Libero is a really important position in volleyball. He’s in charge of defense. If he’s in great form, he helps his team win a match. There are lots of good liberos, but there are only a couple of them that we can call great. Today, we’re going to take a look at them!
Who are the best volleyball liberos in the world?
- Jenia Grebennikov
- Erik Shoji
- Pawel Zatorski
- Alexy Verbov
- Massimo Colaci
- Luke Perry
- Thales Hoss
- Blair Bann
- Lauri Kerminen
- Taichirō Koga
1. Jenia Grebennikov
Born: 13 August 1990
Height: 188 cm (6.17 ft)
It’s not a surprise that Jenia Grebennikov is first on the list of the best liberos in the world. He keeps a great form for years, and he deserved it. Jenia is also on the list of the best volleyball players. In which place? Find it out here. Grebennikov is known for his great digs, settings, and fantastic athletic abilities. The French libero has played in great European clubs like VfB Friedrichshafen, Lube Civitanova, and now he’s the player of Trentino Volley. In many tournaments, Grebennikov was the best libero. In total, he has won 10 individual awards for being the best libero, including the European Championship and the Nations League. With the French National team, he has won 3 gold and 1 bronze medal.
You can see his best actions here:
2. Erik Shoji
Born: 24 August 1989
Height: 184 cm (6.04 ft)
Erik Shoji is the leading player of the USA National team. He is the one who makes it hard for all the USA opponents to score a point. He’s really fast and able to sacrifice an injury in the name of his teams. When you watch him play, you sometimes wonder “how was he able to save this ball?!” That’s why he’s attractive to many great volleyball clubs. Shoji was the player of Berlin Recycling Volleys, Lokomotiv Novosibirsk, and a couple of other clubs, and he’s playing in Fakel Novy Urengoy. If you want to see the list of the best volleyball clubs, click here. His biggest success with the Nation Team is a gold medal in the World Cup in 2015.
3. Pawel Zatorski
Born: 21 June 1990
Height: 184 cm (6.04 ft)
Every strong National team should have a world-class libero. Poland is considered one of the best volleyball nation (Who is the best nation? Get to know it here) and Zatorski is in the top 3 liberos in the world. He didn’t have the easiest beginnings in the National team. For a couple of years, he was only a substitution for Krzysztof Ignaczak, but his hard work and persistence were rewarded and now he could be the libero of every team in the world. But Zatorski has spent all of his career in Polish clubs, including AZS Czestochowa, Skra Belchatow, and ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, having won 11 gold medals. With the Polish National team, Pawel won a couple of medals, and the most important ones are 2 gold medals in the World Championship.
4. Alexy Verbov
Born: 31 June 1982
Height: 185 cm (6.07 ft)
Verbov is an experienced player and that’s what makes him so good. He has great defensive skills and is able to predict where the ball is going to be hit. For a long time, he was a beach volleyball player and this discipline has taught him essential indoor volleyball skills. His last individual achievement, Verbov won 7 years ago, but he’s still reliable and solid. Throughout his whole career, he has won 22 gold medals with clubs and the Nation team. Update: Verbov in 2019 retired and now he’s a volleyball coach. He is currently coaching the men’s 2019 Summer Universiade team.
5. Massimo Colaci
Born: 21 February 1985
Height: 180 cm (5.91 ft)
Colaci is an Italian player. Without him, the Italian National team wouldn’t be as successful as they are right now. They haven’t won any gold medal in a big tournament, but in most cases, they are on the podium. Colaci has more achievements with his clubs. He has won the Champions League, the Italian League, the Italian Cup, and the Club World Championship. Over the last 10 years, he was one of the most popular players in the Italian league, because he has played for Trentino Volley and Perugia. Is the Italian League the best in the world? Get to know it in this ranking.
6. Luke Perry
Born: 20 November 1995
Height: 180 cm (5.91 ft)
Luke Perry is the youngest player on the list of the best liberos. I have no doubt, in the future, he can be in the first position. He’s a really talented guy. He started playing volleyball at the age of 13 and 4 years later, he was selected as part of the men’s senior national team. Perry has 2 German Championships with Berling Recycling Volleys and one silver medal in the Asian Championship. Right now, he’s the Player of the Polish club Asseco Resovia Rzeszow.
7. Thales Hoss
Born: 26 April 1989
Height: 188 cm (6.17 ft)
Thales is the Brazilian libero who substituted famous Sergio after he has retired. It’s not so easy to substitute one of the best volleyball players of all time. But Thales Hoss did a great job, and he deserved to be among the best liberos. For example, in 2019, he was chosen as the best libero of the World Cup in Japan. Now he plays for Funvic/Taubate, one of the best Brazilian clubs.
8. Blair Bann
Born: 26 Feburary 1988
Height: 184 cm (6.04 ft)
Blair Bann is the key player of the Canadian National team. In 2017, he helped Canada to earn a bronze medal in the World League. It was a huge surprise back then, and he was voted the best libero of this tournament. Since that time, he’s only getting better. Bann is the player of the German club Evivo Düren.
9. Lauri Kerminen
Born: 18 January 1993
Height: 185 cm (6.07 ft)
Even though Finland isn’t considered the best volleyball nation, from time to time they have great players. Now it’s Lauri Kerminen. He shows he’s the best player of his National team all the time. Kerminen’s club is Kuzbass Kemerowo.
10. Taichirō Koga
Born: 4 October 1989
Height: 170 cm (5.58 ft)
Koga is the shortest libero in this ranking, but it’s actually good for him because he has fantastic athletic skills. His biggest achievement with Japan is the victory in the Asian Championship. Now, he’s the player of the Polish club Warta Zawiercie.
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