For many players reaching the Final Four of the most prestigious Volleyball competition will always remain a dream. This is not the case for Antonella Del Core, the Italian-born outside spiker of Dinamo KAZAN, who this weekend is vying for her fifth Champions League title. Just before saying goodbye to competitive sport, the Italian star player will be closing a long Champions League journey in her home country.   

“It feels so good to be back in my home country for such an important tournament. It is a bit strange to see so many Italian flags and to play for a Russian team here, but it is great to feel at home,” says the player of Dinamo KAZAN wearing shirt no. 15.  

It has been six years since she last played for an Italian team, but even now Antonella can sense the love of the fans. “It is definitely great to know that everybody still supports me, even though I am now playing for a Russian team. Sometimes the fans ask me to come back and play in Italy, but this is sports and this means you need to look for other horizons to grow your game.”  

This weekend Antonella Del Core will be chasing her fifth Champions League title, a very impressive record indeed. She is grateful for the experiences she has had so far and says: “I will turn 36 later this year and at my age it’s great to be still performing at the highest level. I am very lucky to be here amongst some of the best players in the world for this Final Four weekend, especially as this will be my last year of professional Volleyball”.  

Looking at the future Antonella adds: “I want to start enjoying some other important things in life, for instance I want to have children and start my own family, that’s the reason why I will stop playing.”  

Similarly to her other teammates of Dinamo KAZAN, Antonella is used to stiff competition. For her the biggest difference between the Russian championship and the Champions League is the variety of clubs. “You can often find faster Volleyball with stronger defence, or coaches that have some surprising tactics and this is what makes the European competition so much fun.”  

“Everything can happen during this Final Four with all these strong teams, but one thing is for sure: I will do my best to win every match! Pomi CASALMAGGIORE have a great coach and surprised many teams so far. We will need to be focused and ready for the match,” Del Core concludes.