Lorenzo Bernardi
Wilfredo Leon
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Lorenzo Bernardi leads 2 of 4 categories. Our all-time ranking places Lorenzo Bernardi at #3 and Wilfredo Leon at #10.
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.
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.