Miguel Ángel Falasca

One of Spain’s greatest volleyball players, Miguel Ángel Falasca played 327 international matches between 1993-2009. He represented Spain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and in 2007 enjoyed his finest hour when he helped them beat Russia in the final of the European Championships in Moskva. That same year, Falasca was also named the Best Setter of the World Cup in Japan.

Falasca’s family moved from Argentina to Spain when he was 15, and he started his club volleyball at Malaga, along with his younger brother Guillermo, who was also in the 2007 European Championship-winning team. The family then moved to Gran Canaria where Miguel Ángel joined Calvo Sotelo, and won the Spanish Cup in 1996-97. He then had spells in Italy and Belgium, before returning to Spain in 2003 and joining the Son Amar Palma team in Mallorca. During his time in the Balearics, he helped Son Amar win three Spanish League titles, and two Spanish Cups. He left Son Amar in 2008, and wound up his playing days in Poland and Russia, adding four Polish and one Russian title to his collection.

After retiring from playing in 2013, Falasca took up coaching, firstly, in Poland, and then in 2016-17 was in charge of the Czech Republic national squad. At the time of his death, Falasca was coaching the Italian women’s team Consorzio Vero Volley Saugella Monza, and led them to Challenge Cup success just a few months before his untimely death at the age of 46.