Today, our friends from Hungary joined in to pick their Top 5 in both Female and Male categories!
VLV is the Hungarian water polo portal with a long-lasting tradition and a rich base of knowledge on both the game and the players. See their Top 5 picks!
As for the time being, vlv deals only with men’s water polo, but the editors asked László Tóth, the assistant head coach of the Hungarian women’s national water polo team, to vote on behalf of vlv for the best female player. See the result below:
VLV’s Top 5 Female of 2018
1st – Catharina “Sabrina” van der Sloot
Dutch National Player | Club: AS Orizzonte Catania | Position: Wing
“She was the leader of the Dutch national team that won the European Championships. Her excellent play greatly contributed to the victory of her team.”
2nd – Maggie Steffens
USA National Player | Club: CN Sabadell | Position: Defender
“A strong player from the American national team who played in Hungary this year. The whole time she’s been showing her remarkable knowledge of the game.”
3rd – Rita Keszthelyi
Hungarian National Player | Club: UVSE Budapest | Position: Driver/Wing
“As captain, she helped the Hungarian national team with tremendous enthusiasm and assisted with the integration of young players. Under her leadership, the Hungarian national team qualified among the best four at the European Championships in Barcelona.”
4th – Alexandra Asimaki
Greek National Player | Club: Olympiacos Piraeus | Position: Center Forward
“One of the best center players of the Greek national team. Her endurance and self-confident center play is really remarkable.”
5th – Ekaterina Prokofyeva
Russian National Player | Club: KINEF-Surgutneftegaz: Kirishi | Position: Driver
“She is a strong player in the Russian national team. In addition to her efficient organizing skills, she excels in powerful shots.”
VLV’s Top 5 Male of 2018
1st – Daniel Lopez Pinedo
Spanish National Player | Club: Barceloneta | Position: Goalkeeper
“Pinedo is a Spanish goalkeeper who performed outstandingly in both his national team and club. He was chosen as the best goalkeeper of the European Championships. With his club, he won the bronze medal in the Champions League.”
2nd – Ioannis Fountoulis
Greek National Player | Club: Olympiacos Piraeus | Position: Centre forward, Wing
“With 17 goals in the last season, this Greek player was the top scorer of the European Championships in Barcelona. In the Olympiakos vs. Pro Recco Champions League final, he scored four decisive goals.”
3rd – Aleksandar Ivović
Montenegrin National Player | Club: Pro Recco | Position: Driver
“He returned to the Montenegrin national team after a year’s break. He was the leading player in his team, carrying them to victory against the Hungarians in the World League Super Finals in Budapest. With Pro Recco, he won the silver medal in the Champions League.”
4th – Filip Filipović
Serbian National Player | Club: Pro Recco | Position: Wing
“A really enduring player. In his umpteenth season, he was the leader of the Serbian national team which reached the top this year again: they won the European Championships. In Pro Recoo, he won the silver medal in the Champions League.”
5th – Loren Fatović
Croatian National Player | Club: VK Jug | Position: Wing
“He became the leader of VK Jug Dubrovnik and the Croatian national team. Along with the national players, he won the first ever European Cup, scoring six goals against Spain in the finals.”
