Alexeis Argilagos Segura, one of the defining figures of Cuba's golden volleyball generation of the late 1990s, has died in Italy at the age of 51, Italian volleyball media reported on Saturday.
The former middle blocker and libero, born on 28 July 1975, represented Cuba between 1995 and 2000. He won the World League in 1998, Cuba's only title in the competition's history, and added a bronze medal at the 1998 World Championship in Japan. His international honours also include silver at the 1999 World League, bronze at the 1997 Grand Champions Cup, and gold at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in 1999, alongside victory at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games. He made his final appearance for the national team at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where Cuba finished seventh.
Standing 199 centimetres tall, Argilagos was regarded as one of the first players to make the libero role his own for Cuba, and he remained a cornerstone of the side that took world volleyball by storm at the end of the decade.
After the Sydney Games, Argilagos left Cuba and spent a spell in Qatar with Al-Arabi between 2003 and 2006 before settling permanently in Italy, where he lived for more than two decades. He built a long career in the country's lower divisions, starting with Caffè Motta Salerno in 1998 and later turning out for Isernia, Mantova, Castellana Grotte, Sora, Segrate, Brolo, Asti, Cirié, Canavese and, finally, Chieri, where he retired at the end of the 2021-22 season aged 47.
Away from the court, Argilagos qualified as a Level II coach and graduated in physical education and sports science, spending his final years developing young players.
His son Bryan Argilagos, born in Italy in 2007, is a setter who broke through in the 2025-26 season with Sir Susa Vim Perugia, training alongside Italy captain Simone Giannelli. Bryan is set to join Cuneo for the upcoming campaign, carrying on a family story deeply woven into volleyball.
Volleyball.it reported the news, with tributes also flowing from the Cuban volleyball community.
Sources
- Volleyball.it — Lutto nel volley: è morto Alexeis Argilagos, ex nazionale cubano e padre di Bryan: https://www.volleyball.it/2026/08/01/notizie/argomenti/internazionale/articolo/lutto-nel-volley-e-morto-alexeis-argilagos-ex-nazionale-cubano-e-padre-di-bryan.html
- CiberCuba — Fallece en Italia el exvoleibolista cubano Alexeis Arguilagos a los 51 años: https://www.cibercuba.com/noticias/2026-08-02-u1-e208512-s27061-nid336803-fallece-italia-exvoleibolista-cubano-alexeis
