The director will take the field with Volei Renata against the team from the city where he grew up. At stake will be access to the final of the Club World Cup
The heart divided in half. Between Brazil, where he was born, and Italy, which adopted him. At four years old, Bruno Rezende traveled 9,200 kilometers to move from Rio de Janeiro to Perugia. There, father Bernardo coached the women’s team, where mother Vera Mossa played. Fate wanted the Brazilian, Olympic and World Cup gold medalist, to once again find Perugia on his path: in the past Bruno took the field against Sir with the shirts of Modena and Civitanova, while now he is ready to challenge them in the semi-final of the Club World Cup with Volei Renata. Tonight at 10.30pm no mistakes are allowed because the stakes are very high. “In the last ten years the Block Devils have been a point of reference not only at an Italian level, but worldwide”.
What memories do you have of your arrival in Italy?
“I immediately felt at ease, also because I was with my family. I always had the ball in my hands. I took my first steps in minivolley in Perugia, a truly special city. Then I moved with my mother to Sumirago, while my father worked in Modena. It was very difficult for me to return to Brazil at eight years old. By now I had settled in, but the children of athletes are subjected to great changes.”
After more than three decades he finds Perugia again at the Club World Cup…
“It’s a complicated match for us. The Brazilian championship is not on the same level as the Italian one, so we have to keep the intensity high from the first to the last point. The Umbrians have few weak points, almost none. We hope to play a great match.”
And he sees Angelo Lorenzetti again, with whom he shared two seasons in Modena.
“I have goosebumps because he was the most important coach of my career, even more than dad. He gave me so much as an athlete and a person. He is a sensitive man who knows how to manage the group and inspires others to be better.”
Is there an episode that particularly impressed you?
“When we won the scudetto. His parents were crying in the stands and he went to hug them. I thought about it immediately when I learned that his father had passed away. I sent him a message, Angelo had written to me when my grandmother died. These are very delicate moments.”
You have already won the Club World Cup with an Italian team…
“With Civitanova. I remember that we had just won the Scudetto and the Champions League. The objective was to bring home the only title that was missing from both Lube’s and mine’s palmares. Even on that occasion we were in Brazil and no one was able to stop us, not even one of the most successful teams of the tournament (Sada Cruzeiro in the final, ed.)”.
Despite his successes, he experienced some very complicated moments throughout his life.
“Yes, especially after the final lost at the 2012 London Games. I was drinking and had lost my passion for volleyball. I couldn’t get out of that darkness on my own. Luckily, people were close to me, including a mental coach. In that period I learned an important lesson: you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help.”
At 39, do you ever think about retiring?
“Sometimes, but it’s still early. I’m certainly preparing for a moment that is always complicated for an athlete. I’m enjoying this Club World Cup because I know that I won’t have many other opportunities to compete at this level.”
Will he become a coach like his father?
“I don’t think so because I’ve seen with my own eyes what it means. It’s an intense and tiring life. You have to be sure you want to do it and I’m not. However, I would like to stay in the world of volleyball.”
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