Joël Despaigne Charles (born 2 July 1966), more commonly known as Joël Despaigne, is a retired volleyball player from Cuba who represented his native country in two consecutive Summer Olympics: the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona (fourth place) and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta (sixth place).

[2] In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Despaigne, known by his nickname "El Diablo" ("The Devil"), was considered among the best volleyball players in the world.

[4] Despaigne led the Cuban team to the gold medal at the 1989 FIVB World Cup in Japan.

[4] He also helped the Cuban team win the silver medal at the 1990 FIVB World Championship in Brazil,[1] and was named the best player in the world in 1990 by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB).

[7] Despaigne married María Teresa Santamaría, who was a member of the Cuban women's national volleyball team in the 1980s.