Ferdinando De Giorgi

As a player, Ferdinando De Giorgi was a setter for more than 20 years in the Italian First League, playing for Falchi Ugento, Modena (Italian title in 1986/87), Montichiari, Padova, Falconara, and Cuneo. He won 330 caps with the national team and captured three World Championships.

In 2002, after a season as a player-coach, De Giorgi became a full-time coach, coaching Perugia, Lube (with whom he won his first Italian title), and Umbria San Giustino. He later coached Fakel Novy Urengoj in Russia, and Jastrzebski Wegiel and Zaksa in Poland, winning two Polish championships. Between March and September 2017, he had a brief stint as coach of the Polish national team.

In 2018 De Giorgi returned to Italy as the Lube coach, with whom he won the national title, the Italian Cup, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup. In 2021 he was named coach of the Italian national team, leading to wins at the European Championship in September and, in 2022, the World Championship, bringing the title back to Italy after 24 years.