Ricardo Lucarelli has already determined the moment he will end his career with the Brazilian national team. The 34-year-old captain of the "Seleção" plans to bid farewell to the national team after the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
"I am still on the national team because I want to participate in my last Olympic Games. The tournament in Los Angeles will be my last with the Brazilian team. I want to prepare in the best possible way to bid farewell to the national team in a perfect manner," Lucarelli announced.
Thus, the Brazilian joins the ranks of the great veterans of world volleyball who are looking towards Los Angeles 2028. 39-year-old Matthew Anderson already knows that the USA will participate as hosts, while 38-year-old Bartosz Kurek, who is not part of the Polish national team in 2026, has also not closed the door to another Olympic appearance.
Lucarelli's decision comes at a time when he continues to play a key role for Brazil. As captain, the outside hitter led the "Seleção" to the title at the South American Championship and an Olympic quota for Los Angeles 2028, and his strong performance was also recognized with the MVP award of the tournament.
Brazil secured the quota after a 3-0 (25:20, 25:23, 25:20) victory over Argentina in their last match and finished the competition without losing a set.
"My time is approaching," Lucarelli admitted to the Brazilian media. Before the farewell, however, he sets himself another big goal - to reach Los Angeles in optimal form and to end his national career at his last Olympics.
Lucarelli is part of the great generation of Brazilian volleyball that won the Olympic title in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. At that time, he was also selected among the best outside hitters of the Olympic tournament.
Ten years later, the captain remains the link between that championship squad and the current Brazil. And after securing the quota, the clock is now counting down the last two years of his journey with the national jersey - until Los Angeles 2028.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov