The Cuban and Polish volleyball player Wilfredo Leon is also known as an outplayer for the Italian Perugia. Named the best striker in 2009, he is included in the 2019 symbolic team of the European Championship and the World Cup.
Wilfredo Leon Venero has received many prizes for his sports career. As part of the team, he won awards at championships, played for the strongest club team in the continental federation.
Meteoric rise
The biography of the future sports star began in 1993. The boy was born on the last day of July in Santiago de Cuba. An 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 learned the basics of the game.
A fourteen-year-old teenager for the first time played for the Cuban national team in 2008, May 14. In Dusseldorf, he replaced a player in the world Olympic qualifying tournament. Cuba played against Germany. The national team met with Russia in the World League on June 21, 2008.
The entire third party was played by a young athlete who entered the site by the end of the second set. Thanks to him, the players got 6 points. In 2009, Wilfredo played for the national team in the first team. In terms of performance, he was named third.
The results of the Final Six made the volleyball player in Belgrade one of the best pitchers. In 4 matches, he scored 56 points, including 10 aces. On July 31, 16-year-old Leon in Pune, India, took part in his first match of the World Youth Championship. The youngest player in the championship brought the team silver.
Since 1987, the representatives of Cuba have not risen to the podium in such games. Wilfredo showed the second result this time, losing to the more experienced Rolando Cepeda.
Confession
In October, the athlete played in the world championship of the Caribbean and Central and North America, NORCECA. The competition was held in Bayamon in Puerto Rico. The team's gold was complemented by Leon's three personal awards. He was recognized as the best young player of the tournament, as well as in attack, named the most valuable participant.
The triumph was the presentation of silver at the Grand Champions Cup in Nagoya and Osaka. Wilfredo finished third in the ranking of the best pitchers. Playing for the national team in the Final Six, Leon brought her silver. As part of the junior national team, he took gold at the Youth Olympics in Singapore.
Since the start of the World League games in 2011, the promising volleyball player has been elected team captain. Journalists compared Wilfredo to Omar Linares, another sports prodigy in the country, albeit a baseball player who started playing at fifteen with 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 was a possible reason for the player's exclusion from the national team for refusing to prepare for the games. The disqualification prompted the continuation of training abroad. Leon left for Poland.
The International Volleyball Federation reduced the term of the athlete's sentence to a year, and the Cuban signed a contract with Zenit from Kazan. Under the agreement, he intended to play for the club for two years.
New Horizons
In early spring 2015, Leon won the Champions League with a new team, winning the Final Four MVP trophy. The volleyball player played a decisive role in the attack. With 26 points for the semifinals and 18 points for the final, he managed to get 6 aces for each fight.
The Cuban became the winner of the Andrey Kuznetsov prize in Russia. He also won the league title. In terms of performance, Wilfredo showed the third position, became the best in the playoffs. The player scored 204 points and 28 aces in 9 fights.
In May 2015 Leon signed a short-term contract with the Qatari "Pa Ryan". He played in the Emir's Cup. In the final, the team was bypassed by the players of "Al-Arabi". April 2016 was marked by winning the Qatar Cup.
Since the beginning of 2016, the games continued with Zenit. The new contract was for 2 years. In the seasons, up to 2017, Leon twice became the champion of Russia, won the Cup of the country, occupied the highest step in the Champions League.
Once again, the Champions League Final Four MVP was awarded to him in April 2016 in Krakow. The player announced his parting with Zenit after the end of the 2017-2018 season. He promised the fans no less spectacular games and victories in all competitions. The famous volleyball player kept his word.
In the Super League playoffs, he was named the most productive. Leon scored 20 points per game. As a result, Wilfredo topped the list of the best pitchers. In the Kazan Final Four, he secured the victory for the Italian Perugia, scored 33 points, and ended the triumphant fifth game with an ace.
Time present
At the end of 2017, Vilfredo finished his game with Zenit by receiving the World Club Championship Cup. During one season, he collected five trophies, including 4 victories in the championship league, making a kind of penta-trick. During his work in Russia, the Cuban received all the awards possible in his sport.
The Italian team promised new growth prospects. He proved in the first moments that he can play even stronger, becoming out of competition and serving. The player received Polish citizenship on July 14, 2015. The first official match took place on August 9, 2019.
The volleyball player took part in the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Olympic Games. The same season brought him bronze in the European Championship and silver in the World Cup. The player also proved to be positive in the match with the Netherlands.
According to Leon, ratings are completely irrelevant. Therefore, he admits that he does not deserve attention. He is happy if the fans like his game. This provides him with an incentive to get even better.
The volleyball player is no less successful in his personal life. His chosen one is called Malgorzata Hronkovska. They became husband and wife in June 2016. The child appeared in the family on May 13, 2017, the daughter was named Natalia.
