A volleyball magician who will play in Poland. Will he knock the world champions out of the tournament?

It was no different during the World Cup in the Philippines. On Thursday (September 18), Argentina secured a spot in the knockout stage by eliminating France. The two-time Olympic champions (2021 and 2024) couldn't find a way past coach Marcelo Mendez's team. However, it was Luciano De Cecco who was truly in charge. An Argentine setter, the virtuoso is a more fitting description. A unique figure in world volleyball.

Volleyball World Championships: Luciano De Cecco delights the world! The Argentine continues to shine

After two group matches and Finland's 3-1 victory over Korea in the third round of the World Cup, it became clear that the France-Argentina match would be a make-or-break affair for both teams. Before the tournament began in the Philippines, it seemed these two teams would secure a spot in the Round of 16. However , France's 2-3 defeat to Finland , coupled with a tie-break between Argentina and Finland (3-2 for the former), caused such a stir that the two favorites were forced to play with a knife at their throats.

Argentina led 2-0, then 2-2, before De Cecco's team ultimately prevailed in the tiebreak. Not for the first time, the Argentine displayed several fantastic moves, which quickly spread across social media, where practically everyone admired the skill of the setter/virtuoso.

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Interestingly, De Cecco will play in the PlusLiga starting in the 2025/26 season. The Częstochowa club can boast of signing a top-notch playmaker. President Łukasz Żygadło knows best the scale of De Cecco's potential. Steam Hemarpol Politechnika can certainly prepare for further compilations of successful plays from their playmaker.

"I know the fans of the Częstochowa club are watching my game and supporting me. Once I finish playing in the World Cup, I'll need a short break before coming to Częstochowa. However, I'll try to join my new team as soon as possible. I'm very happy to be playing in Poland and I can't wait to play in the Polish competition," De Cecco admitted after the victory against the French team, speaking to the official PlusLiga website .

In the Round of 16, Argentina faces another tough challenge. This time, their opponents will be the defending champions, Italy. Italy's form during the tournament in the Philippines hasn't been impressive, and this could be a factor in Argentina's next success. Coach Mendez will likely hand the reins back to De Cecco. The 37-year-old is playing in his sixth World Cup. With Argentina, he won a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, among other achievements.

Will De Cecco shine once again at the 2025 World Cup? Argentina has every reason to beat Italy. Comparing individual positions, it's not as if Italy is clearly better than Argentina. And on a good day, coach Mendez's team can, under pressure, prove themselves to be the strongest. The aforementioned Tricolors learned this firsthand. The French were determined to reverse the curse of recent years' World Cups. Argentina, led by De Cecco, deprived them of that opportunity by sending them home prematurely.

The Argentina vs. Italy Round of 16 match will take place this Sunday (August 21st). Kick-off is at 9:30 a.m. Polish time, and will be broadcast on Polsat Sport or online via platforms such as Polsat Box Go.

Read also: Poles will become world champions! The national volleyball team has full support. Read also: A huge sensation with a tragedy in the background. Death during the World Championship tournament.