In a recent interview with VBTV, American star setter Micah Christenson described his Argentinean counterpart Luciano De Cecco by saying that “nobody can try to be Luciano De Cecco because he’s individually himself.”

Although Micah’s comments made a reference to De Cecco’s playing style, which make of him a truly unique player in the position, they also perfect summarize another intriguing facet of the Olympic medalist – his leadership.

Captaining the Argentinean national team since 2015, the 35-year-old De Cecco has been exposed to all kinds of leadership styles over his almost 20 years of professional volleyball and still, just like he does with his playmaking duties, he just opted to be himself.

“I think that when someone is a good leader, it just shows, it’s not something you can really develop if you don’t have that on you,” he told Volleyball World. “There’s a lot of different forms to lead and there’s no right or wrong. Each leader has its own way of doing things and each of them works in a different way.”

De Cecco doesn’t necessarily have the profile one would expect from a leader of a sports team. Instead of loud screams to motivate or instruct his teammates during matches, he does that with insightful and well-time whispers, delivering his message with clarity and calm.

Don’t expect to see the Argentinean star showing extreme emotions on the court either as most of the time, winning or losing, he’ll keep his trademark poker face. With De Cecco, leadership is expressed by his presence and by setting an example with actions, especially when dealing with younger players.

“My focus is always on giving my best to help the younger players grow, but in a way that at the same time, we manage to win matches,” the Argentinean reflected. “With time, every player ends up following the path they think is best for their careers and continue to learn along the way. I just hope that the young players can see something in me that helps them as they try to be the best versions of themselves.”

Currently in his second season as the captain of Cucine Lube Civitanova in the Italian SuperLega Credem Banca, De Cecco sees himself in the perfect spot to guide young players to success as the Italian giants have a squad packed with emerging talent.

Leading players like outside hitters Aleksandar Nikolov (19), Marlon Yant (22) and Mattia Bottolo (23) and opposite Adis Lagumdzija (24) has reinvigorated the Argentinean star in the 2023-2024 club season.

“This season we have a lot of young players, who have bright futures, such as Bottolo, Nikolov, Yant and Lagumdzija,” the setter added. “I’m happy to be here for another season and to help the ‘kids’ in the project and in their futures. I’m kind of the ‘dad’ of the team and sometimes I need to make sure everything is clear and that everyone is on the same page, but they’re great teammates and it’s very good to work with them. It’s a great opportunity for me to put everything on the court and enjoy the next couple of years.”

L'obiettivo è Parigi 2024 con l'Argentina

L'Argentina avrà bisogno della guida di De Cecco probabilmente più che mai nel 2024, quando i sudamericani cercheranno di qualificarsi per le Olimpiadi di Parigi attraverso il FIVB World Ranking e di dare seguito alla fantastica campagna di Tokyo, che li ha visti vincere il bronzo, portando il Paese sul podio dopo 33 anni.

I sudamericani hanno avuto la prima opportunità di assicurarsi un posto a Parigi in ottobre, durante il torneo di qualificazione olimpica di pallavolo, ma sono arrivati terzi nella Pool C e hanno mancato di poco i due posti in palio.

Gli argentini sono ancora in una buona posizione, occupando il sesto posto nella classifica mondiale FIVB e con una sola squadra non ancora qualificata classificata sopra di loro, ma avranno bisogno di buoni risultati nella Volleyball Nations League 2024 per conquistare uno dei cinque posti finali quando il periodo di qualificazione terminerà a giugno.

"Sapevamo che le qualificazioni olimpiche sarebbero state molto difficili", ha commentato De Cecco. "Ma abbiamo ancora l'opportunità di portare l'Argentina alle Olimpiadi e faremo di tutto per riuscirci. Tokyo è stata fantastica, ma ormai fa parte del passato. Ora ci sono diverse nazionali migliori di noi, ma la cosa più importante è che riusciamo a competere con loro ad alto livello".

Although he didn’t make a decision about it yet, next year’s Olympics could be De Cecco’s final tournament with the Argentinean national team – he first planned on retiring internationally after Tokyo, but changed his plans and continued with the team. Set to go down as one of the best players in the history of his country, the playmaker is pretty humble when asked about which kind of legacy he hopes to leave.

“I don’t have many aspirations in that regard,” he commented. “To me, what matters is that I can leave a positive mark in everyone that was part of it. After that, time will tell if I’ll be remembered and for how long.”