Raúl Quiroga: The Great “Role Model” of a Golden Generation of Argentine Volleyball

By: Alfredo Cabero — Love for Volleyball

It was June 11, 2020. We were in the midst of a pandemic, the world felt like it had stopped, and I, amidst the uncertainty, dared to take a step I had never taken before: my first interview for Love for Volleyball. I was very nervous, I won’t deny it. But I had a fantastic mentor, my great friend Ricardo Gevert, who not only motivated me with my project but also facilitated the connection with a legend I already knew a little: Raúl Quiroga.

In the end, the interview flowed so naturally that those nerves disappeared. Raúl, with his usual generosity, made me feel like we were having coffee with friends, and that conversation convinced me that this path was worthwhile.

From San Juan to the Top of the World

Raúl told me how in his hometown of San Juan, volleyball was practically in his blood. Although he started playing basketball because of his father’s influence, his brothers were already involved with the sport. It was his older brother, Carlos, who dragged him “by the hair” to his first tournament, and from then on, he never let go of the ball [02:11]. Who would have thought that this skinny kid with long legs would end up being the leading figure in the Argentine attack?

1982: The World Championship that Awakened Argentina

We remember that 1982 World Championship with great emotion. Raúl confessed that they themselves were the most surprised. A month before the tournament, in the “Mundialito” in Brazil, they finished second to last [15:36]. However, the arrival of the Korean coach, Young Wan Sohn, changed everything.

“If they had told us we were going to finish in the top 12, we would have signed up immediately,” Raúl recalls [15:54].

But the fervor of the Argentine public, who filled stadiums and showered them with confetti as if it were a football match, propelled them to a historic third-place finish that changed their lives and opened the doors of Europe for an entire generation [13:35].

The Italian Adventure and Professional Calm

Raúl was one of the pioneers in Italy, playing for 10 years in the most competitive league in the world. I laughed a lot at his anecdote about “professionalism”: one day he crashed the club car and they sent him a formal letter demanding payment [26:04]. For a man from San Juan, used to going to matches in his father’s old Ford with eight players crammed in, that level of formality was another world [23:40].

At Panini Modena, under the tutelage of a young Julio Velasco, Raúl cemented his legacy by winning the Scudetto and demonstrating that Argentinians not only possessed grit, but also an enviable technique that blended Asian speed with Western power [21:40].

Seoul 88: The Eternal Bronze

If ’82 was the surprise, Seoul 1988 was the confirmation. Raúl explained the fundamental difference to me: in Los Angeles ’84 they went to participate, but in Seoul they went to compete for a medal [35:30]. That bronze medal victory against Brazil, their eternal rival, was the culmination of an incredible process of maturation. Even figures like Karch Kiraly confessed to him years later that Argentina was the most difficult team to face because you never knew where they were going to attack from [35:43].

Volleyball as a Lifestyle

Closing the interview, Raúl left me with a phrase that stuck with me: “Thanks to volleyball, I met my wife and built my future. There’s nothing better than doing what you love and getting paid for it” [55:18].

That June 11th, Raúl not only gave me a historic interview; he gave me the confidence to move forward with this project. Today, looking back, I understand that Love for Volleyball was born precisely from those moments: from shared passion and the generosity of greats like Quiroga.

Relive this foundational moment here: Conversation with Raúl Quiroga — Love for Volleyball

Thank you, Raúl, for being the first to believe in this endeavor.

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