Masterminds with killer instincts. These are the candidates for the best right side player in the 21st century:
Women
Heather Petri
National team: USA
Heather Petri is one of four female water polo players who competed at four Olympic Games. She won a medal at each of the tournaments (gold – 2012, silver – 2000 and 2008, bronze – 2004). Petri added four World Championships medals (gold – 2003, 2007, 2009, and silver – 2005), three titles at the Pan American Games, and multiple World League titles to her treasury. She competed at the professional level in Brazil, Italy, and Greece. Petri took two titles in the LEN Euro League as a player of Vouliagmeni (2009 and 2010). – VOTE
Martina Miceli
National team: Italy
Martina Miceli climbed the highest step of the Olympic podium and won the gold medal in Athens 2004. Besides, she took 16 medals representing Italy: four at the World Championships (gold – 1998 and 2001, silver – 2003, bronze – 1994), three in the World Cup (silver – 1993, 2006, bronze – 1999), two in the World League (silver – 2006, bronze – 2004), and seven at the European Championships (gold – 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2003, silver – 2001 and 2006, and bronze – 1991). She won three trophies in the LEN Euro League as a player of Orizzonte Catania (1994, 2006, 2008). – VOTE
Danielle de Bruijn
National team: Netherlands
Danielle de Bruijn led the Netherlands to the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics, as the best scorer of the tournament with 17 goals (including seven in the final). She also won silver at the 1998 World Championships, gold at the 1999 World Cup, and two medals at the European Championships (silver -1999, bronze – 1997).
In 2008, she was named the best European water polo player of the year by LEN, and the World Water Polo Player of the Year, by the Swimming World Magazine. – VOTE
Anni Espar
National team: Spain
Anni Espar Llaquet was named the Best European Female Water Polo Player of 2012 by LEN when she was 19. In 2012, she won the Olympic silver medal. After the 2nd place in London 2012, she has won eight medals with the senior national team of Spain – three at the World Championships (gold -2013, silver – 2017 and 2019), three at the European Championships (gold – 2014 and 2020, and bronze – 2018), one in the World Cup (bronze – 2014) and one in the World League (silver – 2016). She played in the USA college league, in Australia. Still, Espar has achieved her biggest successes at the club level in Europe. Playing for Sabadell, she lifted four trophies in the LEN Euro League (2011, 2014, 2016, 2019). – VOTE
Tania Di Mario
National team: Italy
Tania Di Mario, a four-time Olympian, is the best scorer in the female Olympic water polo tournaments’ history with 47 goals. She won the Olympic title in 2004 and the bronze medal in 2016. Besides, Di Mario won three medals at the World Championships ( gold – 2011, silver – 2003, bronze – 2015), six at the European Championships (gold – 1999, 2003, 2012, silver – 2001, 2006, bronze – 2016), two at the World Cup (silver – 2006, bronze – 1996), and three in the World League (silver – 2006 and 2014, bronze – 2004). For most of her career, she played for Orizzonte and helped the Catania-based club to win seven titles in the Euro League (1998, 2001, 2002, 2004,2005, 2006, 2008). – VOTE
Brenda Villa
National team: USA
Brenda Villa is one of the most decorated female water polo players in history, with 20 medals at the intercontinental tournaments. She competed at the Olympic Games four times and won as many medals (gold – 2012, silver – 2000 and 2008, bronze – 2004). She collected four medals at the World Championships (gold – 2003, 2007, 2009, and silver – 2005), three titles of the Pan American champion (2003, 2007, and 2011), one FINA World Cup gold (2010), and eight medals in the World League (seven gold and one silver).
Since 2018, she has been a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Villa was named Female Water Polo Player of the Decade 2010 by the FINA Aquatics World Magazine. – VOTE
Men
Gergely Kiss
National team: Hungary
Gergely Kiss is one of six Hungarians who managed to win three Olympic golds in a row (2000, 2004, and 2008). Playing for Hungary, he clinched 22 medals. After three Olympic golds, his most significant achievements are the title of the World champion (2003), two European golds (1997 and 1999), the winning trophy in the FINA World Cup 1999, two golds in the World League. Kiss won the Champions League/Euroleague with three different clubs – Posillipo (1998), Honved (2004), and Primorac (2009).
