Pardo Mati: Italy’s young talent thriving on the EuroVolley stage
Feature
Breaking into the line-up of one of the world’s strongest teams at a European Championship on home soil is no easy task. Doing so in your first season with the senior national team is even more remarkable. Yet 20-year-old Pardo Mati has embraced the challenge, emerging as one of the revelations of CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men and one of Italy’s most efficient middle blockers.
Only two years ago, Pardo Mati was beginning his first season in Italy’s SuperLega. Today, he is standing on court alongside the world champions, performing in front of packed home crowds and chasing a place in the EuroVolley Final Four. His journey has already taken an unexpected turn - and it could be only the beginning. Italy entered the tournament with one of the strongest squads in the competition, relying on a core of established stars. But head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi has always kept an eye on emerging talent, and this summer he handed Mati his opportunity. The young middle blocker has taken it with both hands. So far at CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men, Mati has contributed 53 points, including an impressive 20 blocks, establishing himself as a valuable part of the world champions’ squad.
“I found it very exciting to play for the national team because it’s very, very competitive. It’s been really tough this season, but also exciting, because I could grow and improve a lot technically with the team. The training sessions were with a lot of star players, so the level was really high. I’m really happy to be part of this team right now, because I think that during this entire summer I earned my spot. I’m happy and proud of the work that we have done, both as a team and as a player.”
Mati made his senior national team debut at the beginning of the season during the VNL in Ottawa, where Italy fielded a younger squad to give emerging players valuable international experience while the established stars had time to rest before a demanding summer. Mati made the most of his opportunity, showcasing his potential and earning his place in the squad that would eventually perform at EuroVolley.
Pardo Mati“No, I did not expect it. I hoped for it because, you know, it was a dream at the start of the season. It was my first time in the senior national team, so it was really more of a dream than a hope. But then it started to become more and more possible to be part of this EuroVolley. I can say that we worked hard towards this EuroVolley because that was our dream, but it was also my main goal to be part of this team. Playing was a secondary thing because I was really not supposed to be playing as a youngster, as a debutant. But then I went onto the court and played well, so it’s like a dream.”
That dream has already produced some memorable moments. In Modena, Mati delivered a stunning performance against Slovakia, scoring 22 points, including six blocks. He matched that blocking tally in Italy’s eighthfinal victory over Denmark in Torino, helping the hosts book their place in the quarterfinals. And while Mati has enjoyed the opportunity to play across Italy this summer, Modena holds a particularly special place in his heart. It has been his home since 2024, when he joined his first SuperLega club.
“Yeah, it was really nice. It was more than that for me. Modena is like a second home. Now, I love the place, I love the club and all the people there. Our fans are amazing. So it was really exciting to go back there to play because I saw all the faces that I see every day during the year, but I hadn’t seen them for a long time because I left Modena in May and didn’t go there in the meantime, as I was with the national team. It was really great. It was just like coming back home after a long holiday. It was really, really nice.”
Mati’s love for Volleyball began far from the bright lights of EuroVolley. Growing up in Grosseto, he first discovered the sport by watching his older sister play.
“My parents didn’t play Volleyball, but my sister was playing. She’s five years older than me, and I just watched some of her games. And I said, ‘Let’s give it a try because it looks fun.’ And from there I fell completely in love with Volleyball. She stopped playing, and I continued. I started when I think I was around 12 or 13 years old, maybe one year earlier than that, but really, really young.”
As a teenager, however, Volleyball was not the only path he imagined for himself. Fascinated by the human brain, Mati dreamed of becoming a neurosurgeon before realising that combining a demanding medical career with professional Volleyball would be almost impossible.
“I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, but it was completely a dream of a 15-year-old boy. I was just fantasising about life and what I could do in the future. I have always been really fascinated by how the brain works, how and why people have certain types of behaviour, and it’s strictly connected to the physiology of the brain. I was just really thinking about it. It interested me a lot, but I understood - because my mum studied medicine in Italy - that the amount and volume of studying such a subject would not be compatible with a Volleyball life. So I decided to go down another path: psychology. It was really similar, but it wasn’t medicine, because it would be impossible to study that amount of stuff, of course.”
Stepping into the environment of the reigning world champions could easily have been overwhelming for a young player. Instead, Mati credits his teammates and coaching staff with helping him settle into the group and giving him the confidence to express himself on court.
“I think the whole team, and also the staff, really eased me into playing. Roberto Ciamarra, our second trainer, is also the second coach of Modena, and we talk a lot. We talk a lot about technical stuff, and he always wants to help me because he knows I’m young and I can make mistakes, maybe more than the other players. So he is always there to help me and be relaxed about the things that I do. Also, the head coach and, of course, all the players are really, really great teammates. At the beginning, they helped me a lot. They know that everyone here can play and they just want to put you in the best position to play great and take away all the things that could distract or influence you. So it was the whole set of things that the team and the staff did to help me grow and earn my spot.”
Mati already knows what it feels like to win medals on the international stage. He claimed U18 European Championship gold in 2022 and U21 World Championship silver, while being selected as the Best Middle Blocker in the Dream Team at both tournaments. Now, with a first senior medal within reach, his ambitions are naturally even higher.
“My dream is to win the Olympics, but also just playing in the Olympics - I think that would be a dream. I think it’s every athlete’s dream. The Olympics are a completely different event, with teams and athletes from other disciplines. I played with the junior team at the European Youth Olympic Festival and it was already a really amazing experience.”
For now, though, there is no need to look too far ahead. Mati’s immediate focus is firmly on EuroVolley. Today, Italy face Finland in Torino with a place in the CEV Enel EuroVolley 2026 Men Final Four at stake. For the 20-year-old middle blocker who only dreamed of making this team at the start of the season, another chapter of his remarkable breakthrough story awaits.