Wilfredo Leon, a Cuban and Polish volleyball player, is also known as a player of the Italian “Perugia”. Named the best striker in 2009, he is included in 2019 in the symbolic team of the European Championship and World Cup.
Wilfredo Leon Venero received a lot of prizes for his sports career. As part of the team, he won awards in the championships, played for the strongest club team of the continental federation.
Rapid take-off
The biography of the future sports star began in 1993. The boy was born on the last day of July in Santiago de Cuba. Active and agile child from the age of seven became interested in volleyball. His first mentor was his mother. Under the guidance of Alina Rosario, the son comprehended the basics of the game.
A fourteen-year-old teenager first played for the Cuban national team in 2008, May 14. In Dusseldorf, he replaced the player in the world Olympic qualification tournament. Cuba played against Germany. The national team met with Russia in the World League on June 21, 2008.
The entire third game was played by a young athlete who entered the court at the end of the second set. Thanks to him, the players received 6 points. In 2009, Wilfredo played for the national team in the first team. By effectiveness, he was named third.
The results of the “Final Six” brought the volleyball player in Belgrade to the best serveers. For 4 matches, he scored 56 points, including 10 aces. On July 31, sixteen-year-old Leon in Pune, India, participated in his first match of the World Youth Championship. The youngest player in the championship brought silver to the team.
Since 1987, representatives of Cuba did not rise to the podium in such games. Wilfredo demonstrated this time the second result, losing to the more experienced Rolando Cepéda.
Confession
In October, the athlete played in the world championship of the Caribbean and Central and North America, NORCECA. Competitions were held in Bayamon in Puerto Rico. The team's gold was supplemented by three personal Leon awards. He was recognized as the best young player of the tournament, and also in the attack, named the most valuable participant.
The triumph was the presentation of silver at the Grand Championship Cup in Nagoya and Osaka. In the ranking of the best bowlers, Wilfredo was third. Playing for the national team in the “Final Six” Leon brought her silver. As part of the junior team, he took gold at the Youth Olympics in Singapore.
Since the start of the World League games in 2011, a promising volleyball player was elected team captain. Journalists compared Wilfredo to Omar Linares, another sports prodigy of the country, however, a baseball player who began to play with fifteen in the national team. Wilfredo was offered to sign a contract with one of the clubs in Europe.
His likely consent in April 2013 to Poland, Italy or Russia became a possible reason for expelling a player from the national team for refusing to prepare for the games. Disqualification caused continued training abroad. Leon went to Poland.
The International Volleyball Federation reduced the sentence of an athlete to a year, and the Cuban signed a contract with Zenit from Kazan. By agreement, he intended to play for the club for two years.
New Horizons
In early spring 2015, Leon won the Champions League with the new team, winning the MVP Final Four prize. Volleyball player played a decisive role in the attack. He with 26 points for the semifinals and 18 points obtained in the final, managed to get 6 aces for each fight.
The winner of the prize of Andrei Kuznetsov, the Cuban became in Russia. He also won the championship title. In terms of performance, Wilfredo showed third place, became the best in the playoffs. The player scored 204 points and 28 aces in 9 bouts.
In May 2015, Leon signed a short-term contract with the Qatari Pa-Ryan. He played in the Emir Cup. In the final, the team was beaten by Al-Arabi players. April 2016 was marked by the victory of the Qatar Cup.
Since the beginning of 2016, games continued with Zenit. The new contract was designed for 2 years. In the seasons, until 2017, Leon twice became the champion of Russia, won the Cup of the country, occupied the highest level in the Champions League.
Once again, the MVP of the Final Four of the Champions League was awarded to him in April 2016 in Krakow. The player announced the separation from “Zenith” after the end of the 2017-2018 season. To the fans, he promised no less spectacular games in and victory in all competitions. The famous volleyball player kept his word.
In the playoffs of the Super League, he was called the most productive. For the game, Leon scored 20 points. As a result, Wilfredo topped the list of the best bowlers. In the Kazan “Final Four”, he secured a win for the Italian “Perugia”, scored 33 points, and finished the triumphant fifth game with an ace.
