Lorenzo Bernardi

Lorenzo Bernardi (born August 11, 1968) is an Italian volleyball player who was twice World champion with his national team in 1990 and 1994, and was elected "Volleyball Player of the Century" in 2001.

Career

Born in Trento, Bernardi started his long career in the 1980s, and was soon revealed as a multi-talented hitter and excellent passer. From 1985 he played with the Panini Modena club, who was then almost unbeatable in Italy. Bernardi won the Italian championship nine times with Modena and with Sisley Treviso, which he played for from 1990 to 2001.

His first cap with Italian national volleyball team was on May 27, 1987: he played for a total of 306 times in "Azzurri" colours, winning two European gold medals (in 1989 and 1995), two World Championships (1990 and 1994), three Volleyball World Leagues and the Volleyball World Cup in 1995. His international tally also includes two more gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze.

He was elected best player of the 1994 World Championship and 1995 European Championship, and in 2001, the FIVB declared him to be the "Volleyball Player of the Century".

In 2004, he played some competitions in Qatar and after a spell in Greece and Olympiakos SC, he has returned to play in Italy as of November 2005. In spite of his late age of 37, he was declared MVP of the first match in his new Italian club career. He currently play for a B1 series (Italy's third category) near his native Trento.

Clubs

Individual Awards

* "1992 FIVB World League "Most Valuable Player""

External links

* [http://www.legavolley.it/DettaglioAtleta.asp?IdAtleta=BER-LOR-68 Personal data]