If there was any doubt before, there’s certainly none now.
Alessandro Michieletto spoke with conviction after Italy’s latest triumph, believing that the Azzurri have earned the right to be called the world’s best after a successful back-to-back campaign in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship last Sunday.
“The important thing is to get the gold. I’m very happy because this summer we reached two medals in VNL and the World Championship. I can say we are the best team in the world,” Michialetto said, as the team also got a silver medal in this year’s VNL.
Italy’s march to the crown left little argument. They opened the tournament with a dominant win over Algeria, stumbled in a narrow five-set loss to Belgium, but quickly regained momentum by sweeping Ukraine to close out the pool stage.
From there, the Azzurri were unstoppable — sweeping Argentina in the Round of 16, defeating the same Belgian squad in straight sets in the quarterfinals, and overpowering world No. 1 and fierce rival Poland in the semifinals to make a resounding statement.
They capped it all off in style, claiming a 25-21, 25-17, 17-25, 25-10 victory over a rising Bulgaria team to secure back-to-back World Championship titles and Italy’s fifth overall crown, leaving no doubt about their place at the top of men’s volleyball.
“We played in the pool, not so good I think. I think that after we improved, we played better after the pool and from Argentina, Belgium, Poland. So I think that we have no secrets. But we know that to win this match, we have to play all good, like a perfect machine,” said Michialetto.
For his breakout performance on the sport’s biggest stage, Michieletto was awarded both the Most Valuable Player and one of the Best Outside Hitter honors, capping a tournament in which he led Italy with consistency and dominance.
It was a memorable campaign not just for Michieletto, but for the entire Italian squad, and they expressed their gratitude for the unwavering support from fans throughout the tournament.
“For Filipino fans, I’m so grateful because playing here is incredible. They love volleyball, they are very kind. So I hope that I will come back here to play,” said the 23-year-old winger.
“Thank you very much. And to Italian fans, I can’t wait to come back to Italy for the trophy. Ciao!”
