Karch Kiraly
Lorenzo Bernardi
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Karch Kiraly leads 4 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Karch Kiraly at #1 and Lorenzo Bernardi at #3.
The case for Karch Kiraly
The consensus greatest player in the sport's history and the only person to win Olympic gold both indoors and on the sand. Kiraly anchored the United States side that won back-to-back Olympic titles in Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988, with the 1986 World Championship and the 1985 World Cup in between - the core of a team that revolutionised the men's game with its power swing. He then switched codes and dominated beach volleyball, winning Olympic gold in Atlanta 1996 and a record 148 career beach tournaments. A flawless all-court player who passed, set, dug and attacked at the highest level, he was named by FIVB the greatest volleyball player of the 20th century. He later coached the United States women to the 2014 World Championship and 2020 Olympic gold, making him a champion in three distinct chapters.
The case for Lorenzo Bernardi
The outstanding outside hitter of volleyball's professional dawn and the leader of Italy's golden generation. Bernardi drove the most dominant men's team of the 1990s to three straight World Championships - 1990, 1994 and 1998 - under coach Julio Velasco, alongside a haul of World League titles and European crowns. A complete wing spiker who could side-out under pressure, serve aggressively and defend, he was the emblem of an Italian side that beat everyone except, painfully, at the Olympics, where the team settled for silver in 1996. He spent his club career in Italy's Serie A, then the richest and strongest league in the world, sustaining elite form for the better part of two decades. Widely honoured among the greatest European players ever, Bernardi's near-total dominance in every arena but the Olympic final places him firmly among the sport's all-time elite, and he later coached at the highest club level.