The Total Player Award is an annual recognition organized by Total Waterpolo to honor the best water polo players in the world. This prestigious award is determined through a voting process that involves experts from the water polo community – coaches, players, journalists and fans.
Although they played some excellent matches, the Montenegrin national team’s biggest achievement across this year’s three major competitions was a 6th-place finish at the European Championship in Croatia.
Following the Paris Olympics and the expiration of Vladimir Gojkovic’s contract, the Montenegrin Water Polo Federation decided not to renew his deal. Gojkovic has since returned to the bench of Jadran m:tel Herceg Novi.
A member of our Expert Jury since the inception of the Total Player Award in 2017, Gojkovic has once again selected his ideal team this year. Here’s the lineup he chose.
Goalkeeper: Marko Bijac (Croatia)
Central defender: Nikola Jaksic (Serbia)
Centre forward: Ben Hallock (USA)
Right side 1: Kostantin Kharkov (Croatia)
Right side 2: Dusan Mandic (Serbia) – MVP
Left side 1: Alvaro Granados (Spain)
Left side 2: Loren Fatovic (Croatia)
This year, jurors need to select the best player for each position. From that team, they must choose the one who stood out the most.
Players selected for the team receive 3 points, and the best player earns an additional 5 points.
Check out how did the other jurors voted – Total Player Award 2024
