Lorenzo Bernardi
Encyclopedia
Lorenzo Bernardi (born 11 August 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.
, Bernardi started his long career in the 1980s as setter, but later was switched to hitter and passer. From 1985 he played with the Panini Modena club. 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 27 May 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 League
s 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. In his later career he played for a B1 series (Italy's third category) near his native Trento.
During the 2010/2011 season, he took over the head coach position of the Polish club Jastrzębski Węgiel, and was able to reach the 4th spot in the CEV Champions League
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
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 TrentoTrento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
, Bernardi started his long career in the 1980s as setter, but later was switched to hitter and passer. From 1985 he played with the Panini Modena club. 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
Italy men's national volleyball team
The Italy men's national volleyball team is the volleyball national team of Italy. It dominated international volleyball competitions in the 1990s and early 2000s, by winning three World Championships in a row , six European Championships, one World Cup and eight World League The Italy men's...
was on 27 May 1987: he played for a total of 306 times in "Azzurri" colours, winning two European
European Volleyball Championship
The European Volleyball Championship is a sport competition for national teams, currently held biannually and organized by the CEV, the European volleyball federation. There are both men's and women's competitions....
gold medals (in 1989 and 1995), two World Championships
Volleyball World Championship
The FIVB World Championship is an international men's and women's indoor volleyball competition. It is the oldest and most important of all the international events organized by the FIVB and must not be confused with the FIVB World Cup or the FIVB World League/FIVB World Grand Prix.-Origins:The...
(1990 and 1994), three Volleyball World League
Volleyball World League
The FIVB World League is an international men's volleyball competition. Created in 1990, it is the longest and richest of all the international events organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball . The tournament is annual. The women's version of the competition is called FIVB World...
s and the Volleyball World Cup
Volleyball World Cup
The FIVB World Cup is a men's and women's volleyball competition. Created in 1965 and 1973 , it is an international qualification event for the Olympic Games...
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
Fédération Internationale de Volleyball
The Fédération Internationale de Volleyball , commonly known by the acronym FIVB, is the international governing body for the sport of indoor, beach and grass volleyball.. Its headquarters are located in Lausanne, Switzerland and its current president is Wei Jizhong .- History :The FIVB was founded...
declared him to be the "Volleyball Player of the Century".
In 2004, he played some competitions in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and after a spell in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Olympiakos SC
Olympiakos SC
Olympiacos S.C. is the volleyball team of the Greek sports club Olympiacos. It was founded in 1930 and has won 23 National Championships, 13 Greek Cups and 1 Greek Super Cup...
, 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. In his later career he played for a B1 series (Italy's third category) near his native Trento.
During the 2010/2011 season, he took over the head coach position of the Polish club Jastrzębski Węgiel, and was able to reach the 4th spot in the CEV Champions League
Men's CEV Champions League 2010–11
The CEV Champions League was the highest level of European club volleyball in the 2010–11 season and was the 52nd edition.-Teams of the 2010–2011 competition:The number of participants on the basis of ranking list for European Cup Competitions:...
Clubs
| Club | Country | From | To |
| Padova | 1984–1985 | 1984–1985 | |
| Modena | 1985–1986 | 1989–1990 | |
| Sisley Treviso | 1990–1991 | 2001–2002 | |
| Trento | 2002–2003 | 2003–2004 | |
| Macerata | 2004–2005 | 2004–2005 | |
| Olympiakos Piraeus | 2005–2006 | 2005–2006 | |
| Verona (joker) | 2005–2006 | 2006–2007 | |
| Montichiari | 2006–2007 |
Individual awards
- 1992 FIVB World League "Most Valuable Player"
- 1994 World Championships "Most Valuable Player"
- 1995 European Championships "Most Valuable Player"