Gustavo is out of the World League.

The Brazilian men's volleyball team will be without a key player for the remainder of the World League. Middle blocker Gustavo suffered a fracture in his left foot and will need four weeks to return to training. Therefore, he will not recover in time to participate in the competition, whose final phase will be held between July 6th and 10th in Poland.

Gustavo returned to represent Brazil in this edition of the World League, after having been away from coach Bernardinho's team for almost three years – he decided to retire from the national team after the Beijing Olympics in 2008. But he ended up suffering the injury during a training session last Tuesday, when he stepped on his teammate Wallace's foot after a block.

"It's very frustrating. After six weeks of work, I was very upset by what happened. We are on the eve of two important games against the United States, which are enjoyable matches to play because of the rivalry. I was sad, but I know that this is part of an athlete's life. Now I will focus my energies on recovery to get back to playing as soon as possible," declared Gustavo, who is 35 years old and one of the greatest champions in the history of Brazilian volleyball.

"We were all very sad, because we saw all the effort Gustavo made to return to the national team at a high level. He had a great Superliga season and showed in the matches against Puerto Rico and Poland that he is capable of being here. Gustavo is a warrior and must be suffering a lot because of this. For people with this personality, the worst thing is to be out of a battle," said Bernardinho.

Without Gustavo, Brazil returns to the court this weekend for two matches against the United States in Belo Horizonte, for the third round of the World League. Undefeated in the competition – having won two games against Poland and two more against Puerto Rico – the Brazilian team has 12 points and leads Group A.