The LEN Champions League is the top-tier European professional water polo club competition with teams from up to 18 countries. It is organized by the Ligue Européenne de Natation.
Current season, competition or edition: 2022–23 LEN Champions League | |
| Formerly | European Cup Euroleague |
|---|---|
| Sport | Water polo |
| Founded | 1963 |
| President | Paolo Barelli |
| No. of teams | 24 (preliminary stage) 16 (group stage) |
| Country | LEN members |
| Continent | Europe |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Pro Recco (10th title) |
| Most titles | Pro Recco (10 titles) |
| Level on pyramid | 1st Tier (Europe) |
| Official website | championsleague.len.eu |
The competition started in 1963 as European Cup. A change of name and format occurred in 1996, with the competition being renamed Champions League and the final four system being established as the format of choice, for the first time during the 1996–97 LEN Champions League. From 2003 to 2011 the competition was named LEN Euroleague (with the change of name being simply a re-branding) and from 2011 and on LEN Champions League, its current name.
LEN Champions League is the most popular water polo league in the European continent. It has been won by 24 clubs, 10 of which have won the title more than once. The most successful club in the competition is Pro Recco, with nine titles. The current European champion is Pro Recco, who won their ninth title after defeating FTC Telekom Budapest in the 2020–21 LEN Champions League Final in Belgrade.
HistoryEdit
Names of the competitionEdit
- 1963–1996: European Cup
- 1996–2003: Champions League
- 2003–2011: LEN Euroleague
- 2011–present: LEN Champions League
Title holdersEdit
- 1963–64
Partizan - 1964–65
Pro Recco - 1965–66 Partizan
- 1966–67 Partizan
- 1967–68 Mladost
- 1968–69 Mladost
- 1969–70 Mladost
- 1970–71 Partizan
- 1971–72 Mladost
- 1972–73
OSC Budapest - 1973–74
MGU Moscow - 1974–75 Partizan
- 1975–76 Partizan
- 1976–77 CSK VMF Moscow
- 1977–78 Canottieri Napoli
- 1978–79 OSC Budapest
- 1979–80 Vasas
- 1980–81 Jug Dubrovnik
- 1981–82
Barcelona - 1982–83
Spandau 04 - 1983–84 Stefanel Recco
- 1984–85 Vasas
- 1985–86 Spandau 04
- 1986–87 Spandau 04
- 1987–88 Sisley Pescara
- 1988–89 Spandau 04
- 1989–90 Mladost
- 1990–91 Mladost
- 1991–92
Jadran Split - 1992–93 Jadran Split
- 1993–94 Újpest
- 1994–95 Catalunya
- 1995–96 Mladost
- 1996–97 Posillipo
- 1997–98 Posillipo
- 1998–99 POŠK
- 1999–00
Bečej - 2000–01 Jug Dubrovnik
- 2001–02
Olympiacos - 2002–03 Pro Recco
- 2003–04 Honvéd
- 2004–05 Posillipo
- 2005–06 Jug Dubrovnik
- 2006–07 Pro Recco
- 2007–08 Pro Recco
- 2008–09
Primorac Kotor - 2009–10 Pro Recco
- 2010–11
Partizan - 2011–12 Pro Recco
- 2012–13 Crvena zvezda
- 2013–14 Atlètic-Barceloneta
- 2014–15 Pro Recco
- 2015–16 Jug Dubrovnik
- 2016–17 Szolnok
- 2017–18 Olympiacos
- 2018–19 Ferencváros
- 2019–20 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020–21 Pro Recco
- 2021–22 Pro Recco
FinalsEdit
Titles by clubEdit
Titles by nationEdit
| Rank | Country | Titles | Runners-up | CL winning clubs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Italy
|
15 | 10 | 4 |
| 2. |   Yugoslavia [A]
|
14 | 6 | 4 |
| 3. |  Hungary
|
8 | 10 | 6 |
| 4. |  Croatia
|
7 | 9 | 3 |
| 5. |  Germany [B]
|
4 | 4 | 1 |
| 6. |  Spain
|
3 | 3 | 3 |
| 7. |  Soviet Union [C]
|
2 | 6 | 2 |
| 8. |  Greece
|
2 | 3 | 1 |
| 9. |  Serbia
|
2 | 2 | 2 |
| 10. |  Montenegro
|
1 | 1 | 1 |
| 11. |  Netherlands
|
2 | ||
| 12. |  East Germany
|
1 | ||
| – |  Romania
|
1 |
*A Results until the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991 and the self-determination of its rump state Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Clubs from present day Serbia won the title 7 times and were runners-up additional 4 times, clubs from present day Croatia won the title 7 and were runners-up one time, clubs from present day Montenegro were runners-up one time.
