David Paradelo, the head coach of the Canadian National team,is  one of the most important figures in Canadian Women’s Water Polo. He is armed with his Level 4 certification from the National Certification Program.

Some of his greatest coaching achievements are the silver medal at the Youth World Championships in 2014, Madrid, as well as the silver medal in Youth Pan American Games in 2013, and, of course, the silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima a few months ago. Before the silver at the Pan American Games, Canada finished 9th at the World Championships in Gwangju.

David Paradelo’s Total 5 for 2019

1^st  – Margaret Steffens

USA National Player | Club: CN Sabadell | Position: Driver

“Has an all-around ability that makes her so valuable as she can play any position in the water. Her non-stop intensity is distinguishable even within powerhouses teams like the USA or in Sabadell. She still stands out every game even though there are so many talented players around her. Her speed and execution make her incredibly difficult to defend. Whether it is in her win in Euro League, World Championships or World League she always found a way to make her team better. “

2^nd  – Rita Keszthelyi

Hungarian National Player | Club: UVSE Budapest | Position: Driver/Wing

“An incredible leadership and shooting ability in terms of different type of releases and confidence in the variation of her shooting releases. She has again lead UVSE and Hungary to a 4th place at World Championships. Her knowledge of the game and the little details that she takes advantage of is world class.”

3^rd – Giulia Gorlero

 Italian  National Player | Club: Orizzonte Catania | Position: Goalkeeper

“She covers so much space in her net. She directs her defense as well as she reads the shooters. Doing this, she forces them to shoot on her.  This makes a good shot often look as poor shots. She led Orizzonte to the LEN Cup and at the FINA World League, she helped Italy to win the second place and a nail-biter final game versus the USA. “

4^th – Maica Garcia Godoy

Spanish National Player | Club: CN Sabadell | Position: Centre Forward

“She draws the zone very deep against any team she plays leaving a lot of space for the outside shooters. When she puts the hand of the ball there’s most likely to be a goal, penalty or exclusion. A huge asset for her teams even though her limited minutes in the game. “

5^th – Ashleigh Johnson

USA National Player | Club: Vouliagmeni | Position: Goalkeeper

“Dominating in the net she covers so much space that shooters tend to overshoot or lob but she is able to get these type of shots with her long reach with showing very low effort which makes it frustrating for shooters. She brought Vouliagmeni to a new level since many years and constantly helps the Team USA dominate their rivals defensively.”

Check out the other votes so far and cast your own on the official Total Waterpolo Player 2019 page.