Wilfredo Leon: Career, Struggles & Net Worth
Wilfredo Leon is known as THE KING of Wing Spikers.
If you watch professional volleyball, you may have better-known Wilfredo León, or you may even be a great fan!
Wilfredo León Venero, known as Wilfredo León, is a Cuban–Polish professional volleyball player.
Moreover, he represented the Cuban men’s national team for six years (2007-2012).
Similarly, Wilfredo currently represents the Poland men’s national volleyball team.
Wilfredo León Venero was born on 31 July 1993 in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, to parents Alina Venero Boza and Wilfredo León Hechavarría.
In addition, his mother is a former Cuban national team player, and she taught him how to play.
Leon became more famous as he received Polish citizenship and represented the Polish national volleyball team.
You may know him as a professional volleyball player. How much do you know about him on a personal level?
In this article, we will go vastly into his career and personal life and also about the struggles he faced.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about one of the highest-paid players in the world of volleyball:
| Full Name | Wilfredo León Venero |
| Birth Date | 31st July of 1993 |
| Birth Place | Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
| Residence | Perugia, Italy |
| Religion | Christian |
| Nationality | Cuban, Polish |
| Ethnicity | Cuban |
| Hobbies | Listening to music, Reading Books |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegan |
| Education | Escuela Nacional Delegate Voleibol Cubano |
| Zodiac Sign | Leo |
| Father’s name | Wilfredo León Hechavarría |
| Mother’s name | Alina Venero Boza |
| Siblings | None |
| Age | [calculate_years datestring=”07/31/1993″] |
| Height | 6 ft. 8 in |
| Weight | 96 kg (212 lb.) |
| Spike | 370 cm (146 in) |
| Block | 346 cm (136 in) |
| Eye Color | Amber |
| Hair Color | Brown |
| Body Type | Athletic, Lean |
| Profession | Volleyball Player |
| Associated Teams | Cuba, Polish National Volleyball Team, Sir Safety Perugia |
| Individual Awards | CEV Champions League – Most Valuable Player, CEV Champions League – Best outside Spiker |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife’s Name | Małgorzata Leon (m. 2016) |
| Children | 2 children (Natalia León Venero, A son but name not disclosed) |
| Active Years | 2016-present |
| Net Worth | $66 million |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Volleyball Merch | Volleyball, Jersey |
| Last updated | [current-month], [current-year] |
Wilfredo Leon: Early life and Childhood
Wilfredo León was born in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. His mother was a former volleyball player. Moreover, he is a single child.
His mom has represented the Women’s national volleyball team.
Leon started to play volleyball at the age of seven; his mother being his first coach, always found Leon to be more interested in athletics.
She decided her son was going to become a volleyball player just like her.
In addition, Leon had an elite, winning mentality in life and the game.
He made it clear that volleyball is his career choice from an early age.
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Wilfredo Leon: Age, Height, and Weight
Wilfredo León Venero is [calculate_years datestring=”07/31/1993″]. He stands 2.02 m tall (6 ft. 6 inches) and weighs about 96 kg (211.644 pounds).
Wilfredo Leon: Personal Life
It is known that he is a family person from his social media posts. However, he does not want to disclose many things online about his family.
He has a busy and tight schedule; he tries his best to give time to his family.
Wilfredo León is married to a gorgeous woman Małgorzata (born Gronkowska).
The player started dating her in 2014, and they married on 24 June 2016.
Moreover, she is Polish and a loving wife to him. He has shared several pictures of them on Instagram.
This lovely couple has a daughter and a son. Their daughter’s name is Natalia, born on 13 May 2017; she is already [calculate_years datestring=”05/13/2017″] Years Old.
And he has a son, but not much has been disclosed about him.
In addition, the family also has a cute dog.
There is no rumor of Wilfredo León cheating; he is very loyal to the love of his life Małgorzata.
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Wilfredo Leon: Career
Wilfredo León was coached by his mother, Alina, from the age of seven.
His mother scouted, trained, and coached him to become the beast he is today.
His mother helped him be on the Cuban national volleyball team, and from then, his career had risen quickly.