*B The results of West Germany counted with those of Germany.
*C Results until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Clubs from present day Russia won the title 2 times and were runners-up additional 5 times, clubs from present day Kazakhstan were runners-up once time.
RecordsEdit
- Pro Recco has been the most successful club, having won the competition a record ten times.
- Mladost is the only club to have won the competition three times in a row (1968, 1969, 1970).
- Partizan and Pro Recco are the only two clubs to have won the European Championship twice in a row for two times (1966, 1967 & 1975, 1976) and (2007, 2008 & 2021, 2022)
- Spandau 04 (1986, 1987), Mladost (1990, 1991), Jadran Split (1992, 1993) and Posillipo (1997, 1998) are the other five teams to have won the European Championship twice in a row, only for one time.
Most TitlesEdit
PlayersEdit
| Player | Titles | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # | List | ||
| Đorđe Perišić |
6 | 1 | Partizan 1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975, 1976 |
| Ozren Bonačić |
5 | 2 | Partizan 1964, Mladost 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 |
| Mirko Sandić |
5 | 1 | Partizan 1964, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1975 |
| Tamas Kasas |
5 | 2 | Posillipo 1998, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| Maurizio Felugo |
5 | 2 | Posillipo 2005, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| Tibor Benedek |
5 | 2 | Ujpest 1994, Pro Recco 2003, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| Stefano Tempesti |
5 | 1 | Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 |
| Andrija Prlainović |
5 | 4 | Partizan 2011, Pro Recco 2012, 2015, Crvena Zvezda 2013, Szolnok 2017 |
| Norbert Madaras |
5 | 2 | Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, Ferencváros 2019 |
| Duško Pijetlović |
4 | 3 | Partizan 2011, Pro Recco 2012, 2015, VK Crvena Zvezda 2013 |
4 titles: Karlo Stipanić, Zlatko Šimenc, Ronald Lopatny, Miro Poljak, Marijan Žužej
Titles with 3 clubs: Felipe Perrone
Players/CoachesEdit
| Player/Coach | Titles | as Player | as Coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | List | # | List | ||
| Giuseppe Porzio |
7 | 2 | Posillipo 1997, 1998 | 5 | Posillipo 2005, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
| Ozren Bonačić |
6 | 5 | Partizan 1964, Mladost 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 | 1 | Mladost 1996 |
| Igor Milanović |
5 | 3 | Mladost 1990, 1991, Catalunya 1995 | 2 | Partizan 2011, Pro Recco 2015 |
| Duško Antunović |
5 | 3 | Partizan 1971, 1975, 1976 | 2 | Mladost 1990, 1991 |
| Ivo Trumbić |
4 | 3 | Mladost 1967, 1968, 1969 | 1 | Pescara 1988 |
| Paolo De Crescenzo |
3 | 1 | Canottieri Naples 1978 | 2 | Posilllipo 1997, 1998 |
* Two players were players and coaches at the same time in the winning teams. Boris Čukvas won three titles in a dual role. He was a player and Partizan's coach during the seasons in which the Belgrade-based club won its first three titles (1963/64, 1965/66 and 1966/67). Eraldo Pizzo was a player and Pro Recco's coach in the season 1964/65.
Titles (2) as a player and a coach: Veselin Đuho, Marco Baldineti, Vjekoslav Kobeščak.
CoachesEdit
| Player | Titles | Clubs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| # | List | ||
| Giuseppe Porzio |
5 | 2 | Posillipo 2005, Pro Recco 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012 |
AwardsEdit
MVP Final TournamentEdit
- 2010 – Vanja Udovičić
- 2011 – Tamás Kásás
- 2012 – Denes Varga
- 2013 – Andrija Prlainovic
- 2014 – Albert Español
- 2015 – Felipe Perrone
- 2016 – Felipe Perrone
- 2017 – Andrija Prlainovic
- 2018 – Josip Pavic
- 2019 – Denes Varga
- 2020 Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021 – Dusan Mandic
- 2022 – Giacomo Cannella
Top Scorer by SeasonEdit
- 2012–13 – Felipe Perrone 31 goals
- 2013–14 – Filip Filipović 51 goals
- 2014–15 – Sandro Sukno 34 goals
- 2015–16 – Denes Varga 33 goals
- 2016–17 – Felipe Perrone 42 goals
- 2017–18 – Darko Brguljan 42 goals
- 2018–19 – Kostas Genidounias 42 goals
- 2019–20 Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020–21 – Angelos Vlachopoulos 41 goals
- 2021–22 – Gergő Zalánki 42 goals