Italy men's national volleyball team
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| Nickname(s) | Azzurri | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Federazione Italiana Pallavolo (in Italian) | |||
| Confederation | CEV | |||
| Head coach | Gianlorenzo Blengini | |||
| FIVB ranking | 4 (as of August 2017) | |||
| Uniforms | ||||
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| Summer Olympics | ||||
| Appearances | 11 (First in 1976) | |||
| Best result |
 | |||
| World Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 17 (First in 1949) | |||
| Best result |
 | |||
| World Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 7 (First in 1989) | |||
| Best result |
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| European Championship | ||||
| Appearances | 29 (First in 1948) | |||
| Best result |
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| www.federvolley.it | ||||
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The Italy men's national volleyball team dominated international volleyball competitions in the 1990s and early 2000s, by winning three World Championships in a row (1990, 1994 and 1998), six European Championships, one World Cup (1995) and eight World League (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000). However, the great Italian showcase of records is considered incomplete due to the failed win of the Olympic games: since 1996, Italy is the only national team that has achieved olympic semifinals every time, but never reached the gold medal. That's why local media talk about "the Olympic curse".
Result history
Golden Team
In 1989, Julio Velasco was hired to coach the Italian National Men’s Team. He immediately led them to a Gold Medal at the European Championships in 1989, which his team won twice more in 1993 and 1995. The team also won a Silver Medal at the World Cup in 1989. He de-emphasized the specialization trend of the 1980s. He emphasized the concept of the “square”, team unity where the team was better than the sum of its players. He was meticulous, well prepared and very demanding, but he knew how to win. Starting at the 1990 World Championships and the 1990 Goodwill Games, the Italian National team swept the world volleyball events for five years. They won a Gold Medal in the World Champion-ships in 1990 and 1994, the World League in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995, 1991, the Mediterranean Games, and the 1993 Grand Champions Cup. They won a Silver Medal at the Olympic Games. Julio Velasco left the Italian National Men’s Team in 1996. Velasco in 1989-1996 created Golden Team with Players such as Andrea Gardini, Giani, Bernardi, Gravina, Bracci, Tofoli, Lucchetta, Papi, Pasinato and Meoni.[1]
Statistics
| Competition |  |  |  | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| World Championship | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| World Cup | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| World Grand Champions Cup | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| World League | 8 | 3 | 4 | 15 |
| European Championship | 6 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| Universiade | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| Mediterranean Games | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Total | 26 | 16 | 18 | 60 |
Olympic Games
- Negri, Lucchetta, Dametto, Bertoli, Dall'Olio, Rebaudengo, Errichiello, De Luigi, Vullo, Lanfranco, Vecchi, Andrea Lucchetta. Head coach: Pittera
- Gardini, Giani, P. Lucchetta, De Giorgi, Bracci, Galli, Castagna, Lazzeroni, Bernardi, Zorzi, Cantagalli, A. Lucchetta. Head coach: Pittera
World Championship
World Cup
World Grand Champions Cup
European Championship
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World League
- Gardini, Martinelli, Gravina, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Papi, Sartoretti, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Margutti, Pippi, Giani, Bellini, Pasinato, Rinaldi, Fangareggi, Giretto. Head coach: Velasco
Mediterranean Games
Goodwill Games
- 1990 —
Team
Current roster
The following is the Italian roster in the 2018 World Championship.[2]
Head coach: Gianlorenzo Blengini
| No. | Name | Date of birth | Height | Weight | Spike | Block | 2018–19 club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davide Candellaro | 7 June 1989 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 340 cm (130 in) | 320 cm (130 in) | |
| 2 | Luigi Randazzo | 30 April 1994 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 97 kg (214 lb) | 352 cm (139 in) | 255 cm (100 in) | |
| 4 | Michele Baranowicz | 5 August 1989 | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | 350 cm (140 in) | 328 cm (129 in) | |
| 5 | Osmany Juantorena | 12 August 1985 | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) | 85 kg (187 lb) | 370 cm (150 in) | 340 cm (130 in) | |
| 6 | Simone Giannelli | 9 August 1996 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 350 cm (140 in) | 330 cm (130 in) | |
| 7 | Salvatore Rossini | 13 July 1986 | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | 82 kg (181 lb) | 312 cm (123 in) | 301 cm (119 in) | |
| 8 | Daniele Mazzone | 4 June 1992 | 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) | 88 kg (194 lb) | 315 cm (124 in) | 309 cm (122 in) | |
| 9 | Ivan Zaytsev (C) | 2 October 1988 | 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 370 cm (150 in) | 355 cm (140 in) | |
| 10 | Filippo Lanza | 3 March 1991 | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | 98 kg (216 lb) | 350 cm (140 in) | 330 cm (130 in) | |
| 12 | Enrico Cester | 16 March 1988 | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) | 93 kg (205 lb) | 336 cm (132 in) | 321 cm (126 in) | |
| 13 | Massimo Colaci | 21 February 1985 | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | 314 cm (124 in) | 306 cm (120 in) | |
| 15 | Gabriele Maruotti | 25 March 1988 | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | 92 kg (203 lb) | 348 cm (137 in) | 340 cm (130 in) | |
| 17 | Simone Anzani | 24 February 1992 | 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 350 cm (140 in) | 330 cm (130 in) | |
| 20 | Gabriele Nelli | 4 December 1993 | 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) | 100 kg (220 lb) | 355 cm (140 in) | 320 cm (130 in) | |
Coach history
- Pietro Bernardi (1947)
- Angelo Costa (1947-1949)
- Renzo Del Chicca (1949-1953)
- Ivan Trinajstic (1953-1966)
- Josef Kozak (1966-1969)
- Odone Federzoni (1969-1974)
- Josef Kozak (1970)
- Franco Anderlini (1974-1976)
- Adriano Pavlica (1976-1977)
- Edward Skorek (1978)
- Carmelo Pittera (1978-1988)
- Michelangelo Lo Bianco (1988)
- Julio Velasco (1988-1996)
- Paulo Roberto de Freitas (1996-1998)
- Andrea Anastasi (1998-2002)
- Kim Ho-Chul (2001)
- Gian Paolo Montali (2002-2007)
- Andrea Anastasi (2007-2010)
- Mauro Berruto (2010-2015)
- Gianlorenzo Blengini (2015-)
Record Attendance
- Table updated to August 12, 2012.
| # | Player | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrea Giani | 474 |
| 2 | Andrea Gardini | 418 |
| 3 | Luigi Mastrangelo | 363 |
| 4 | Samuele Papi* | 361 |
| 5 | Marco Bracci | 347 |
| 6 | Paolo Tofoli | 342 |
| 7 | Luca Cantagalli | 330 |
| 8 | Ferdinando De Giorgi | 330 |
| 9 | Andrea Sartoretti | 330 |
| 10 | Andrea Zorzi | 325 |
Kit providers
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Italy national volleyball team.
| Period | Kit provider |
|---|---|
| 2000–2008 | Nike Asics |
| 2008– | Asics Armani |
Sponsorship
Primary sponsors include: main sponsors like DHL, Kinder (Ferrero SpA), Honda and Mizuno, other sponsors: Visit Trentino, Errea, Santal, Diadora, EthicSport, Reaxing, Crai, Nutrilite, Uliveto and Winform.
Media
Italy's matches and friendlies are currently televised by RAI and Rai Sport 1.
References
- ↑ Italy in Hall of Fame
- ↑ "Team Roster – Italy". FIVB. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
External links
| Unified | |
|---|---|
| Men | |
| Women | |
| At the multi-sport events | |
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FIVB Volleyball World Cup winners | |
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