The announcement in detail
“The management of TAA Athlos Orestiada is pleased to announce the start of its cooperation with international Bosnian athlete Andrej Ristic, who has already joined our team’s dynamic team for the 2023-2024 Volley League season.
This is another high-level player with great technical training, a valuable “tool” for any coach, who will undoubtedly further strengthen our team’s effort to distinguish itself this year. The 25-year-old ex-Serbia Radnicki Kragujevac winger is noted for his bounce, solid reception, and has significant experience and performances from international leagues.
Son of Ljubitsa Ristic, who in the past, in addition to his career in the Italian fields, also played successfully for PAOK, Espero Byzantium and Ktisiphon Paianias, Andrei followed in his father’s footsteps from a young age and was characterized as one of the great talents of his generation.
The 192m high newly acquired ace was born on 23.01.1998 in Naples, where his father was then competing in the local Com Cavi Multimedia Napoli Volley. Returning to Bosnia-Herzegovina, under the technical guidance of Ljubica Ristic, Ristic junior played in 2013 at the age of 15 for MOK Jedinstvo Brcko. He remained in the Bosnian team until 2016, gaining his maiden European experiences with his participation in the Cev Cup and Challenge Cup.
However, he developed significantly as an athlete in the 2016/17 season in Serbia, playing as a starter for Partizan Belgrade.
At the age of 19, he moved to Greece in 2017 on behalf of Ethnikos Alexandroupolis, with whom he was 9th in the Greek Cup and League Cup finalist “N. Saddler”.
This was followed by his three-year presence in the Serie B stadiums with Bolzano, Leverano and Atlantide Pallavolo Brescia and in the same season (2019-20) his transfer to the French Nant (League B).
The following year he returned for a year to Italy as an athlete of Conad Reggio Emilia.
Two years ago he reappeared in the Serbian Super League, where, competing with Red Star, he took 3rd place in the Serbian league and Cup. He had similar honors in the last season in Radnicki Kragujevac, with which he also participated in the Cev Cup.
The new acquisition of our team, who arrived on Thursday in Orestiada, is an active international, while he has competed with all the age groups of Bosnia-Herzegovina, winning in 2015 in the Balkan Youth Championship, in Montenegro, the title of the top striker of the competition. The new foreign winger of our team, who “inherited” the “stepfather” of the father of “Rile” is married and the father of one child.
The administration of TAA Athlos Orestiadas welcomes Alexey to our club family and wishes him health, personal and team success.
Previous teams
2013-2016: Mok Jedinstvo Brcko (Bosnia)
2016-2017: Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)
2017-2018: Mosca Bruno Bolzano (Italy)
2018-2019: BCC Leverano (Italy)
2019-2020 Grand Nancy Volley-Ball (France)
2019-2020: Atlantide Pallavolo Brescia (Italy)
2020-2021: Conad Volley Tricolore Reggio Emilia (Italy)
2021-2022: Crvena Zvezda Belgrade (Serbia)
2022-2023: Radnicki Kragujevac (Serbia)
Discrimination
2013/14: 2nd place Championship, 2nd place Bosnian Cup
2015: Top striker in the Balkan Youth Championship
2017/18: 3rd place League Cup N. Samaras
2021/22: 3rd place Championship, 3rd place Serbian Cup
2022/23: 3rd place Championship, 3rd place Serbian Cup” reads the announcement.
In his first statements on Greek soil, the 25-year-old international ace of Athlos Orestiadas, who nails at 3.50m and blocks at 3.30m, clearly in a good mood, said: “I am very excited to return to play in Greece and especially in the Evros area! I saw that the team roster looks really good and even though I don’t know any of my teammates personally, I’m looking forward to playing with them. The fans of our team expect us to give 100% on the field, but to win we need this so-called “7th player”, who is none other than our fans!!! I played in Greece a long time ago and I was very young, but this time, I am much more experienced and I hope we can achieve the goals that the management of Athlos Orestiada has set for this season!”
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
