Kim Yeon-koung
Wilfredo Leon
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Kim Yeon-koung leads 2 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Kim Yeon-koung at #8 and Wilfredo Leon at #10.
The case for Kim Yeon-koung
The greatest player her country has produced and one of the finest outside hitters of her generation, remarkable for reaching the summit of individual honours without a powerhouse national team behind her. At the London 2012 Olympics she was the tournament's top scorer and was named Most Valuable Player even though South Korea finished fourth - a rare tribute to individual brilliance. A complete six-rotation outside with terminal attacking, dependable reception and leadership, she starred across the strongest club leagues in Japan, Turkey and China, winning the 2012 CEV Champions League and its MVP with Fenerbahce. She carried Korea to the semi-finals again at Tokyo 2020, routinely shouldering an enormous share of her team's offence. Judged on pure ability and sustained excellence rather than medal count, Kim ranks among the best wing spikers the women's game has known, and her scoring feats are woven through two decades of top-flight volleyball.
The case for Wilfredo Leon
A generational talent and one of the most physically gifted attackers ever to play, Leon became the youngest man to appear at a senior World Championship at just 14 for Cuba. After leaving the Cuban programme he adopted Polish citizenship and joined one of the world's strongest national teams. His trademark is a colossal jump serve, among the hardest ever recorded at well over 130 kilometres per hour, that can dismantle a reception single-handedly, allied to explosive outside attacking. At club level he won consecutive CEV Champions League titles with Russia's Zenit Kazan in 2015, 2016 and 2017, dominating the strongest club competition on earth. International gold with Poland has proved elusive amid fierce competition, but on raw ability, serving power and highlight-reel athleticism, Leon stands among the most dangerous players of the modern era, a fixture in every conversation about the best current outside hitters. As of the 2024-25 season he remained a leading force.