Since 2016, he has been a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. – VOTE
Filip Filipovic
National teams: Serbia and Montenegro/Serbia
Filipovic is the only athlete (male or female) who has captured six gold medals at the European Championships (2003, 2006, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018). He has won one gold (2016) and two bronze medals (2008 and 2012) at the Olympic Games. Filipovic was the World Champion twice (2009 and 2015). He has two golds at the FINA World Cup (2006 and 2010) and 12 titles in the World League. In total, he won 30 medals at the IOC, FINA, and LEN major tournaments. His most significant achievements in the competitions for clubs are three trophies in the Champions League with Pro Recco (2010, 2012, 2015), and the LEN Euro Cup (with Radnicki in 2013). Filipovic was voted the World Water Polo Player of the year by FINA two times (2011, 2014). LEN elected Filipovic as the best European water polo player of the year four times (2009, 2014, 2016, 2018). He was the MVP of the 2016 Olympic Games water polo tournament and received the award for Serbia’s best athlete in 2016 by the National Olympic Committee. Filipovic received MVP awards and held the title of the best scorer at several FINA and LEN tournaments. – VOTE
Tibor Benedek
National team: Hungary
Tibor Benedek played for the national team of Hungary for 18 years and won 21 medals. The most valuable trophies in Benedek’s treasury are three Olympic golds (2000, 2004, and 2008), the World Championships gold in 2003, gold at the 1997 European Championships, the 1995 FINA World Cup, and three titles in the World League. Benedek is ranked second on the all-time scoring list in Olympic history with 65 goals in five appearances at the Games. Besides, he is ranked first on the list of the players with the most games in the Hungarian national team (384 matches in official competitions). Benedek won five Champions Leagues – 1994 (Ujpest), 2003, 2008, 2010, 2012 (Pro Recco), and the 1993 LEN Trophy/Euro Cup with Ujpest.
In 2016, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame. – VOTE
Miho Boskovic
National team: Croatia
Boskovic is the all-time top scorer of the Croatian national team, with 369 goals. He won gold medals at the 2012 Olympic Games, 2007 World Championships, 2010 European Championships, and in the 2012 World League. In total, he has 10 medals with the national team. Boskovic was part of the team of Jug, which finished 1st in the 2005/06 Champions League. He was named the best European player of the year by LEN two times (2007 and 2012). – VOTE
Maro Jokovic
National team: Croatia
Maro Jokovic has 14 medals at major competitions as a member of the Croatian national team. He has won two Olympic medals (gold 2012 and silver 2016), two titles at the World Championships (2007 and 2017), the European gold (2010), and first place in the 2012 World League. As for clubs’ competitions, Jokovic lifted three Champions League trophies in 2006, 2016 (both with Jug), and 2015 (Pro Recco). – VOTE
Norbert Madaras
National team: Hungary
Norbert Madaras won six gold medals representing Hungary. He is a double Olympic champion (2004,2008), has two titles of the World Champion (2003 and 2013), and two in the World League (2003, 2004). Madaras collected a total of 20 medals at major competitions for national teams. He has four titles of the Champions League with Pro Recco (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012), one Cup Winners’ Cup (2002 – Vasas), and two Euro Cups (2017 and 2018 – Ferencvaros) – VOTE
Theodoros Chatzitheodorou
National team: Greece.
Theodoros Chatzitheodorou is the record holder of club titles in the history of Greek team sports, with 31 trophies. He won two bronze medals with Greece (2005 World Championships and 2004 World League), two trophies in the LEN Euro League (2002 with Olympiacos and 2011 with Partizan). Chatzitheodorou is a four-time Olympian. – VOTE
Daniel Varga
National team: Hungary
During his 12-year-long career at the national team, Daniel Varga won 14 medals. In his collection, there are two gold medals – the 2008 Olympic title and the winning trophy at the 2013 World Championships. Daniel Varga’s most significant successes in the clubs’ competitions are the Cup Winners’ Cup (2002 with Vasas) and two LEN Euro Cups (2017 and 2018 with Ferencvaros). – VOTE
Vladimir Gojkovic
National teams: Serbia and Montenegro/Montenegro
Playing for two national teams, Vladimir Gojkovic collected 11 medals, including silver at the 2004 Olympic Games and six gold medals (2005 World Championships, 2003 and 2008 European Championships, 2005 and 2009 World League and 2006 World Cup). He played just for two clubs. Gojkovic is one of the best players in the history of Jadran Herceg Novi. As a member of Sintez Kazan, Gojkovic won the 2007 LEN Trophy. – VOTE
Guillermo Molina
National teams: Spain/Italy
Molina was part of the Spanish national team that won the gold medal at the 2001 World Championships. Besides that gold, he collected five medals representing Spain at FINA and LEN tournaments. As a Pro Recco player, Molina has won two trophies in the Champions League (2010 and 2012). He also has one LEN Euro Cup (2016 with Brescia). Molina was voted the MVP at the 2007 World Championships. He has four Olympic appearances and shared 1st place on the list of the leading scorers of the 2016 Rio Games (with Filip Filipovic). – VOTE
Veljko Uskokovic
National teams: Yugoslavia/Serbia and Montenegro/Serbia
Veljko Uskokovic had a long career, and in combination with political circumstances, he became the only water polo player who won medals representing four countries (SFR Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, and Montenegro). He has one Olympic bronze (2000), three gold medals at the European championships (1991, 2001, and 2008). He won a total of eight medals at major IOC, FINA, and LEN competitions. Playing for Becej, Uskokovic won the 2000 Euroleague (Champions League). Uskokovic was Yugoslavia captain for five years (1996 – 2001) and the first captain in the history of Montenegro’s team (2008-2009). – VOTE
