Fernando “Cachopa” Kreling is the new setter for Allianz Milano. The announcements for next season’s roster opened with a bang. After greeting and thanking Paolo Porro, the absolute star of the last championships, here’s who will be in the director’s seat starting next October in coach Roberto Piazza’s team. President Lucio Fusaro confirms his love for Milan and volleyball and with a major effort has secured a star of international fame. Born in 1996, Brazilian, already a protagonist in the SuperLega with Vero Volley, where in 2022-2023 he reached the final of the championship and the Italian Cup, Kreling moves from Monza to Milan to continue to enchant the great volleyball public. Charisma, tactical intelligence, genius and a world-class list of achievements built with Sada Cruzeiro and the Brazilian national team, make Fernando one of the best setters in the world, probably the most spectacular in action. He brings with him the 23 titles won with Sada including three club world championships, with the national team he won the 2021 VNL and the 2019 World Cup, and obtained the bronze medal in the 2022 World Cup.
A significant reinforcement for a profoundly renewed and rejuvenated Allianz Milano in a Super League increasingly crowded with talent. Here is his first interview as an Allianz Milano player. We reach him by phone in Brazil where he is also busy promoting a series of volleyball events among young people.
Welcome Fernando. Let’s talk a little about you, how would you define Fernando Kreling, on and off the pitch?
“I think I have a sort of double personality. Off the pitch I’m a very quiet guy. I like to spend time with my girlfriend, my friends and my dog. Playing a bit of PlayStation. When I’m in the gym I transform, I release a lot of energy, that slightly crazy side of me also comes out. In a good way, mind you. I don’t know if you can say it, but it’s as if there were two Fernandos, completely different”.
Your nickname “Cachopa” has been with you for years now, but is it true that you don’t particularly like it? What’s the story behind this name and, above all, how do you prefer to be called today: Fernando, Gil, Kreling, Cachopa?
“Cachopa means beehive. A boy who played with me gave it to me the first year I started playing volleyball. I had afro hair and I didn’t like that nickname at all at first, because it was a bit of a joke. The more I said I didn’t like it, the more people called me Cachopa. Eventually my brother and my parents called me that too, so I got used to it, it didn’t bother me anymore and now I can also say I like it.”
With the Brazil jersey and in these years in the Super League, in Monza, you have built an important reputation. How do you judge the Italian championship?
“We are talking about the most beautiful championship in the world, with the most beautiful arenas. The people, then, are fantastic, there is great professionalism in organizing everything. Yes, I am here to play in Italy because it is the best in the world”.
What convinced you to accept the offer from Allianz Milano?
“In these years I have seen Allianz Milano reach the semifinal of the championship twice and the Italian Cup. My goal is to play important matches, possibly a final, that is why I am here. Then I have always respected coach Roberto Piazza, and it was my desire to be trained by him. The club also seems very beautiful and organized to me. I respect the president Lucio Fusaro and the sports director Fabio Lini. If you put these things together, they are all points that made me accept the offer from Milan”.
Your arrival in Milan coincides with a project that aims high, but the team has become much younger, you will be one of the “senators” and a “leader” after the farewells of Matteo Piano, Paolo Porro, Matey Kaziyski… What are the personal and team goals that you will set for next season?
“Milan’s goals are also mine. I spoke with coach Piazza about the team for next season and there are players that I really like. I already know some of the players and I spoke with them. But above all with Piazza we discuss various aspects. I can’t wait to get started and make lots of new friends”.
It will be another intense summer for you with the Brazil jersey. What are your expectations for the VNL and World Cup in the Philippines?
“There has been a great renewal in the national team, there are no longer some very charismatic leaders. I have become one of the most experienced athletes. We hope to play a good VNL and obviously an excellent World Cup, reaching a medal. In short, with Brazil I will experience a situation similar to the one I will find at Allianz Milano. I feel ready for this role of great responsibility, on and off the court”.
What do you want to say to the Milanese fans? What memories do you have of the Allianz Cloud as an opponent?
“First of all, I want to say to the fans that I can’t wait to wear the Allianz Milano jersey. They will see a team that will grow a lot during the season. Next year’s championship will be another balanced one, where anything can really happen in the Play Offs. In the recent past, the Biancorossa curve, is that what it’s called? It has already tasted the semifinals. My dream is to win a trophy in Italy and I will do everything to achieve this result. I have a vivid memory of the Allianz Cloud, starting from the last derby played, with that first set that we from Monza lost 42-40 in an incredible atmosphere. It was a beautiful evening for our sport. It will be a new field for me, but I will immediately feel at home”.
