The world may be looking at the Polish team with skepticism, specially after its “questionable” win against the Serbian squad to clinch a Final-6 berth. But if there is anyone that is fully supporting the team at the competition, that person would be Wilfredo Leon. Considered the best volleyball player in the world by a mile, the Cuban born but Polish naturalized outside hitter, who is due to debut for the team in 2019, made sure to make his presence and support known to players before the must-win game:
“Wilfredo is a member of our group on WhatsApp. A few hours before the game he wrote a very long message to the whole team. He gave the boys support, explained what they had to do to win, and so on. It was not something that he wrote in a minute. This shows that he is a full member of the team. He supports us throughout the tournament and wanted to help us at an important moment. I will not tell you what he wrote, because it is the team’s secret, but the message itself shows that he feels himself a member of this team. We love it.
Wilfredo established a bond with the team. He is a Pole to a much greater degree than I am. He speaks Polish, thinks in Polish, wants to live in Poland, his wife is Polish and his daughter has Polish citizenship. Leon will soon become a Pole. The team thinks so and that’s a very good thing. He is not a foreigner who just came to play several matches in the national team. This guest spends a large part of the year in Warsaw and wants to live in this city in the future, he wants to grow old.” – Poland’s head coach Vital Heynen
Poland can only benefit from such an important bond. Better yet, it gives the team a sense of what’s to come once the superstar is finally ready to wear the red and white jersey.
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