Wilfredo León


Wilfredo León Venero is a professional volleyball player who plays as an outside hitter for the Polish PlusLiga club, Bogdanka LUK Lublin. Born in Cuba, he represents Poland at the international level. He was a member of his country of birth's national team from 2007 to 2012.
Considered by many as one of a kind, he led Cuba to the silver medal at the 2010 World Championship held in Italy, alongside Yoandy Leal and Robertlandy Simon. He is considered one of the leaders of the "Generation of Miracle" of Cuban volleyball by many experts.
IG wilfredo_leon_official

Personal life

León was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba on July 31, 1993. He is the son of Wilfredo León Hechavarría and Alina Venero Boza. He studied at Escuela Nacional del Voleibol Cubano. León lived in Poland for a while with his Polish girlfriend. On June 24, 2016, he married Małgorzata. They have three children: two daughters, born in May 2017 and June 2023, and a son, born in November 2019.

Career

León started to play when he was seven. His first coach was his mother, Alina. León debuted in the Cuban national team on May 24, 2008, in Düsseldorf, aged 14 years and 10 months. He won the title of Best Receiver at World League 2009. On July 31, 2009, he won a silver medal in the World U21 Championship. In 2009, the Cuban national team, with Leon, won the title of NORCECA Champion, and repeated this success in 2011. After losing the final against Brazil, Cuba won a silver medal at the 2010 World Championship. He was the youngest captain of the national team. In 2012, he won the bronze medal at the World League.
In 2013, León left Cuba to play in a club outside of his homeland, losing the possibility of playing for the Cuban national team. He joined Russian club Zenit Kazan in 2014, where he won multiple CEV Champions League titles, national leagues, and cups. He also played part-time with Qatar club Al Rayyan in 2015 and 2016. In September 2018, León joined Italian team SIR Safety Perugia.
On July 14, 2015, León received Polish citizenship, and four years later he became fully eligible to play for the Poland national team.
On 10 August 2024, he won a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games held in Paris.

Honours

Club

CEV Champions League

Individual awards

2009: FIVB World League – Best server2009: NORCECA Championship – Best spiker2009: NORCECA Championship – Most valuable player2011: Pan American Games – Most valuable player2011: NORCECA Championship – Best spiker2011: NORCECA Championship – Best scorer2015: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker2015: CEV Champions League – Most valuable player2015: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker2016: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker2016: CEV Champions League – Most valuable player2016: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker2017: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker2017: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker2018: CEV Champions League – Best outside spiker2019: CEV European Championship – Best outside spiker2022: FIVB Club World Championship – Best outside spiker2023: CEV European Championship – Most valuable player2025: FIVB Nations League – Best outside spiker2025: Polish SuperCup – Most valuable player2026: Polish Cup – Best outside hitter

State awards

2024: Knight's Cross of Polonia Restituta

Record

  • 138 km/h serve speed