WHEN it comes to Argentine sporting greats, the likes of football stars Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi first come to mind.
Their unrivaled greatness and longevity at the highest level cemented the South American nation’s stature as a footballing force to be reckoned with.
In the eyes of such a devout sporting nation, the late Maradona then and Messi now aren’t just greats in their craft. They’re national heroes and icons, too.
Away from the pitch, there’s arguably one athlete today who isn’t in football that has quite a formidable case to be in that conversation of Argentine icons.
At 37, Argentine setter Luciano De Cecco still stands as of the country’s greatest talents 19 years and counting to when he first donned the national colors in the world stage.
Once a reserve playmaker in his first year with the Nationals in 2006, De Cecco first had the chance to strut his wares in the biennial South American Championships a year later.
He’d go on to win four straight silver medals from 2007 to 2013 before securing two breakthrough titles at the 2015 Pan American Games and 2017 Pan American Cup.
In total, De Cecco has nine major best setter awards in various FIVB and continental competitions — the most prestigious of which came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where he won the individual nod and steered Argentina to its first-ever medal at the Games after beating Brazil for bronze.
His loyalty and services to the national team didn’t fall on blind eyes as he was given the honor of being Argentina’s flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The final piece
De Cecco has won it all in every level of volleyball he’s played at — from club to national team level.
Arguably the biggest piece of silverware that has eluded him in his carer is the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
This year’s edition of the global conclave in Manila will be his sixth consecutive appearance for the national team.
He only had a top 10 finish twice in five previous tries, the latest of which was an eighth-place campaign in 2022.
May this year be one of his last for the country, or maybe even his last, De Cecco hopes to seize one of few remaining chances to win his country the missing silverware that no Argentine men’s volleyball national team has ever won.
“I want the best for the national team in Argentina. I can play and I can try to help my team and my country to reach the more highest level for me is enough,” De Cecco said.
“My mentality is to lead the younger ones and to put my experience and my talent and my mentality for the group to try to grow up. I am one of the last ones, so I try to help these guys and enjoy the game.
“If this is the last [tournament], I don’t know, but playing for Argentina has been the best experience of my life.”
With more eyes on him, Argentina and the men’s game altogether now than it has ever been, De Cecco also hopes to leave a winning impression and introduce his golden legacy to the Philippines.
“We are all over the world. We go to Japan, we see Argentina. We have a lot of people watching us,” he said.
“I think the flag is more important, it does not matter what sport, for us it’s amazing to come here and try to see somebody make the game lighter for us. I think for this team that’s really important.”
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