The new red and white opposite Matheus Motzo is excited and can’t wait to start his new adventure at Cucine Lube Civitanova. The experience accumulated in A2, the work of years and the exponential growth in recent seasons have forged an athlete with a great desire to get involved in the most important stages. The 2023/24 season will represent a new beginning for the Sardinian forward. Here is the first question and answer as a Lube player.
Originally from Brazil, but Italian … and Sardinian doc.
Motzo: “Oh yes! My hometown is Sao Caetano do Sul, but at the age of 8 I was adopted together with my two sisters by a Sardinian family and we came to Oristano. It almost seems to me that I was born there because I felt at home from the first moment and I consider myself Sardinian in all respects”.
Your passion for volleyball was born in Sardinia.
“True, but as a kid my heart was divided between football and volleyball. From a defender with studded shoes on clay courts, I turned into an attacker under the net of a sports hall. For two years I pursued the two disciplines, then inevitably I had to make a choice, I was driving my parents crazy who had to take me to school and to all training sessions in distant places”.
A happy decision. How did you experience your apprenticeship in Serie A2?
“I grew up in the slightly muffled environment of Club Italia. I had to think only about playing and learning, I used the opportunity to improve myself. The real pressure came in the subsequent experiences, in Cantù and Santa Croce. I didn’t suffer from the leap because I’m a very competitive guy thanks to an innate mentality that I strengthened with the help of my first coach, Marco Gagliardi, to whom I’m still attached. For me it was also important to get on the podium several times with the national youth teams, winning silver at the World and European Championships and gold at the EYOF. On the eve of each competitive chapter I reset everything, I take the field to try to get stronger and win as much as possible”.
How will this new chapter be written?
“The bar is raised! I will measure myself against teammates and opponents who have significant experience in the top flight and on the international arena. It will be essential for me to always give everything, I don’t miss hunger! I have followed many Lube games, for me watching a match is not only fun but real study. I was very struck by the personality shown in SuperLega by a young man like Alex Nikolov, capable of taking the team on his shoulders at times. Lots of stuff!”
