The Italian champion setter with Lube has been playing for 13 years in our league and last year he took his national team to the Olympic bronze: “A fantastic journey. We will try again here too”. Starting on Saturday with Iran
He arrived in the national team very young. From Friday he will celebrate the fifth World Cup played in a row, a record that equals two greats of the past, the Czech Musil and the other Argentine Weber. Luciano De Cecco, 13 championships in Italy, won the Scudetto with Perugia first and with Civitanova in the last two years. “What does this record mean? That many years have passed since that Japanese World Cup in 2006 – says the Lube setter -. I think it’s an act of love towards this shirt. But I don’t feel” old “, I have the value of the time that has passed. I am cutting a very important milestone in a journey that began 16 years ago “. In this period they asked her several times to become Italian, but he always said no. “My bond with Italy is very important, but my bond with the national team is deep. I don’t know for how long, but today it is like that.”
The Olympic bronze
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A very long story with great satisfaction like last year in Tokyo, bronze medal. “It had been a complicated season. We left home in May and returned in mid-August. It was also a fantastic human experience and to bring a team like ours to the Olympic podium I think it was something spectacular. We could not have played better.” After that success, she made many TV releases. “Within the low visibility that volleyball has in Argentina, I believe that Facundo Conte and I have tried to give some visibility to this world. Of course we know that volleyball at home does not have the importance it can have in Poland. and Italy. Had we obtained the medal in those countries, it would have had much more visibility. But if there are occasions, we are very happy “.
World champion mission
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It will also depend on the result of the World Cup (the only podium for Argentina was the bronze in 82): “It will be a tough tournament, for everyone. Because after the first phase the direct elimination begins immediately. The rule is always the same focus on one race at a time, ours is an interesting group, but we will start immediately with Iran, a tough team. The favorites? There are a lot of strong teams: France, Poland, United States, Italy. But there are teams who weren’t at the Games (Serbia) who will have their say “. A former teammate of his in the national team nicknamed him the “Magician” for what he can do on the pitch, especially with Robertlandy Simon, another of the protagonists of the Italian championship, also involved in the World Cup. “Robert is a player with whom we have an important bond. And when I look back on my career I say that the most incredible shots I have made with him. He is a player with whom you can try the most difficult shots and you know he will follow you. ball on the ground even if you lift the ball with your feet or with your head “. Fantasy has an important value in Luciano’s life. “It’s fun, even if you do this type of shots not just to be whimsical, but to help the team. With age I have learned that you can’t do more than one or two for each game, because hindsight you risk lose. So I am containing myself… “.
The best victory
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A few weeks ago, after the Scudetto with Lube, he decided to say that he fought for a long time against depression. “Maybe before that moment I was not prepared to talk about it. I did not want the compassion of my companions, nor did I want there to be anyone who cared about me. Now, however, I am more ready, I also talked to my psychologist and I decided that it was time just to do it. Maybe it could be useful to someone else who faces the same problems. ” Speaking of “problems”. Also in this World Cup there could be a quarter-final with Italy, as in Tokyo. “No with Italy I don’t want to play in the quarters …”. Jokes De Cecco, ready to savor yet another record.
24 August – 15:32
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