Italy men's national volleyball team

Italy men's national volleyball team
The Italy men's national volleyball team represents the country in international competitions and friendly matches. The national team is controlled by the Italian Volleyball Federation, the governing body for Volleyball in Italy. It is one of the most successful national teams in the history of volleyball, having won four World Championships (1990, 1994, 1998 and 2022), seven European Championships, one World Cup (1995) and eight World League (1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2000). Italy is the reigning World champion, having won 2022 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship.
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 Championships in 1990 and 1994, the World League in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995, the 1991 Mediterranean Games, and the 1993 Grand Champions Cup. They won a silver medal at the 1996 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.
Olympic Games
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
World Championship
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
1990 — Gold medal
Anastasi, Bernardi, Bracci, Cantagalli, De Giorgi, Gardini, Giani, Lucchetta, Martinelli, Masciarelli, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
1994 — Gold medal
Bernardi, Bracci, Cantagalli, Gardini, Giani, De Giorgi, Giretto, Gravina, Papi, Pippi, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
1998 — Gold medal
Bracci, Corsano, Fei, Gardini, Giani, De Giorgi, Gravina, Meoni, Papi, Pasinato, Rosalba, Sartoretti. Head Coach: Bebeto
/ 2022 — Gold medal
Anzani, Balaso, Bottolo, Galassi, Giannelli, Lavia, Michieletto, Mosca, Pinali, Recine, Romanò, Russo, Sbertoli, Scanferla. Head Coach: De Giorgi
World Cup
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
1995 — Gold medal
World Grand Champions Cup
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
1993 — Gold medal
Bracci, Galli, Gardini, Giani, Gravina, Zorzi, Cantagalli, Bellini, Pippi, Pasinato, Bernardi. Head Coach: Velasco
World League
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
1990 Osaka — Gold medal
Gardini, Margutti, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Masciarelli, Anastasi, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Zorzi, Lucchetta, Giazzoli, Pasinato, Petrelli, Martinelli, Loro, Gallia. Head coach: Velasco
1991 Milan — Gold medal
Gardini, Martinelli, Margutti, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Masciarelli, Anastasi, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Zorzi, Lucchetta, Giazzoli, Pasinato, Petrelli, Lombardi, Gallia, Galli, Gravina. Head coach: Velasco
1992 Genoa — Gold medal
Gardini, Martinelli, Margutti, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Masciarelli, Galli, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Zorzi, Lucchetta, Giani, Giazzoli, Pasinato. Head coach: Velasco
1994 Milan — Gold medal
Gardini, Martinelli, Gravina, De Giorgi, Tofoli, Papi, Sartoretti, Bracci, Bernardi, Cantagalli, Margutti, Pippi, Giani, Bellini, Pasinato, Rinaldi, Fangareggi, Giretto. Head coach: Velasco
1995 Rio de Janeiro — Gold medal
Fangareggi, Rosalba, Gravina, De Giorgi, Botti, Papi, Sartoretti, Verniaghi, Giazzoli, Bonati, Radicioni, Pippi, Giani, Bellini, Pasinato, Bovolenta, Meoni, Giretto. Head coach: Velasco
1997 Moscow — Gold medal
Gardini, Meoni, Gravina, Bendani, Fangareggi, Papi, Giombini, Sartoretti, Casoli, Rosalba, Zlatanov, Pippi, Giani, Bovolenta, Bonati, Patriarca, Bellini. Head coach: de Freitas
1999 Mar del Plata — Gold medal
Vermiglio, Meoni, Mastrangelo, Fei, Papi, Sartoretti, Casoli, Rosalba, Zlatanov, Corsano, Bellini, Bovolenta, Giombini, Molteni. Head coach: Anastasi
2000 Rotterdam — Gold medal
Gardini, Meoni, Gravina, Mastrangelo, Tofoli, Papi, Sartoretti, Bracci, Bernardi, Rosalba, Molteni, Corsano, Giani, Fei, Castellano, Bovolenta, Giombini, Vermiglio. Head coach: Anastasi
Nations League
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
European Championship
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
1989 — Gold medal
Anastasi, Bernardi, Bracci, Cantagalli, De Giorgi, Gardini, Lucchetta, Margutti, Masciarelli, Passani, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
1993 — Gold medal
Bellini, Bracci, Cantagalli, Galli, Gardini, Giani, Gravina, Martinelli, Pasinato, Pippi, Tofoli, Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
1995 — Gold medal
Bernardi, Bovolenta, Bracci, Cantagalli, Gardini, Giani, Gravina, Meoni, Papi, Pasinato, Tofoli, Andrea Zorzi. Head Coach: Velasco
1999 — Gold medal
Bracci, Corsano, Gardini, Giani, Giombini, Gravina, Meoni, Mastrangelo, Papi, Rosalba, Sartoretti, Tofoli. Head Coach: Anastasi
2003 — Gold medal
Biribanti, Černič, Cozzi, Fei, Giani, Mastrangelo, Meoni, Papi, Pippi, Sartoretti, Savani, Vermiglio. Head Coach: Montali
2005 — Gold medal
Černič, Cisolla, Corsano, Cozzi, Fei, Łasko, Mastrangelo, Paparoni, Savani, Sintini, Tencati, Vermiglio. Head Coach: Montali
2021 — Gold medal
Anzani, Balaso, Bottolo, Cortesia, Galassi, Giannelli, Lavia, Michieletto, Piccinelli, Pinali, Ricci, Recine, Romanò, Sbertoli. Head Coach: De Giorgi
European Games
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
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
2022 — bronze medal
2026 — Future event
Goodwill Games
Champions Runners up Third place Fourth place
1990 — Gold medal
Team
Current roster
The following is the Italian roster in the 2023 FIVB Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments.
Head coach: Ferdinando De Giorgi
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)
Odone Federzoni & Josef Kozak (1970)
Franco Anderlini (1974-1976)
Adriano Pavlica (1976-1977)
Edward Skorek (1978 ad interim)
Carmelo Pittera (1978-1982 + 1988)
Nino Cuco (1981 ad interim)
Silvano Prandi (1983-1986)
Aleksander Skiba (1987)
Michelangelo Lo Bianco (1988 ad interim)
Julio Velasco (1988-1996)
Angelo Frigoni (1990-1991 ad interim - World League)
Daniele Bagnoli (1992 ad interim - World League)
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 (2015-2021)
Antonio Valentini (2021 - Volley Nations League)
Ferdinando De Giorgi (2021-)
Record attendance
Table updated to August 12, 2012.
Kit providers
The table below shows the history of kit providers for the Italy national volleyball team.
Sponsorship
Primary sponsors include: main sponsors like DHL, Kinder (Ferrero SpA), Honda and Mizuno, other sponsors: Santal, Diadora, EthicSport, Reaxing, Crai, Nutrilite, Uliveto and Winform.
Media
Italy's matches and friendlies are currently televised by RAI and Rai Sport.
References
External links
Official website
FIVB profile
National men's volleyball teams
Volleyball in Italy
Men's volleyball in Italy
World champion national volleyball teams
Volleyball