Wilfredo León

Wilfredo León Venero (born 31 July 1993) is a Cuban–Polish professional volleyball player. He was a member of the Cuba national team from 2007 to 2012, and is a current member of the Poland national team and Bogdanka LUK Lublin.

Considered by many as one of a kind, he led Cuba to the silver medal at the 2010 World Championship held in Italy, alongside Yoandy Leal and Robertlandy Simon. He is considered one of the leaders of the "Generation of Miracle" of Cuban volleyball by many experts. León is considered one of the best volleyball players worldwide.

Personal life
León was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba on July 31, 1993. He is the son of Wilfredo León Hechavarría and Alina Venero Boza (former volleyball player). He studied at Escuela Nacional del Voleibol Cubano. León lived in Poland for a while with his Polish girlfriend. On June 24, 2016, he married Małgorzata (born Gronkowska). On May 13, 2017, their daughter Natalia was born.

Career
León started to play when he was seven. His first coach was his mother, Alina. León debuted in the Cuban national team on May 24, 2008, in Düsseldorf, aged 14 years and 10 months. He won the title of Best Receiver at World League 2009. On July 31, 2009, he won a silver medal in the World U21 Championship (after losing the final against Brazil). In 2009, the Cuban national team, with Leon, won the title of NORCECA Champion (and three individual awards), and repeated this success in 2011. After losing the final against Brazil, Cuba won a silver medal at the 2010 World Championship. He was the youngest captain of the national team (he was 17). In 2012, he won the bronze medal at the World League.

In 2013, León left Cuba to play in a club outside of his homeland, losing the possibility of playing for the Cuban national team. He joined Russian club Zenit Kazan in 2014, where he won multiple CEV Champions League titles, national leagues, and cups. He also played part-time with Qatar club Al Rayyan in 2015 and 2016. In September 2018, León joined Italian team SIR Safety Perugia.

On July 14, 2015, León received Polish citizenship, and five years later he became fully eligible to play for the Polish national volleyball team.

Club

 * CEV Champions League
 * Gold medal europe.svg 2014–15 – with Zenit Kazan
 * Gold medal europe.svg 2015–16 – with Zenit Kazan
 * Gold medal europe.svg 2016–17 – with Zenit Kazan
 * Gold medal europe.svg 2017–18 – with Zenit Kazan


 * FIVB Club World Championship
 * Gold medal world centered-2.svg Poland 2017 – with Zenit Kazan
 * Gold medal world centered-2.svg Betim 2022 – with Sir Safety Perugia
 * Gold medal world centered-2.svg Bangalore 2023 – with Sir Safety Perugia


 * Domestic
 * 2008–09 Gold medal with cup.svg Cuban Championship, with Capitalinos
 * 2009–10 Gold medal with cup.svg Cuban Championship, with Capitalinos
 * 2010–11 Gold medal with cup.svg Cuban Championship, with Orientales de Santiago
 * 2014–15 Simple gold cup.svg Russian Cup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2014–15 Gold medal with cup.svg Russian Championship, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2015–16 Simple gold cup.svg Russian SuperCup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2015–16 Simple gold cup.svg Russian Cup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2015–16 Gold medal with cup.svg Russian Championship, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2016–17 Simple gold cup.svg Russian SuperCup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2016–17 Simple gold cup.svg Russian Cup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2016–17 Gold medal with cup.svg Russian Championship, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2017–18 Simple gold cup.svg Russian SuperCup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2017–18 Simple gold cup.svg Russian Cup, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2017–18 Gold medal with cup.svg Russian Championship, with Zenit Kazan
 * 2018–19 Simple gold cup.svg Italian Cup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2019–20 Simple gold cup.svg Italian SuperCup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2020–21 Simple gold cup.svg Italian SuperCup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2021–22 Simple gold cup.svg Italian Cup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2022–23 Simple gold cup.svg Italian SuperCup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2023–24 Simple gold cup.svg Italian SuperCup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2023–24 Simple gold cup.svg Italian Cup, with Sir Safety Perugia
 * 2023–24 Gold medal with cup.svg Italian Championship, with Sir Safety Perugia

Individual awards

 * 2009: FIVB World League – Best server
 * 2009: NORCECA Championship – Best spiker
 * 2009: NORCECA Championship – Most valuable player
 * 2011: Pan American Games – Most valuable player
 * 2011: NORCECA Championship – Best spiker
 * 2011: NORCECA Championship – Best scorer
 * 2015: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker
 * 2015: CEV Champions League – Most valuable player
 * 2015: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker
 * 2016: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker
 * 2016: CEV Champions League – Most valuable player
 * 2016: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker
 * 2017: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker
 * 2017: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker
 * 2018: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker
 * 2019: CEV European Championship – Best outside spiker
 * 2022: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker
 * 2023: CEV European Championship – Most valuable player

Record

 * 138 km/h serve speed