Eulric Jacob Valdez was not in his seat. Instead, he stayed at the fan zone, choosing to wait there rather than watch the match.
Valdez, a die-hard supporter of Aleksandar and Moni Nikolov, arrived an hour early for the Bulgaria-United States quarterfinal match last Thursday night. He secured a spot at the front of the fan zone, hoping to snag even a quick photo or autograph.
“Syempre para sa Nikolov brothers, si Moni and si Alex. Ang galing kasi nila kaya kailangan may picture ako with them,” he said, dressed in Bulgarian gear.
It was his fifth Bulgaria game in Manila, but his first time skipping the action to wait for the brothers.
“Usually pinapanood [ko] hanggang second set, third set, pero ngayon iba po eh,” he admitted.
For Valdez, the chance to meet the Nikolovs outweighed the game itself. “Kasi once in a lifetime mo lang sila makikita dito sa Philippines,” he said, knowing the quarterfinal could be Bulgaria’s last.
He first discovered the siblings in last year’s Volleyball Nations League and has followed them closely since.
“Ever since last year, pinapanood ko ‘yung mga games nila sa VNL. Iba po talaga sila,” he said.
An outside hitter for his school in Quezon City, Valdez also looks up to their playing style. And so, even as the match unfolded inside the arena, he remained in the fan zone.
“Sobrang importante na makita ko sila, as in. Fan na fan po talaga nila ako,” he said, never mind the game he was missing.
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