Destiny wanted him to start playing in his native Calabria and conclude his prestigious career as a libero. Having recently turned 40, Davide Marra from Praia a Mare said goodbye to the volleyball played in the match that ErmGroup San Giustino – the team of which he was also captain – lost 1-3 in Palmi against Omifer last Sunday, resulting in elimination from the play-offs. It was therefore his last presence on the pitch. And Franco Tigano Volleyball of Palmi, the current maximum expression of the region in this discipline, has decided to give him a significant recognition. He did it before the start of the race, because – regardless of the final outcome – Marra had made the decision to retire at the end of the current season. “Excellent volleyball player and example for volleyball in Calabria”: this is what is written on the plaque dedicated to him, received from the hands of president Giuseppe Carbone. In addition to Marra himself, heartfelt thanks to Franco Tigano Palmi also came from Pallavolo San Giustino, who greatly appreciated this gesture. All of Italian volleyball, however, is paying homage these days to a great professional, also gifted with character and charisma, who gave so much to this sport. His CV speaks for itself: 403 appearances in the three main categories (264 in the current Super League, 88 in A2 and 51 in A3), without counting the years of B; 9 seasons in the top flight, 5 participations in the Champions League, a Challenge Cup and an Italian Cup won with Piacenza, an A2 Italian Cup with Vibo Valentia and a championship come close to coming in 2013, again with Piacenza, who came out beaten 2-3 in Trento in game 5. “To tell the truth – specifies Marra – we were also winning the A2 in 2020 with Emma Villas Siena, then Covid-19 canceled everything with just three days to go”. Moving on to the national team, he has made over 40 appearances in the world, European and World League championships: “I only missed the Olympics”, he remarked. Having moved to Perugia after high school for study reasons, Marra started in B2 with Foligno, then B1 with Marsciano and Città di Castello, where he rose to A2, then his debut in the Super League with Loreto, his stay in A1 in the five years of Piacenza, the A2 to Vibo Valentia with an immediate jump to A1 and finally Siena to A2, Città di Castello to B and San Giustino, first to B and then to A3. And from the last chapter, the one just concluded with ErmGroup, Marra intends to begin: “The season that has just concluded for us was, in my opinion, a truly wonderful season.
