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10 Famous Men’s Volleyball Players That Everyone Should Know

Volleyball is a quite popular game around the world. There are unpopular players, moderately popular, and very popular players that everyone knows. They’re famous for their skills, but some of them are known because of their charisma and arrogance.

Who are the most famous volleyball players?

1. Earvin N’Gapeth
2. Giba
3. Wilfredo Leon
4. Karch Kiraly
5. Ivan Zaystev
6. Dmitrij Muserskyi
7. Maxim Mikhaylov
8. Bruno Rezende
9. Andrea Giani
10. Ricardo Lucarelli

1. Earvin N’Gapeth

Nationality: France
Born: 12 February 1991
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 194 cm (6.36 ft)

I think Earvin N’Gapeth is a player that everyone knows. He likes distinguishing himself. N’Gapeth quite often changes his image, particularly hair color. But many volleyball fans and players focus their attention on this French outside hitter because sometimes he likes provoking other teams. If you play against N’Gapeth it’s pretty likely that he will say something nasty to you, so that the referee can’t hear it. Other teams sometimes engages with this kind of discussions and it focuses media’s attention. But luckily what Earvin N’Gapeth is known for the most are his volleyball abilities. He’s a great player, one of the best in the world. He can harm anyone more with his volleyball abilities than with words. In which position is N’Gapeth in the ranking of the best players? You can check it out in this post.

2. Giba

Nationality: Brazil
Born: 23 December 1976
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 190 cm (6.23 ft)

Is there anyone who doesn’t know Giba? I doubt it. This Brazilian legend will be remembered forever for his great talent and accomplishments. He won with Brazil basically every possible gold medal, he was part of the best Brazilian generation ever, and he was the best player of the 21st century so far. There is no way you could miss this guy. When he was in his best form, most of the world’s media would write about his amazing skills. He was a real beast and his popularity is 100% because of his excellent performances. Was Giba the best volleyball player ever? You can get to know it in the ranking of the best volleyball players in the history. In 2016, Giba released his great autobiography.

3. Wilfredo Leon

Nationality: Poland
Born: 31 July 1993
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 201 cm (6.59 ft)

One of the best volleyball players has to be one of the most popular players. Wilfredo Leon is a Polish outside hitter that everyone is afraid of on the court. He helps his clubs reach out for the most important championships like the Champions League and the World Championship. He was born in Cuba and has played in the Cuban National team for 5 years, but he decided to make a career in Europe, and he was forced to never play in Cuba. In 2015 https://qarshi.com/bokstaven-h/index.html , he received Polish citizenship and debuted in 2019 in the Polish team. He has lots of teams and individual awards. That’s why he’s the player who allegedly makes the most money. How much exactly? He’s the only one who knows. It might be around €1.500.000 per season. More surprising volleyball facts, you can find here.

4. Karch Kiraly

Nationality: USA
Born: 3 November 1960
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 188 cm (6.17 ft)

Younger volleyball fans might not recognize him as a player but as a coach. Kiraly is the head coach of the United States women’s national volleyball team. But 30 years ago, he was the best player. He was voted to be the best volleyball player of the 20th century. With the USA, he won the 3 Olympic Games in a row! He also won the World Championship in 1986. He is famous for his indoor volleyball appearances, but he was also a legend in beach volleyball, having won more than 24 tournaments. Kiraly is the author of two books, Karch Kiraly’s championship volleyball and Beach Volleyball.

5. Ivan Zaystev

Nationality: Italy
Born: 2 October 1988
Position: Right side hitter
Height: 204 cm (6.69 ft)

Ivan Zaystev inherited his talent after his father Vyacheslav who was a Russian volleyball player. Ivan is known for his great talent. In my opinion, he’s the best server in the world. He’s able to serve the ball with an astounding speed of 134 km/h. Alongside with Wilfredo Leon, Zaystev holds the record of the fastest volleyball serve. To see the list of the fastest volleyball serves in history, click here. Videos with his lightning-fast serves are gaining popularity online. He’s also powerful in the attack and his precision combined with power make him one of the best and famous volleyball players.

6. Dmitrij Muserskyi

Nationality: Russia
Born: 29 October 1988
Position: Middle blocker
Height: 218 cm (7.15 ft)

Muserskyi’s biggest trademark is his height. He’s 218 cm (7.15 ft) and most people think he’s the tallest volleyball player. That’s not true and there is one taller player than him. You can see him in the ranking of the tallest players in the world, by clicking here. Everyone knows 218 cm is a great strength. Some Russian experts even think that a couple of years ago, Muserskyi was the best player in the world, which might be true. I remember matches when this Russian middle blocker was unstoppable and it was ridiculously easy for him to earn points. Right now he’s the player of the Japaneses club Suntory Sunbirds, and he keeps complaining that ceilings in this country are too short for him…

7. Maxim Mikhaylov

Nationality: Russia
Born: 19 March1988
Position: Opposite hitter
Height: 204 cm (6.69 ft)

I think Maxim Mikhaylov belongs to the top 10 Russian volleyball players of all time. Imagine how strong the Russian National team was when both Mikhaylov and Musersky were on the court… For a couple of years, I think he was extraordinary, and now he’s still great. He’s one of a few players that spent most of their career in one club. Since 2010, he has played for Zenit Kazan- the best club in the world. The list of the top 10 best clubs in the world is here. With Zenit Mikhaylov has won number of awards, including almost 30 individual ones in big tournaments like the Champions League or the Club World Championship.

8. Bruno Rezende

Nationality: Brazil
Born: 2 July 1986
Position: Setter
Height: 190 cm (6.23 ft)

The setter position isn’t the most popular one. It’s unfair because they do the most important work and nobody appreciates them. But Bruno is the icon of the setter position. For many years, he was the leading player of the Brazil National Team. He has helped Brazil win the Olympic Games in 2016 and the World Championship in 2010. Bruno was the director of Brazil’s successes, and he should be appreciated. The best setter in the world ever? Definitely top 3. His father Bernardo was also a fantastic player, but he didn’t have many achievements with the National team.

9. Andrea Giani

Nationality: Italy
Born: 22 April 1970
Position: Middle blocker
Height: 196 cm (6.43 ft)

If you don’t remember Andrea Giani as a player, you have definitely heard of him as a coach. He was the coach of great teams, including Cimone Modena, the Slovenian National Team, and the German National team. In his collection, he has got almost every possible gold medal except a gold medal in the Olympic Games.

10. Ricardo Lucarelli

Nationality: Brazil
Born: 14 February 1992
Position: Outside hitter
Height: 196 cm (6.43 ft)

The fact that Lucarelli has 0.5 million followers on Instagram means that he is really famous. He’s popular not without a reason. He is the leading player of the Brazil National team. The only medals he doesn’t have is a gold medal in the Olympic Games and in the World League. Lucarelli has many individual awards and at the moment is one of the best Brazilian players. Since 2020 his first European club has been Trentino Volley.

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