Italy men's national volleyball team

The Italy men's national volleyball team represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. It 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 team has yet to win the olympic gold at the Summer Olympics, which it never missed since 1976.

Italy
Nickname(s)Gli Azzurri (The Blues)
AssociationFederazione Italiana Pallavolo (in Italian)
ConfederationCEV
Head coachGianlorenzo Blengini
FIVB ranking4 (as of October 2019)
Uniforms
Home
Away
Third
Summer Olympics
Appearances11 (First in 1976)
Best result (1996, 2004, 2016)
World Championship
Appearances17 (First in 1949)
Best result (1990, 1994, 1998)
World Cup
Appearances7 (First in 1989)
Best result (1995)
European Championship
Appearances29 (First in 1948)
Best result (1989, 1993, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2005)
www.federvolley.it
Italy men's national volleyball team
Medal record
Olympics
1996 AtlantaTeam
2004 AthensTeam
2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam
1984 Los AngelesTeam
2000 SydneyTeam
2012 LondonTeam
World Championship
1990 Brazil
1994 Greece
1998 Japan
1978 Italy
World Cup
1995 Japan
2015 Japan
2003 Japan
1989 Japan
1999 Japan
World Grand Champions Cup
1993 Japan
2017 Japan
2005 Japan
2013 Japan
World League
1990 Osaka
1991 Milan
1992 Genoa
1994 Milan
1995 Rio de Janeiro
1997 Moscow
1999 Mar del Plata
2000 Rotterdam
1996 Rotterdam
2001 Katowice
2004 Rome
1993 São Paulo
2003 Madrid
2013 Mar del Plata
2014 Florence
European Championship
1989 Sweden
1993 Finland
1995 Greece
1999 Austria
2003 Germany
2005 Italy/Serbia and Montenegro
1991 Germany
2001 Czech Republic
2011 Austria/Czech Republic
2013 Denmark/Poland
1948 Italy
1997 Netherlands
2015 Bulgaria/Italy
Universiade
1970 Turin
2019 Naples
1997 Sicilly
1983 Edmonton
1985 Kobe
1987 Zagreb
1995 Fukuoka
2005 Izmir
Mediterranean Games
1959 Lebanon
1983 Casablanca
1991 Athens
2001 Tunis
2009 Pescara
2013 Mersin
2018 Tarragona
1963 Naples
1975 Algiers
1987 Latakia
Goodwill Games
1990 Seattle

Medals

CompetitionTotal
Olympic Games 0336
World Championship 3104
World Cup 1315
World Grand Champions Cup 1124
World League 83415
European Championship 64313
Universiade 2158
Mediterranean Games 72110
Goodwill Games 1001
Total29181966

Result history

Italy national team at 2008 Summer Olympics

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 Championships 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 Zorzi, Andrea Gardini, Giani, Bernardi, Gravina, Bracci, Tofoli, Lucchetta, Papi, Pasinato and Meoni.[1]

Olympic Games

Year Result Pld W L SW SL PW PL
1964th place0000000
1968th place0000000
1972th place0000000
19768th place0000000
19809th place0000000
19843rd place0000000
19889th place0000000
19925th place0000000
19962nd place0000000
20003rd place0000000
20042nd place0000000
20084th place0000000
20123rd place0000000
20162nd place0000000
Total0/140000000

World Championship

Year Result Pld W L SW SL PW PL
1949th place0000000
1952th place0000000
1956th place0000000
1960th place0000000
1962th place0000000
1966th place0000000
1970th place0000000
1974th place0000000
1978th place0000000
1982th place0000000
1986th place0000000
1990th place0000000
1994th place0000000
1998th place0000000
2002th place0000000
2006th place0000000
2010th place0000000
2014th place0000000
2018th place0000000
Total0/180000000

World Cup

Year Result Pld W L SW SL PW PL
1965th place0000000
1969th place0000000
1977th place0000000
1981th place0000000
1985th place0000000
1989th place0000000
1991th place0000000
1995th place0000000
1999th place0000000
2003th place0000000
2007th place0000000
2011th place0000000
2015th place0000000
20197th place0000000
Total0/140000000

