Who wore number 9 in volleyball?

The fortunate players who get to choose their own number often choose a lucky number, stick with the one they’ve always worn or wear a number in honor of a family member. Some players though, choose a number that’s cute or a deep and meaningful number.

Lorenzo Bernardi

Lorenzo Bernardi is an Italian volleyball coach and former volleyball player, silver medalist of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, two-time World Champion (1990, 1994), two-time European Champion (1989, 1995), also known as the head coach of the Italian team, Gas Sales Piacenza.

He was elected best player of the 1994 World Championship and 1995 European Championship, and in 2001, the FIVB declared him to be the “Volleyball Player of the Century” with Karch Kiraly.

Lorenzo Bernardi’s versatility became a superior attribute to the sport that become a multi-talented hitter, outstanding passer and one of the ultimate all-around players of his generation.

Vyacheslav Zaytsev

Vyacheslav Alekseyevich Zaytsev is a Russian former volleyball player who competed for the Soviet Union in the 1976 Summer Olympics, in the 1980 Summer Olympics, and in the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Zaytsev was born in Leningrad. In 1976, he was part of the Soviet team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. He played all five matches.

Four years later, he won a gold medal with the Soviet team in the 1980 Olympic tournament. He played five matches. With the Soviet Union, Zaytsev won two other Olympic silver medals, two World Championships and six European titles.

He was a major player to help Soviet Union men’s national volleyball team to dominate the World in late 1970s to early 1980s by winning 1977 FIVB Men’s World Cup, 1978 FIVB Men’s World Championship, 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, 1981 FIVB Men’s World Cup and 1982 FIVB Men’s World Championship in row.

At the 1988 Games, he was a member of the Soviet team which won the silver medal in the Olympic tournament. He played five matches. Zaytsev played for Avtomobilist Leningrad (now Spartak St. Petersburg), with which he won two CEV Top Teams Cup and two Challenge Cups in 1982–1983. He finished his career in Italy, playing in Spoleto, Agrigento and Città di Castello.

Paula Weishoff

Paula Jo Weishoff is a retired female volleyball player from the United States, who won two medals with the USA National Women’s Team at the Summer Olympics: 1984 (silver) and 1992 (bronze).

Weishoff also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, finishing in seventh place. A 1980 graduate of West High School in Torrance, California, she was inducted in the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 1998.

She played on the USC team for one season (1980), “where she earned all-America and all-conference acclaim en route to leading Trojans to the national championship”.

Earvin Ngapeth

Earvin N’Gapeth is a French volleyball player, known as a member of the France national volleyball team and Italian club Pallavolo Modena, 2015 European Champion, gold medalist of the World League (2015 and 2017), French Champion (2010), Italian Champion (2016) and Olympic Champion (2020).

In season 2008-09 he debuted into professional volleyball, hired by Tours VB, where he stayed for three seasons and winner Pro A League. In season 2011-12 he was hired in the Italian team of Cuneo Piemonte in Series A1 League, where he remained for two seasons. With the team, he reached the final of the CEV Europe League. N’gapeth in the next year moved to Kuzbass Kemerovo, a club playing in Super League; however, during the season he abandoned the team and returned to Italy, wearing the shirt of Modena in the Serie A1. With Modena, he won the 2014-15 Italian Cup and the 2015-16 Italian Championship, Italian Cup, and Italian Supercup. In the season 2015-16 he won his second Italian Supercup. Ngapeth after four years in Modena joined Zenit Kazan with a two-year contract.

On October 7, 2010 he was expelled from the national team on disciplinary grounds during World Championship held in Italy. He came back to national team at European Championship 2011. In 2014 he played at World Championship held in Poland. France lost the match for the bronze medal with Germany and took 4th place. He was one of the key players in the 2015 World League championship campaign. On October 18, 2015 French national team, including N’Gapeth, achieved title of the European Champion 2015 (3–0 with Slovenia in the finale). In 2017 Ngapeth was selected Most Valuable Player of FIVB World League for the second time and became a gold medalist with France.

Ivan Zaytsev

Ivan Vyacheslavovich Zaytsev, nicknamed lo Zar (“the Tsar”), is an Italian volleyball player of Russian origin, known as the captain of Italy men’s national volleyball team, a bronze medalist of the Olympic Games London 2012, silver medalist of the European Championship (2011, 2013), bronze medalist of the World League (2013, 2014), Italian Champion (2014) and silver medalist of the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

He started his career as a setter in 2004, but later moved to the outside hitter role. He played in Serie A1 at 16. His first club was RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia, where he played for two seasons. After this, he moved to M. Roma Volley. In the season 2007/2008, he played for Andreoli Latina. Then he came back to M. Roma Volley and played there until 2012. In 2012, Zaytsev signed with Lube Banca Macerata. With this team, he won the Italian SuperCup in 2012 and the Italian Championship 2013/2014. On May 9, 2014 his departure from Lube was announced. Then for two seasons, he was a player of Russian club VC Dynamo Moscow.

