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. 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 The 1996–97 LEN Champions League was the ongoing 34th edition of LEN's premier competition for men's water polo clubs. It ran from 1996 to 5 April 1997, and it was contested by 8 teams. The Final Four (semifinals, final, and third place game) to ...

. 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 Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

History

Names of the competition

* 1963–1996: European Cup * 1996–2003: Champions League * 2003–2011: LEN Euroleague * 2011–present: LEN Champions League

Title holders

* 1963–64

Partizan Partizan may refer to: Sport * JSD Partizan, a sports society from Belgrade, Serbia, which includes the following clubs: ** AK Partizan, athletics **Biciklistički Klub Partizan, cycling **Džudo Klub Partizan, judo ** FK Partizan, association fo ...

* 1964–65 Pro Recco * 1965–66

* 1966–67

* 1967–68

Mladost Mladost (meaning "youth" in Slavic languages) may refer to: Placenames * Mladost, Sofia, municipality of Sofia, Bulgaria *Mladost, Varna, municipality of Varna, Bulgaria * Mladost, Obrenovac, municipality of city Obrenovac, Serbia. Association fo ...

* 1968–69

* 1969–70

* 1970–71

* 1971–72

* 1972–73 OSC Budapest * 1973–74

MGU Moscow M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigiou ...

* 1974–75

* 1975–76

* 1976–77

CSK VMF Moscow CSK VMF Moscow (russian: ЦСК ВМФ Москва) is the navy section of the multi-sport club CSKA Moscow and its water polo men's team. It won the LEN Champions League, the LEN Super Cup and the LEN Cup Winners' Cup. Sports Complex CSK VMF T ...

* 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

* 1990–91

* 1991–92 Jadran Split * 1992–93 Jadran Split * 1993–94 Újpest * 1994–95 Catalunya * 1995–96

* 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 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

* 2011–12 Pro Recco *

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

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 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Pro Recco * 2021–22 Pro Recco

Finals

Titles by club

Titles by nation

*Results until the

breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

in 1991 and the

self-determination The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It stat ...

of its rump state

Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

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. *The results of West Germany counted with those of Germany. *Results until the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

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.

Records

* Pro Recco has been the most successful club, having won the competition a record ten times. *

is the only club to have won the competition three times in a row (1968, 1969, 1970). *

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),

(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.

Players

;Most Titles 4 titles: Karlo Stipanić, Zlatko Šimenc, Ronald Lopatny,

Miro Poljak Miro or Miró may refer to: Companies * Miro Company, a French game manufacturer * Miro Technologies, a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) software supplier from California * Pinnacle Systems, Miro Video series of the video capture cards * M ...

, Marijan Žužej Titles with 3 clubs: Felipe Perrone

Players/Coaches

;Most Titles ''*'' 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 Marco Baldineti (born 6 July 1960) is an Italian water polo player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) we ...

, Vjekoslav Kobeščak.

Coaches

;Most Titles

Awards

MVP Final Tournament

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

– Vanja Udovičić *

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

– Tamás Kásás *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

– Denes Varga *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

–

Andrija Prlainovic Andrija ( sr-cyr, Андрија, ) is the South Slavic variant of Greek ''Andreas'' (Andrew). It may refer to: *Andrija Stipanović, basketballer *Andrija Žižić (born 1980), Croatian basketballer *Andrija Kaluđerović (born 1987), Serbian foot ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

–

Albert Español Albert Español Lifante (born 29 October 1985) is a Spanish water polo player. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed for the Spain men's national water polo team in the men's event. He is 6 ft 2 inches tall. At club level, he plays for ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

– Felipe Perrone *

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

– Felipe Perrone *

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

–

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

– Josip Pavic *

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

– Denes Varga *

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Not awarded due to COVID-19 pandemic *

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

– Dusan Mandic *

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

– Giacomo Cannella

Top Scorer by Season

– 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 *

– Angelos Vlachopoulos 41 goals * 2021–22 –

Gergő Zalánki Gergő Zalánki (born 26 February 1995) is a Hungarian water polo player. He was part of the national team of Hungary at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Honours Club Eger * Hungarian Championship: 2013–14 * Hungarian Cup: 2015–16 Szolnok ...

42 goals

References

External links

LEN Champions League
at LEN {{European Club Competitions Recurring sporting events established in 1964 Champions League Multi-national professional sports leagues