Top 10 Volleyball Players in 2023
Check out who the best volleyball players in the world are right now!
Volleyball is loved all around the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. Talented players are keeping the game strong in big competitions.
With that in mind, we’ve selected the top 10 volleyball players in 2023!
Yuki Ishikawa – Japan
Ishikawa is a 27-year-old outside hitter with a lot of experience in Japanese and Italian volleyball.
Currently playing for Allianz Milano, Yuki has won nine medals with the Japanese team, including bronze in the Nations League, silver in the last World Cup, and gold in the Asian Championship, all in 2023. His list of individual and team awards is extensive, making him stand out on the world stage.
Lukasz Kaczmarek – Poland
Kaczmarek is a 29-year-old opposite hitter who plays for ZAKSA in his home country. He plays for the Polish national team and won eight medals with them. The last two, both gold, came in 2023 at the European Championship and the Nations League.
For his club, Lukasz also has nine national titles and three Champions League victories.
Nimir Abdel-Aziz – Netherlands
At 31, Abdel-Aziz has played for different clubs in European volleyball and currently plays in Turkey for Halkbank Ankara.
He joined the Netherlands national team in 2011 and got two medals. One of them was gold in 2012, just starting his time with the national team.
David Smith – United States
Smith is already a veteran at 38, playing professional volleyball since he was 19. Right now, he’s playing as a middle blocker for ZAKSA in Poland. He’s also done a lot with the United States national team, winning 13 medals, including two golds in the World Cup.
Smith got lots of awards while playing in European clubs and for his country’s team. An interesting fact: Smith is partially deaf.
Hiram Bravo Moreno – Mexico
A 23-year-old libero, Moreno plays for Mezcaleros in Mexico and also represents the Mexican national team, where he has been named the best libero in different international competitions. Even playing for a country without a great tradition in the sport, Moreno has shown to be a very promising athlete, especially in Central American competitions.
Maique Nascimento – Brazil
Maique is a libero for Itambé-Minas since 2017. He has also been part of the Brazilian national team since 2018, where he has won five gold medals, including in the World Cup, Pan American Games, Nations League, and South American Championships.
With Minas, he has become a two-time South American champion and a one-time Brazilian champion.
Miguel Angel LĂłpez – Cuba
Miguel, who’s now on Sada Cruzeiro, is a top player from Cuba. He’s done really well in the Cuban national team, winning eight medals in official competitions, three of them being gold.
Playing for Cruzeiro, the 26-year-old outside hitter is known for his strong serves. He’s won two world championships, three national championships, and one South American championship with the team.
Miguel has also earned many personal awards in the competitions he’s taken part in.
Vicente Parraguirre – Chile
Parraguirre is 29 years old, and despite not having any major achievements with the Chilean national team, the outside hitter has accumulated several individual awards from international competitions.
Matey Kaziyski – Bulgaria
Kaziyski is already 39 years old but continues to play at a high level for Trentino Volley in Italy. He played for the Bulgarian national team from 2003 to 2012, winning three bronze medals in major competitions.
Son of volleyball players, Matey followed the family tradition and found more success in club tournaments, winning, among many titles, three Champions Leagues and four Club World Championships.
Fabio Balaso – Italy
Balaso is 28 years old and 1.78m tall, and in addition to representing the Italian national team, he has been playing for Cucine Lube Civitanova since 2018. He has won two Italian championships and one European and world championship with Civitanova.
For Italy, he has won three gold medals, each in a different tournament – the World Championship, European Championship, and the Mediterranean Games. Both with Lube and Azzurra, Fabio is considered one of the protagonists of his teams, given his talent.