He moved to of Al-Arabi SC in Qatar and won the Cup of Emir. Zaytsev came back to Serie A1 and joined Sir Safety Conad Perugia, the overall dominating Team of the 2017/2018 season in Italy. Despite failing to reach Champions League final, after losing to Zenit Kazan again, the team managed to take the bronze medal. The following season Zaytsev moved to Modena Volley as Perugia announced that Wilfredo Leon would join the team, taking his spot. Zaytsev has also expressed the desire to play in his favorite role as opposite spiker again.

He debuted with the Italy men’s national volleyball team 2008. In the European Championship 2013 Zaytsev was named as the “Best Server”. He was the main scorer and team leader during World League 2014 and Italy achieved bronze medal. In the World League, he and his teammates won two consecutive bronze in the 2013 and 2014 editions, the latter played in Italy in Florence. He was appointed to the 2014 World Championship held in Poland. He was the leader of his team in the first round, but in the match against the United States injured his ankle, so despite the promotion of his team to second round, he did not play. In 2015 Zaytsev and Italian team achieved silver medal of the 2015 European Championship and Zaytsev was named Best Opposite Spiker. In 2016 he achieved a silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Yoandy Leal Hidalgo

Yoandy Leal Hidalgo is a volleyball player known as a wing-spiker for Italian club Modena Volley. Born in Cuba, he is a former member of the Cuba men’s national team (2007–2010); he chose to represent Brazil (since 2019) after gaining the Brazilian citizenship in June 2015.

Leal played four years with the Cuban national team, debuting at the 2007 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship. In the 2008 World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Düsseldorf that would give a spot at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cuba did not qualify finishing second to hosts Germany, but Leal was chosen Best Spiker and Server of the championship. His last tournament with Cuba was the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship, where Leal won the silver medal.

Still pursuing his dream of playing in the Olympics, Leal left Cuba in 2010, establishing himself in volleyball potency Brazil, at the city of Belo Horizonte. After two years not playing, Leal signed with local team Sada Cruzeiro. Soon he was a vital part of the team, winning two editions each of the Brazilian Superligas, South American Championships and FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship. Leal started his naturalization process in 2013, and in 2015 he was given the Brazilian nationality. Afterwards he contacted the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball to see how soon he could play for Brazil’s national team, as team coach Bernardo Rezende already expressed interest in having Leal in the squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Wilfredo Leon Venero

Wilfredo León Venero is a Cuban-Polish professional volleyball player, known as a member of the Cuba men’s national volleyball team in 2007–2012, and a member of the Poland men’s national volleyball team and Italian club Sir Safety Perugia, silver medalist of the 2010 World Championship, NORCECA Champion (2009, 2011), Cuban Champion (2009, 2010, 2011), Russian Champion (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018).

Considered by many as one of a kind he led Cuba to the silver medal at the world championship 2010 in Italy, alongside Yoandy Leal and Robertlandy Simon considered one of the leaders of the “Generation of Miracle” of Cuba volleyball and by many experts.

He started to play when he was 7. His first coach was his mother Alina Venero. Wilfredo León Venero debuted in the Cuban national team on May 24, 2008 in Düsseldorf, aged 14 years and 10 months. He won the title of Best Receiver at World League 2009. On July 31, 2009 he won a silver medal in the World U21 Championship 2009 (after losing the final against Brazil). In 2009, the Cuban national team, with Leon, won the title of NORCECA Champion (and three individual awards) and repeated this success in 2011. After losing the final against Brazil, Cuba won a silver medal at the World Championship 2010. He was the youngest captain of the national team (he was 17). In 2012, he won bronze medal of World League – Sofia 2012.

In 2013, León left Cuba to play in a club outside of his homeland, losing the possibility of playing for the Cuban national team. He joined Russian club Zenit Kazan in 2014, where he won multiple CEV Champions League, national leagues and cups. He also played part-time with Qatar club Al Rayyan in 2015 and 2016. In September 2018, León joined Italian team SIR Safety Perugia.

On July 14, 2015 he received Polish citizenship, and five years later he became fully eligible to play for the Polish national volleyball team.

Nikola Grbić

Nikola Grbić is a Serbian former volleyball player, also known as the head coach of the Poland men’s national volleyball team and Italian team, Sir Safety Perugia. He was a member of the national volleyball teams of Serbia and Montenegro in 1995–2006 and Serbia in 2006–2010, gold medalist of the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, bronze medalist of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996, participant of the Olympic Games (2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing), multiple World Championship, European Championship and World League medalist, two-time Italian Champion (2008, 2010), Russian Champion (2014). Grbić was named European Player of the Year in 2007 and inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2016.

After the embargo was lifted in 1994, Nikola’s Yugoslavian national team career resumed at a time when he transferred to Italian club team Gabeca Montichiari, which started a 13-year career playing for eight different Italian teams and resulting in eight league titles from 1994 to 2013. He won two Championship titles in Italy (2008 Trentino – 2010 Cuneo), and one in Russia (2014 Zenit Kazan). He also won two CEV Euro Champions League titles (2000 Sisley – 2009 Trentino).

