli Volleyball family bid farewell to Alexander Shafranovich, at the end of a long career with the national team.
Shafranovich, who has been the most successful Israeli Volleyball player since the dawn of the XXI century, with a resume including spells for elite teams in Germany, France, Poland, Greece and the Czech Republic, had announced that the matchup with Bulgaria would be his last one for Team Israel after a career spanning 20 years and more than 100 fixtures. Shortly before the start of the match on Sunday, Shafranovich, born in Ukraine, received a framed shirt of the Israeli national team, displaying his name and the no. 17 that he has been wearing for so many years while representing Israel internationally.
Shafranovich played in the first and second sets of Sunday’s match with Bulgaria, registering two points in the process.
“I had a long journey with the national team, which lasted for some 20 years. When I look back, I do not even remember when and against whom I played my first match with the national team. However, it is possible that it happened against Bulgaria in another European Championship qualifier, so it is nice that today I somehow closed the circle,” said the 37-year-old Shafranovich. “I feel that this tournament was a missed opportunity because we could have beaten the Austrians in the first game as well, but we did not withstand the pressure at the end of the sets. However, this tournament also showed that there is potential for this team as well as for Israeli Volleyball as a whole.”
News:
CEV – European Volleyball
IVA – Israel Volleyball Association
