Borges: Brazil will be hungry at the VNL

The arrivals of star outside hitters Ricardo Lucarelli and Yoandy Leal on Monday completed Brazil’s roster for the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League as the South Americans prepare at their training facility in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro.

The Brazilian roster now features 20 players and it's from this group of players that the ones selected to compete in this year’s edition of the VNL and the Tokyo Olympics will be selected.

Even though defending the gold medal they won at the Rio 2016 Olympics might be the team’s main priority for the international season, they will also be looking to win their first VNL title after finishing fourth at both the 2018 and 2019 editions.

“With the Olympics coming right after the VNL, we don’t know right now which players will be playing in the first matches, but that doesn’t change anything,” outside hitter Mauricio Borges said. “Brazil’s main strength has always been to have a great squad from top to bottom and whoever is on the court will give 130 per cent to win. We don’t play around, every time we enter a tournament we’re hungry to win gold.”

A 32-year-old outside hitter, Borges is expected to play a prominent role for Brazil this season. A Rio 2016 Olympic champion, the 2m-tall outside hitter has earned a reputation in the team with his strong defensive game.

He’s coming off a strong club season in which he led EMS Taubate Funvic to victories in the Brazilian Superliga, the Super Cup and the Trofeu Volei Brasil. He was also, for the first time in his career, elected as the country’s Most Valuable Player.

“It was certainly one of my best club seasons, if not the best,” Borges added. “The most important thing is that I feel now I’ve become the player I always wanted to be. I always want to be an important piece in the teams I play for, but at the beginning of my career I kind of thought that the only way to do it was in offence. Now I see that the little things I do are so valuable and that makes me really happy. It took a change of mentality to get to where I am and I think that the 2015 Pan-American Games was the tournament where things really clicked.”

A strong season has offered Borges, a 2019 FIVB Volleyball World Cup winner and a two-time FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup champion, opportunities to play in Europe during the next club season and he has signed with Italy’s Vibo Valentia.

The move, which will be completed after the Olympics, will mark his return to Europe after playing for Turkey’s Arkas Spor between 2015 and 2017.

“It will be a new challenge and I’m excited,” he explained. “I’ve been in Europe before as I played in Turkey for two seasons, but this will be different. Italy has probably the best league in the world and I expect the next edition to be one of the most competitive ever. I’m looking forward to playing the best in the world and this challenge really motivates me. My family will come with me this time and I believe it will be a great opportunity for them too.”

Brazil will debut in the VNL, which will take place in Rimini, Italy in a secure 'bubble' from May 25 to June 27, against South American rivals Argentina on May 28.

Brazil’s 2021 roster:

Setters: Bruno Rezende, Fernando ‘Cachopa’ Kreling, Eduardo Carisio
Opposites: Wallace de Souza, Alan de Souza, Felipe Roque
Outside Hitter: Ricardo Lucarelli, Yoandy Leal, Mauricio Borges, Douglas Souza, Joao Rafael Ferreira, Rodrigo ‘Rodriguinho’ Leao, Gabriel Vaccari
Middle Blockers: Lucas Saatkamp, Mauricio Souza, Isac Santos, Flavio Gualberto, Matheus Bispo
Liberos: Thales Hoss, Maique Nascimento

Quick links:
FIVB Volleyball Nations League
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