World Grand Champions Cup

  Champions    Runners up    Third place    Fourth place

Year Result Pld W L SW SL PW PL
1993th place0000000
1997th place0000000
2001th place0000000
2005th place0000000
2009th place0000000
2013th place0000000
2017th place0000000
Total0/70000000

European Championship

Three players from Italy at the 2016 Olympics

World League

  Champions    Runners up    Third place    Fourth place

World League record
Year Result GP MW ML SW SL PW PL
1990th place0000000
1991th place0000000
1992th place0000000
1993th place0000000
1994th place0000000
1995th place0000000
1996th place0000000
1997th place0000000
1998th place0000000
1999th place0000000
2000th place0000000
2001th place0000000
2002th place0000000
2003th place0000000
2004th place0000000
2005th place0000000
2006th place0000000
2007th place0000000
2008th place0000000
2009th place0000000
2010th place0000000
2011th place0000000
2012th place0000000
2013th place0000000
2014th place0000000
2015th place0000000
2016th place0000000
2017th place0000000
Total0/280000000

Nations League

  Champions    Runners up    Third place    Fourth place

Year Rank Pld W L SW SL
20188th place15873028
20198th place15873125
2020qualified-----
2021qualified-----
Total2/23016146153

Mediterranean Games

  • 1959 gold medal
  • 1963 silver medal
  • 1975 silver medal
  • 1979 Fourth place
  • 1983 gold medal
  • 1987 bronze medal
  • 1991 gold medal
  • 1997 Fourth place
  • 2001 gold medal
  • 2005 Fifth place
  • 2009 gold medal
  • 2013 gold medal
  • 2018 gold medal

Goodwill Games

  • 1986 – did not participate
  • 1990 gold medal

Team

Current roster

The following is the Italian roster in the 2017 Men's European Volleyball Championship.[2]

Head coach:Gianlorenzo Blengini
Assistants:Giampaolo Medei, Antonio Valentini
No. Name Date of birth Height Weight Spike Block 2016/17 club
2Luigi Randazzo30 April 19941.98 m (6 ft 6 in)97 kg (214 lb)352 cm (139 in)255 cm (100 in) Calzedonia Verona
4Luca Vettori26 April 19912.00 m (6 ft 7 in)95 kg (209 lb)345 cm (136 in)232 cm (91 in) Azimut Modena
5Luca Spirito30 October 19931.99 m (6 ft 6 in)79 kg (174 lb)338 cm (133 in)262 cm (103 in) Bunge Ravenna
6Simone Giannelli9 August 19962.00 m (6 ft 7 in)92 kg (203 lb)350 cm (140 in)330 cm (130 in) Diatec Trentino
7Fabio Balaso20 October 19951.82 m (6 ft 0 in)73 kg (161 lb)305 cm (120 in)280 cm (110 in) Kioene Padova
9Daniele Mazzone4 June 19922.09 m (6 ft 10 in)88 kg (194 lb)315 cm (124 in)309 cm (122 in) Diatec Trentino
10Filippo Lanza3 March 19911.98 m (6 ft 6 in)98 kg (216 lb)350 cm (140 in)330 cm (130 in) Diatec Trentino
11Simone Buti (C)19 September 19832.08 m (6 ft 10 in)100 kg (220 lb)345 cm (136 in)328 cm (129 in) Sir Sicoma Colussi Perugia
13Massimo Colaci21 February 19851.88 m (6 ft 2 in)75 kg (165 lb)314 cm (124 in)306 cm (120 in) Diatec Trentino
14Matteo Piano24 October 19942.09 m (6 ft 10 in)102 kg (225 lb)352 cm (139 in)325 cm (128 in) Azimut Modena
16Oleg Antonov28 July 19881.98 m (6 ft 6 in)88 kg (194 lb)340 cm (130 in)310 cm (120 in) Diatec Trentino
17Iacopo Botto22 September 19871.91 m (6 ft 3 in)76 kg (168 lb)345 cm (136 in)320 cm (130 in) Gi Group Monza
18Giulio Sabbi10 August 19892.01 m (6 ft 7 in)92 kg (203 lb)352 cm (139 in)325 cm (128 in) Exprivia Molfetta
19Fabio Ricci11 July 19942.05 m (6 ft 9 in)96 kg (212 lb)348 cm (137 in)272 cm (107 in) Bunge Ravenna

Coach history

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
Crai
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

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