As Al Rayyan make the final push for their ninth Qatar League title following last Sunday’s crucial win over El Jaish, which took them to the top, one player who holds the key to their fortunes is former Italian captain Cristian Savani.
They signed the 33-year-old spiker, who won a silver and bronze at the Athens and London Olympics respectively, from Chinese club Fudan University Shanghai, prior to last month’s GCC triumph in Saudi Arabia.
In a short span of time, Savani has made a telling impact and, with the title race going down to the wire, much will depend on his lethal force upfront.
“This is my second stint with Rayyan. Last year I couldn’t help them win any trophies though we reached the Asian Clubs Championship final in the Philippines. This time we’ve already won one title. I hope I can contribute more,” said Savani, a two-time European Championship winner (’03 and ’05).
At 1.96M, Savani makes good use of his height and serves. He has the distinction of firing the fastest serve (127kmph, against England) at the London Olympics.
Having represented top-notch clubs in Italy — Trentino Diatec, Roma Volley, RPA-LuigiBacchi Perugia, Squadra Azzurra and Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata -— Savani is using his vast experience to good use in the Qatar League.
“It isn’t fair to compare the quality of leagues in Italy and Qatar. But one thing I can say is that with time Qatar League’s quality will rise for sure,” said Savani, who also had a stint with Al Arabi last season and played a pivotal role in their Qatar Cup triumph.
Savani was initially fond of football before switching to volleyball. Married to national-team setter Dragan Travica’s sister Mihaela, Savani recently celebrated his daughter Mia’s first birthday in Qatar.
“That was doubly sweet. It came immediately after our GCC triumph,” he said, holding his daughter after the tie against Jaish at Al Arabi Sports Club last week.
Capped 207 times for his national team, Savani is out of favour with current coach Mauro Berruto. But he is more or less resigned to his fate and keen to continuing his club career.
“I’ve joined a club which finished second in Asia as well as at the FIVB Club Worlds. So there’s no dearth of motivation. If I can help them win more titles, there’s no reason why I can’t continue playing for long,” he concluded.