León reveals he invested in Paris: “Their story touched me”

2 min read

13 December 2019 Robin

Paris, one of the two most-titled teams in the history of the male French Championship, managed to collect more 700,000 euros in just a few days to save itself from bankruptcy in September 2018. After that, the club from the country’s capital has been able to engage in the second division and move up in the elite last spring. But, who were the persons that helped nine-time French champions to avoid a sad fate a year ago?

Paris President Vladan Jelić mentioned several worldwide famous volleyball names who financially helped the team stand on its feet in 2018. However, one name wasn’t mentioned because at that moment it wasn’t appropriate. He was Cuban-born champion Wilfredo León and he decided to reveal he was involved in Paris’ recovery by himself. He has spoken for L’Équipe on this topic.

“When I was told about it, the story touched me. To hear that a club with such a history and prestigious titles, winner of three European Cups and nine championships, could disappear overnight, shook me. And then, we’re talking about the capital of one of the largest countries in the world! I made up my mind pretty quickly, in fact, when I saw that other great players were making that effort as well. I did this for volleyball, to try to take it to a higher level in France. It’s my passion, my life,” he stated.

Poland National Team member didn’t want to speak about the amount of money with which he contributed to the salvation of Paris, stressing it wasn’t important. León added that he follows the club’s results on a daily basis, without interfering with transfer policy, and didn’t rule out the idea of coming to play in Paris one day.