The pressures, the media lights, the difficult relations with the coach, the mega-contract in Turkey, the controversies: thus the star of the blue volleyball seems to have suddenly become a burden for our movement
TO sometimes a moment is enough, a ball in or out, a block, a wrong serve that could have been an ace. A word said more or less. For Paola Egonu that moment is probably the ball sent out during the World Cup semi-final against Brazil. On 13 October 2022 in the Apeldoorn stadium the match is on 1-1 24-23 for Italy and Paola gets the ball to close the set. We stop the frame with our back arched and the arm loading the shot: at that moment an absolute champion is framed, an image of Italy in women’s volleyball, one of the best opposites in the world, hired by the Turkish battleship Vakifbank for the record amount (for Italian volleyball) of one million euros and already with a list of enviable trophies on the bulletin board.