We continue our Total Player Award with a man who found himself between high interest and raising the quality of Dutch water polo. Robin van Galen dedicated his life to perfecting the selection and improving Dutch water polo in past years and aims to do as much in the future.
Before he became an influential coach leading the Dutch women’s team to the Olympic gold, he played water polo since the age of six. Even though his career looked promising, he got injured badly when he was only 17 years old. The shoulder injury set him back, so he turned to coach. Starting with Rotterdam, he switched to seniors when he was only 23.
There were many coaching moments worth mentioning, both in men’s and women’s teams, but the 2008 Olympics in China proved his worth. With the gold medal in his hand, he took over the Dutch men’s national team.
You can learn more about Galen in the interview we recently had with him. See his scores for the Total Player below!
Robin van Galen’s Total 5 of 2018
1st – Daniel Lopez Pinedo
Spanish National Player | Club: Barceloneta | Position: Goalkeeper
“Spain made a huge step in international water polo in the past few years. They have a lot of very good players, but for me, the driving force is their goalkeeper Daniel Lopez Pinedo. He is not only a great goalkeeper but also a leader and motivator for his team.”
2nd – Andrija Prlainović
Serbian National Player | Club: Szolnoki VSC | Position: Wing
“One of the best players I have ever seen. He’s a good shooter, great swimmer, tactically very important and on top of that, a great example to every water polo player in the world. He is a potential winner!”
3rd – Michaël Bodegas
Italian National Player | Club: Pro Recco | Position: Center
“At the moment one of the best centers in the world. He’s physically strong and has water polo skills many can envy. What I can surely say is that he’s a nightmare for opponent’s center-backs!”
4th – Maro Joković
Croatian National Player | Club: VK Jug | Position: Wing
“One of the best left-handed players in the world. His shots are close to perfection and his tactics can easily carry the team throughout the match. It’s always a pleasure seeing him play.”
5th – Angelos Vlachopoulos
Greek National Player | Club: Eger VK | Position: Wing
“A very good player with an even better hand and knack for scoring. Whenever he’s attacking, he’s moving so quickly it’s hard to react. Ultimately, he’s a great example that you don’t have to be 2m tall to dominate the pool.”
