The veteran blocker and the crafty defender will be together for the second time

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Ricardo and Álvaro topped the podium in Gstaad back in 2013

If you thought you had already seen enough of Brazilian men’s beach volleyball players changing partners in 2018, think again. Less than one week after the end of the season a new team was announced in the country as Ricardo Santos and Álvaro Filho will be joining forces soon.

Ricardo had recently played with Guto Carvalhaes, with who he won the silver medal in the four-star event in Espinho, while Álvaro spent the most part of the last two seasons with Saymon Barbosa, his partner in the victory at the 2017 Fort Lauderdale Major.

The legendary 43-year-old blocker and the talented 27-year-old defender have played together for the first time between 2013 and 2014, when they enjoyed some success, winning five medals – one gold, two silver and two bronze – in 20 World Tour tournaments.

Um novo desafio pela frente! Estarei agora ao lado dessa lenda viva, chamado Ricardo, que tem três medalhas olímpicas, em busca de novas conquistas. Na primeira vez que estivemos juntos em 2013 formamos um time vencedor, quando fomos vice-campeões mundiais naquele ano, na Polônia.

2,217 Likes, 87 Comments - Álvaro Filho (@alvarofilhovolei) on Instagram: "Um novo desafio pela frente! Estarei agora ao lado dessa lenda viva, chamado Ricardo, que tem três..."

The team was among the best in the planet at the time as they claimed the silver medal in the 2013 World Championship and topping the podium in Gstaad in the same season.  

“We don’t want to repeat what we did before, we want to write a new chapter of our history,” Álvaro told beachmajorseries.com. “I’ve never seen Ricardo as motivated as he is now, he keeps surprising people every time he steps in the sand. I believe the race for the Olympic berths is completely open and I’m confident we can do it.”

A three-time Olympic medalist – gold in Athens 2004, silver in Sydney 2000 and bronze in Beijing 2008 -, Ricardo is looking forward to his fifth Olympic appearance in the Tokyo 2020 Games.

“We’re back together and the Olympics are our dream,” Ricardo said on his Instagram account. “We know the potential we have as a team and we’re ready to compete for the gold medals again.”

The duo is expected to debut when the 2018-2019 season of the Brazilian Tour kicks off, from September 11-16, in Palmas, Tocantins. Guto and Saymon are expected to announce their new partners until there, so watch this space!

The Brazilians are set to partner for the second time after four years