Wilfredo Leon: Cuban National Team
Making his Cuban national debut at the age of 14, Leon was the prodigy of the Cuban volleyball team.
Moreover, he won the Best Receiver title at the World League 2009.
The player won the silver medal in the under-21 Championship 2009.
Similarly, in 2011, he won the title of NORCECA Champion and won three individual awards too.
In addition, the player won a silver medal at the World Championship 2010.
At the age of 17, he became the youngest captain of the Cuban national team.
In 2012, Leon won a bronze medal in the World League-Sofia 2012.
Leon joined two Cuban clubs named Capitalinos and Orientales de Santiago.
And he won the Cuban Championship in 2008/ 2009 and 2009/2010.
Zenit Kazan
In 2013, Leon fled Cuba to play for Zenit Kazan, a Russian club; as a result; he lost the possibility of representing the Cuban national team.
There he won multiple Russian Championships, SuperCups, and Cups.
Al Rayyan
Wilfredo Leon has played part-time in Qatar with the Qatar club Al Rayyan in 2015 and 2016.
SIR Safety Perugia
In the September of 2018, he joined the Italian team, SIR Safety Perugia.
He adored the Club, and he joined the club, as the Italian volleyball league was one of the best in the world.
He has won 2 Italian Super Cups and an Italian Cup after joining the Italian Club.
Polish National Team
Leon received Polish citizenship in 2015 and five years later became fully eligible to play for the Polish national volleyball team.
After fleeing Cuba, he met his then-girlfriend Małgorzata, and his manager Andrzej Grzyb was also Polish.
Therefore, Leon decided on Poland as his next destination.
Wilfredo bought an apartment over there and thought it was a good move to represent this nation.
The most athletic volleyball player has won two silver medals in the FIVB World Cup 2019 and the FIVB Nations League 2021.
He has won a bronze medal in the CEV European Championship 2019.
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Wilfredo Leon: Awards, Titles, and Achievements
- 2014/2015 Gold medal – with Zenit Kazan
- Gold medal Poland 2017 – with Zenit Kazan
- 2008/2009, 2009/2010 Gold medal Cuban Championship, with Capitalinos
- 2010/2011 Gold medal Cuban Championship, with Orientales de Santiago
- 2017/2018 Gold Russian SuperCup, with Zenit Kazan
- 2009: Best Server-FIVB World League
- 2017: Best Outside – SpikerCEV Champions League
- 2018: Best Outside Spiker – CEV Champions League
- 2019: Best Outside Spiker – CEV European Championship
Wilfredo Leon: Salary, Lifestyle, and Net Worth
The player’s salary was estimated to be approximately $1.4 Million.
Wilfredo Leon’s net worth is estimated to be around $66 million.
His earing sources are Club contracts and endorsements deals.
Looking at his net worth, we can tell that he lives a lavish lifestyle. In addition, Wilfredo travels a lot with his wife.
With such handsome net worth, the player must have luxurious cars in collections and some high-end properties to his name.
Sadly, there is no information about Leon’s car collection and properties.
Wilfredo Leon: Fun Facts
- Wilfredo is a foodie. The Cuban-born loves eating Polish food; he thinks it is amazing.
- The King of Spikes loves the number 9 and always prefers to wear it.
- He can speak Polish, Spanish, Italian, English, and also Russian.
- Often he is called the Cristiano Ronaldo of volleyball.
- Currently, he holds the world record of 138 km/h of serve speed.
- He is one of the highest-earning volleyball players in the world.
Wilfredo Leon: Social Media
Leon is active on Instagram. He shares pictures of his teammates, his family, and his merch.
His Instagram handle has over 198k followers. Mostly, he shares photos of him practicing and also his family.
He also has a Twitter account, but sadly, he is not much active on Twitter.
Wilfredo Leon: FAQs
What is the serve speed of Wilfredo Leon?
Leon holds the world record of 138 km/h of serve speed.
Why did Wilfredo Leon Leave Cuba?
It was hard for him to co-op with the level of facilities he was getting. But, Leon also wanted to join a new club and explore the world.
What struggles did he face in Cuba?
Leon faced many problems, such as water scarcity, not getting enough calories per day for an athlete, or proper health facilities.
