Simon, a man of the world

All the players featured on Volleyball World’s Roster 100 list have accomplished a significant level of success with their national teams in some of the most important international tournaments around the world over the last decade.

Actually, all but one.

Robertlandy Simon’s contribution to the Cuban national team between 2011 and 2020 was actually limited to just three continental tournaments, the 2019 NORCECA Championships and Champions Cup and the 2020 NORCECA Olympic Qualifier. But it’s impossible to deny the impact his powerful game has had on the sport.

Simon captained a strong Cuban team that also featured the likes of Wilfredo Leon and Yoandy Leal back in 2010

The 2.06m-tall middle blocker captained the Cuban national team to claim silver medals at both the 2009 FIVB Volleyball World Grand Champions Cup and the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship, but shortly after that, he decided to step away from international play and focus on his club career.

And his journey has been a successful one as he’s one of probably just a few players in the world to have won national and continental titles on three different continents. Simon has also appeared at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s Club World Championship for teams from three different regions, and won the tournament twice.

“Simon might be a little intimidating from the outside because of his size and his physique, but he’s a very friendly guy and has one of biggest hearts I’ve ever seen,” said Brazilian setter Bruno Rezende, who spent two seasons with the Cuban at Italy’s Cucine Lube Civitanova. “He’s a great teammate and is always looking to help everyone around him. As a player, what sets him apart is his explosiveness and his speed. He’s got great quality and impressive variation on offence. I’d put him in the top three among the middle blockers I’ve seen play the game.”

Italy, where Simon plays right now, was actually his first stop outside of Cuba as he spent a pair of seasons with Volley Piacenza, winning the 2012-2013 CEV Challenge Cup and the 2013-2014 Italian Cup. From there, he headed to Asia, and played club seasons in Korea and Qatar for the next two years.

The Asian stage of Simon’s career was certainly prolific as the Cuban won back-to-back Korean titles in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 with OKman while playing as an opposite. He also prevailed in the 2014-2015 Qatari League and Gulf Clubs Champions Cup with Al-Rayyan, the same team he led to a silver medal at the 2015 Men’s Club World Championship. He joined El Jaish the following season and helped the team claim the Qatari Cup title and finish second at the Emir Cup.

After enjoying some success in Europe and Asia, it was time for Simon to challenge himself in another region of the globe and he decided that would be in South America. The middle blocker joined Brazilian powerhouse Sada Cruzeiro Volei and was part of one of the winningest teams in the country.

Simon won the main tournaments in Brazil and South America during his time with Sada Cruzeiro

Nicknamed ‘Simonster’ by the team’s fan base, the Cuban lifted as many as ten trophies during his two-year stint with Sada Cruzeiro, including the 2016 Men’s Club World Championship and back-to-back victories in the Brazilian Superliga, the Brazilian Supercup and the South American Club Championship.

Back in Italy since 2018, Simon joined one of the strongest teams on the planet in Lube and has continued his winning tradition with triumphs at the 2019 Men’s Club World Championship, the 2018-2019 CEV Champions League, the 2018-2019 Italian League and the 2019-2020 Italian Cup.

“Simon is the best middle blocker in the world right now,” former Lube teammate and Bulgarian national team opposite Tsvetan Sokolov remarked. “His speed and power are unmatched.”

At the end of 2019, Simon went through an important and emotional moment in his career as, after ten years, he returned to the Cuban national team. His presence wasn’t enough for the Caribbeans to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, but to have the feeling of representing his country again was something he certainly appreciated.

“Returning to the national team was fantastic, even if unfortunately we didn’t secure the Olympic qualification, which was the main goal,” he said in an interview with Argentinean website Somos Voley. “I was a little unsure about how the players would react to my return since I had never played with any of them and had been away for a while. But it was great, they are all amazing kids and welcomed me back in the best possible way. I can’t tell right now if I’ll be with the team when Paris 2024 comes, but I want to help them to prepare for it as much as I can.”

The middle blocker returned to the Cuban national team after nearly a decade in 2019

Read more: Roster 100 to showcase stars of volleyball and beach volleyball

Quick links:
Roster 100
Volleyball World
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube