Ricardo Santos

Ricardo Alex Costa Santos, better known as “Block Machine,” won the Silver Medal with his partner Zé Marco at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In 2002, he formed the most victorious team in the world with Emanuel. They won the World Cup in 2003 in Rio de Janeiro, got the Gold Medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, and he completed the Olympic trifecta with a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. His other awards are absolutely too numerous to list; he’s one of the best players to play the game with 56 Gold Medals, 30 Silver, and 24 Bronze Medals on the FIVB World Tour. Together with Emanuel, they are the only athletes to have 3 Olympic medals in the history of Beach Volleyball. 

During the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he just missed the podium with a fifth-place, for his efficiency and quality in the foundation of the blockade, he received the nickname ‘Block Machine’. During the Rio 2016 Olympic Games he was a beach volleyball commentator for SporTV channels. At 45 years old, he’s one of the oldest players on the AVP and still dominating the net. He currently lives in Florida with his family.