Did the Cuban hired mercenary who Korean Air Lines brought in right before the championship finals almost not make it to Korea?
Korean Air Lines Jumbos defeated Jin Air 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11) in the first game of the 2025-2026 V-League men's championship final (best-of-five) against Hyundai Capital Skywalkers at Incheon Gyeyang Gymnasium on the 2nd.
Regular season first-place Korean Air Lines seized the initiative against second-place Hyundai Capital, which advanced via a playoff (two wins) over Woori Card, taking a 75% chance of winning (15 out of 20).
The hero of the victory was the new foreign player José Massó. Although his debut was the first game of the championship final and he might have been nervous, he led the team's takeover with a high attack success rate of 71.43% and the team's second-most 18 points. His performance included two blocks and one service ace.
Korean Air Lines coach Henan Dal Joto praised, "He did very well. His attack success rate exceeded 70%. His blocks caused many bounces," and added, "I talked with the player himself, and now he only needs to pay attention to serves. He had seven service errors. Those errors were faults hitting the net, so starting tomorrow we will immediately practice serves that can be hit a bit longer. But it was probably more a mental issue than a skill issue. He must have been nervous because it was his first game. His match involvement was fantastic."
After the match, Massó said, "First of all, I'm very happy to have won the first game. I expected a difficult match, and it was truly difficult. There were good moments and tough moments during the match, but our players stuck together and never gave up until the end. By continuing to press and fight, we were able to secure the victory."
Korean Air Lines signed Massó, a former Cuban national team player, on the 19th of last month as the replacement for existing foreign player Kyle Russell. Although they secured a direct ticket to the championship final with Kyle Russell during the regular season, Korean Air Lines said, "Russell's performance declined and poor form continued in the latter part of the season, so we pursued a replacement." With opposite spiker Russell gone and Massó arriving, Lim Dong-hyeok took the opposite spiker role and Massó handled middle blocker duties, and the two players coexisted harmoniously on the court.
Massó said, "I had no discomfort at all. I came to Korean Air Lines to play this kind of role, and whatever position I was put in I wanted to win. I'm glad we achieved today's result," and added, "If the coach told me to play libero, I would play libero. I didn't come to this team to change it. I want to blend into this team and become a player who helps more by winning."
When asked whether he was nervous about his debut, he replied, "I'm an athlete. I wasn't nervous at all, and although today's match is a final, to me it was just one of many games. Whether it's the championship final, the regular season or a practice match, I always try my best."
Massó participated in the V-League men's tryouts ahead of this season but was not selected by any of the seven clubs. After continuing his playing career in the Iranian league, Massó received an emergency SOS request from Korean Air Lines, which was aiming for the overall championship, escaped wartime Iran and set foot on Korean soil.
Massó said, "To be honest, failing the tryout felt bad. I knew my performance at the time and, watching other players' performances, I had a feeling I would be selected. Other players also said they thought I would be picked, so there was hope and expectation, but I wasn't selected," and added, "I never lost hope afterward. So when Korean Air Lines contacted me, I was so happy. I was playing in Iran and had escaped because of the war there. I always wanted to come to the V-League, and I was very glad to feel the relief that I could continue my playing career in Korea."
On the day, Massó faced off against fellow Cuban and V-League living legend Leo (Hyundai Capital) and earned the victory. Massó said, "I have a personal friendship with Leo. We haven't talked separately about Korean volleyball; we talked about family and Cuba," and added, "Leo is recognized as a really good player even in Cuba. I heard people call Leo the king in Korea. I was aware of Leo's performances."
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