On 27 January the biography of former international Rafa Pascual, «the best, il migliore», was presented. Regarded as the flagship of Spanish volleyball, his story unfolds in a book of 318 pages and more than 200 photographs covering the career of the athlete who has worn the national team shirt more times than anyone else (527).
Written by Seville-born Pepe Díaz, PhD in Philosophy and Educational Sciences, graduate in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, and instructor for the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), the book, presented in the Aula Magna of INEF Madrid, reviews the personal and sporting life of the former Spain captain. «It was a labour that lasted more than three years», admitted Díaz, who described Pascual as «one of the standard-bearers of Spanish volleyball, who helped popularise the sport». The author highlighted the «enormous importance of Pascual's family environment, which gave him the emotional balance needed to enjoy being one of the greats of international volleyball».Visibly moved, Pascual thanked his mother and family for supporting him throughout a sporting career that took him to 7 countries, 19 clubs and 31 teams, one of whose high points was being named the world's best player in 1998.
At the launch, Pascual was accompanied by José Manuel Franco, president of the Consejo Superior de Deportes; Coral Bistuer, director general of Sport of the Community of Madrid; Raúl Chapado and Agustín Martín, presidents of the Spanish athletics and volleyball federations respectively; and Francisco Javier Leube, vice-rector for Communication of the Universidad Politécnica, among others. (Estadio deportivo, Viruca Atanes, 2022).
At Master Volley Spain, we were there alongside teammates and friends from Spanish volleyball. It gives us great joy to enjoy this biography of our teammate and friend, Rafa Pascual. He also signed a copy of the book for us, so we are delighted with our teammate's success.