The main revelation of Brazilian volleyball in recent years, pointer Darlan Souza, 23, is having his first experience playing in a foreign league.
After a successful six-year spell at Sesi Bauru, in which he won the Copa Libertadores (2020) and Superliga (2023/24) titles, the Rio athlete was hired in June last year by the Italian team Rana Verona.
His debut in the European country’s traditional league went off on the right foot, at the end of October, when Darlan scored 15 points and helped his team win the first match of the 2025/26 season against Bluenergy Piacenza, owned by teammate Lukas Bergmann.
After 19 matches, Rana Verona is the current runner-up in the competition, with 45 points, five behind Scai Perugia, champion in the 2023/24 season.
Darlan is the team’s second highest scorer, with 244 points, behind only Malian Noumory Keita, who has 295. The Brazilian is also the fourth best server in the league, with 40 aces so far.
He attributes the positive start he has experienced in Italy to the warm welcome from his teammates.
“I arrived at Rana Verona with the aim of learning in every way, after all everything was new in my first experience at a club outside Brazil. At first, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was welcomed in a way in which I felt part of a real family”, said the pointer to Sheet.
“It was really easy to adapt in such a short time. The welcome from the athletes, managers, sponsors and fans made all the difference. Now, I’m very comfortable and feeling very grateful for everything I’m experiencing”, he added.
Darlan said he felt the need to challenge himself in what he calls the “strongest championship in the world” to become a “more constant” player, with fewer fluctuations on the court during matches.
He noted that he is having the opportunity to evolve his game playing alongside United States national team setter Christenson Micah, “a genius.”
“Here, the training is more intense. I particularly highlight the serve, which is much more effective than in Brazil.”
The Rio de Janeiro-born striker also said that, in his free time off the court, he is trying to make the most of life in the small and historic city of Verona, in northeastern Italy, with around 250,000 inhabitants.
“The city is very nice to live in. I don’t even have anything to say about the food. They are a reference in gastronomy here. But the most incredible thing is the people. I feel very connected and respected by everyone.”
The good moment at the club contrasts with the phase it has been through with the Brazilian team.
In 2025, the team coached by Bernardinho got off to a promising start in the VNL (Nations League), with 11 wins in 12 matches in the preliminary phase and a triumph against China in the quarter-finals. The team ended up being eliminated by Poland in the semi-finals, beating Slovenia in the bronze medal match.
The biggest setback, however, would come at the World Championships in the Philippines. A 3-0 defeat to Serbia, in addition to a lost set in a victory over China, resulted in the team’s first elimination in the group stage in 55 years.
Despite the year without titles and the early fall in the World Cup, Darlan said he considered that the balance, in general, was positive. “In the Nations League, we played 15 games and only had two defeats, with the best campaign in the first phase. In the World Cup, we had three games and two wins. Unfortunately, we didn’t qualify, but if you look, we played 18 times in 2025 and lost three games.”
Although he is now one of the best-known faces of the new generation of Brazilian volleyball, Darlan acknowledged that he is still trying to get used to the role of an idol in the sport.
“I still don’t have the CV of those who were idols of previous generations. I’m still looking for my place in the sun. We’re going through a process of renewal and I have a long way to go. But it’s clear that the affection from the fans is something that makes me very happy. I know that many identify with me.”
Darlan said that Brazilian fans can also continue to wait for the characteristic gesture known as “jutsu”, inspired by the highly successful manga Naruto, before serves or when celebrating important points. “It’s a concentration ritual that I really enjoy and helps me connect with myself, looking for my best.”