He started with senior national team in 1991, when he was 18 years old. Then, for two years (1992–1994) he didn’t play because of international embargo. He was a captain of his national team in 1999–2010. In 1996 Yugoslavia, including Grbić, won bronze medal of the Olympic Games Atlanta 1996. Nikola was honored as the European Championship Best Setter in 1997 as Yugoslavia earned the silver medal. In 1998 Yugoslavia won a silver medal at the World Championship. At the next Olympics his team achieved gold of the Olympic Games 2000 in Sydney.

Yugoslavia went on to capture the 2000 Olympic Games gold-medal with a dominating three-set win over Russia in the finals. They beat Russia in final match (3-0). Again, in 2010, with Serbia his team won a bronze medal. Nikola career was not over following Beijing as he helped Serbia win bronze at the 2010 FIVB World Championship in Italy where he was named Best Setter of the tournament.

Georg Grozer

György Grozer, also known as Georg Grozer, is a German volleyball player of Hungarian origin, known as a member of the Germany men’s national volleyball team and Italian club Vero Volley Monza, a bronze medalist of the 2014 World Championship, German Champion (2009, 2010), Polish Champion (2012), Russian Champion (2013), Chinese Champion (2017).

He was crowned national champion on two occasions, in 2009 and 2010, while playing for VfB Friedrichshafen. After moving to the Polish league he was Polish champion in his second season (2011/2012) with Asseco Resovia Rzeszów. He then moved to Belgorod where, in the early stages of the season, he played a major role in the team’s success in the Russian championship and in the National Cup of Russia. This season he won the Super Cup and the National Cup in Russia, and was crowned the top club team in Europe with Belgorod. In 2017 Grozer back to Russia Super League join to Lokomotiv Novosibirsk.

2011 Grozer could not help the German team because of an injury. In 2012 the dynamic and powerful hitter smashed the German team to the Olympics and to the 5th place in London. In 2014 played at World Championship 2014 help in Poland. Germany won the match for the bronze medal with France.

Bas van de Goor

Sebastiaan Jacques Henri “Bas” van de Goor is a retired volleyball player from the Netherlands, who represented his native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996. He was elected twice as the most valuable player of the Olympic (1996-2000).

At his Olympic debut, he won the gold medal, alongside his younger brother and multiple-time Olympian Mike, by defeating arch rivals Italy (3-2) in the final. Four years later, Van de Goor ended up in fifth place at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

His national volleyball coach Joop Alberda referred to him as the ‘Michael Jordan of volleyball’.

In 2003, Van de Goor was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He has founded the Bas van de Goor Foundation, aimed at “improving the quality of life for people with diabetes through sports”.

Vadim Khamuttskikh

Vadim Anatolyevich Khamuttskikh was a Russian volleyball player, who was a member of the men’s national team that won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2007 European Championship in Moscow, Russia. There he was named Best Setter of the tournament.

Khamuttskikh also competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, where Russia claimed the bronze medal by defeating the United States in the play-off for the third place, and at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. He also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He died on 31 December 2021, at the age of 52.

André Nascimento

André Luiz da Silva Nascimento is a former Brazilian volleyball player who won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He was born in São João de Meriti.

Rodrigo Quiroga

Rodrigo Daniel Quiroga is an Argentine volleyball player, known as a member of the Argentina men’s national volleyball team and Polish club Jastrzębski Węgiel. He participated at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Rodrigo won the silver medal at the South American Championship in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 and the gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Simone Giannelli

Simone Giannelli is an Italian volleyball player, known as a member of the Italy men’s national volleyball team and Italian club Trentino Volley, silver medalist of the 2015 World Cup and bronze medalist of the 2015 European Championship, and Italian Champion (2013, 2015).

He had proved himself an up-and-coming star within volleyball, by achieving the Finals MVP award at the 2014-2015 Italian Volleyball League won by his team against Modena Volley. He then followed the trend up by taking the starting 7 in the national team, despite competition by players like Dragan Travica, Michele Baranowicz and Marco Falaschi.

In his first year in the national team he won a silver medal at the 2015 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup and a bronze medal at the 2015 Men’s European Volleyball Championship, where he was also awarded the prize for best setter, one of the youngest in the history of the tournament.

Murphy Edward Troy

Murphy Edward Troy is a former American volleyball player, a member of the United States men’s national volleyball team, NORCECA Champion 2013, and gold medalist of Pan-American Cup 2012 and World League 2014.

In 2014 Troy moved from France to Polish club Lotos Trefl Gdańsk. On April 19, 2015 he achieved Polish Cup, which is first trophy of Lotos Trefl Gdańsk in history of club. He was awarded a title of Best Server of tournament. Then with Polish club he won silver medal in Polish Championship. In May 2015 he signed new one-year contract with Lotos Trefl Gdańsk. Troy left Gdańsk in 2016. He announced his retirement on June 1, 2017.

In 2014 American national team, including Troy, won gold medal of the World League.

Aleksey Spiridonov

Aleksey Spiridonov is a Russian volleyball player, known as a member of Russia men’s national volleyball team and Russian club Zenit Kazan, European Champion 2011, and gold medalist of the World League (2011, 2013).