After the presentation of Oreste Cavuto and the second setter Bonomi, here is a new important announcement for the Brescia team which has secured Giacomo Raffaelli, a place four spiker from the Super League. On Wednesday afternoon, together with coach Zambonardi, he was a guest of Stefano Consoli at the Brescia headquarters of the Group, the main sponsor of Atlantide, where he was introduced to the press.
Born in Grosseto in 1995, Giacomo is an experienced and balanced player who has six seasons in the top flight under his belt. After his debut with Club Italia in B1 and the year in A2 in Siena, he won a Challenge Cup with the Bunge shirt in 2018 at 23 years old. Those three championships in Romagna were his training journey, while the courageous next step sees him face an experience abroad, where he plays for two years with the Poitiers shirt and continues to grow, winning the French Cup in 2020 in a league that he himself puts in terms of level between our local A1 and A2. The return to the Italian top flight passes through Cisterna, his return to Siena and Taranto, the club from which he comes.
He has been with the national team since 2015, the year in which he won bronze at the Under 23 World Championship. Gold at the 2019 Universiade, he was called up by De Giorgi for the 2022 Volley Nations League after his excellent performance in the Play-offs played with the shirt of Cisterna.
He uses his physicality and his 194 cm to give power to the dunks he prefers with a very tense ball, but he defines himself as ‘an expert second line player’, strong in reception, defense and blocking and is also capable of velvety touches; he is versatile and able to read the opponent quickly: he is a very technical player but also smart and tactical. He says he is motivated and ready to drag Brescia into a new chapter in its history: “For me it is an opportunity to be grateful for, it is a very ambitious project of which I am proud to be part – explains Raffaelli -. The team that Zambonardi is building has great potential and is built well and with balance in my opinion, but there will be several interesting sextets: Saitta, Sabbi, Pinali, Cavaccini have come from the Super League, all important players for the A2. It will be a very high level, which hasn’t been seen for a long time, but therefore very challenging and exciting. Doing well won’t be easy, but on my part there is full willingness to try. The basis is there: the fixed points left over from the last championship can be a great help in building a group that is ready to give everything on the pitch on Sundays.”
