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SwimSwam’s Top 5 of 2022
Top 5 - TPA'22 Female
1. Maddie Musselman (USA)
United States National Team Player/Club: UCLA /Position: Wing
The 24-year old is the United States’ newest superstar. She scored 20 goals at the World Championships while scoring 71% of her shots. That’s unheard of at such a high level of competition, and includes 5 goals in 9 attempts in the final against Hungary. She was the star of what her head coach Adam Krikorian called an ugly offense in that finale.
2. Maica Garcia (ESP)
Spain National Team Player/Club: Sabadell/ Position: Centre-forward
As part of Spain’s two-headed monster at centre-forward, she wrested the starting role back from Paula Leiton at the European Championships and lifted Spain to a gold medal there. She was better in Split than she was in Budapest, but still demands opponents’ attention every time she’s in the water.
3. Ashleigh Johnson (USA)
United States National Team Player/Club: Ethnikos /Position: Goalkeeper
As the US struggled offensively (aside from Musselman) in the World Championship final, Johnson recorded 10 saves to lock up the victory. Still the undisputed best goalkeeper in the world, she is being pushed a little by her Team USA backup Amanda Longan, who played the entirety of the World Championship semifinal and for almost any other country would be a full-time starter. The US continues to be the world’s top producer of female goalkeepers.
4. Simone van de Kraats (NED)
Spain National Team Player. Club: Mataro. Position: Wing
Her teammate Lola Moolhuijzen got the accolades at the World Championships, but in the biggest moments it was Van de Kraats who shone brightest. That includes shooting 5-for-7 in a losing effort in the World Championship semifinal
5. Maria Bogachenko (ISR)
Israel National Team Player. Club: Panionios GSS. Position: Centre-forward
I know she’s not the 5th-best player in the world, but she was a star for Israel as they finished 6th, their best-ever placement, at the 2022 European Championship. I can’t leave that performance out of my ranking. Fight me.Top 5 - TPA'22 Male
1. Felipe Perrone (ESP)
Spain National Team Player. Club: Barceloneta Position: Driver
When Spain won World Championship silver in 2019, they did it with a large cast of contributing goal-scorers. In 2022, when they won gold, it was Granados who carried that load for a more-defensive minded Spain with 18 goals at the World Championship. As the legendary Felipe Perrone, who is still the primary force in any pool he enters, begins to pass the torch, the 24-year old Granados not only scored 4 regular-time goals for Spain in the final, but two shootout goals - including the clincher. While CNAB didn’t have a great Champions League performance with both players (and Unai), the two were the biggest 1-2 punch in the world internationally this year.
1. Alvaro Granados (ESP)
Spain National Team Player. Club: Novi Beograd Position: Driver
3. Gergo Zalanki (HUN)
Hungarian National Team Player. Club: Pro Recco. Position: Winger
The lefty did what he did best in 2022: racked up goals. Lots of them. He was super-efficient at the World Championships with 16 goals on just 29 shots, led all scorers in the Champions League, and was generally huge for Pro Recco in a difficult spot of replacing Mandic.
4. Angelos Vlachopoulos (GRE)
Greece National Team Player. Club: Novi Beograd. Position: Driver
Healthy again, he showed his value both to Greece, and managed at times to stand out even among the star-studded Novi Belgrade team.
