Here is an excerpt from a lovely description of the 2001 triumph of the water polo club Jug from the famous Dubrovnik, winning the European Champions League, taken from www.waterpolo.com:

Elvis Leads JUG To “FINAL FOUR” Title
Dubrovnic, Croatia, May 19- Water polo is a national obsession in this beautiful Dalmatian coast port city, but it had been twenty years since Jug, the local club, had won the European Champions league. For the six thousand lucky souls who got tickets to the Gruz swimming stadium for this year’s “Final Four,” the championship game of professional water polo’s premier event was a night to remember. The atmosphere at European water polo matches is unlike any event staged in the United States. Drums, air horns, flares and constant yelling – cheering, singing or whistling – depending upon the moment. It’s impossible to hear the announcer and a wonder that the players can hear the signals from the referees. This year’s event even had an appearance by Elvis. Elvis Fatovic that is. And it’s hard to imagine Elvis Presley getting more cheers than his Croatian namesake when he scored the game’s first goal at the two-minute mark…

Elvis Fatovic with the trophy of the 2001 European Champions League in water polo

Water polo club Jug from Dubrovnik, founded in 1923, was three times the winner of the Eureopan Champions League: 1980, 2001, 2006, and winner of European Supercup for 2006.

Croatian waterpolo team, led by their coach Ratko Rudic,
won the title of World champions in Melbourne, 2007 (source: CROWN)

Croatian waterpolo team, led by their coach Ivica Tucak, won the title of World champions for the second time, in Budapest, Hungary, 2017.
Croatian team: Bijač, Marcelić, Macan, Fatović, Lončar, Joković, Buljubašić, Vukičević, Bušlje, Sukno, Krapić, Šetka, Garcia. We mention that Xavier Garcia is of Catalonian origin.

Croatia won the prestigeous FINA World Championships waterpolo competition held in Melbourne, 2007, with a perfect score of six consecutive wins. In 2017, they won the same title of FINA World Waterpolo Champions for the second time.

Samir Barac, a member of Croatian waterpolo team winning the title of World champions in Melbourne, 2007 (source: CROWN)

Miho Boskovic, from the City of Dubrovnik, was proclaimed the best European waterpolo player for 2007 by LEN (Ligue Européenne de Natation), ie by the European Swimming League. By the way, Miho is professor of piano, which he studied at the Music Academy in Split. Photo from www.crowaterpolo.com.

Croatia became European waterpolo champion for 2010. The championship has been organized on Croatia’s capital Zagreb, and the event was described as the best so far.

Croatian waterpolo team won  gold medal at the 2012 Olympica Games in London, winning all the matches.

Mladost-Zagreb is the most successful water polo club in the world, with the greatest number of world’s and European trophies in its hands (seven times: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1996). In 2003 Mladost was awarded the newly founded yearly prize of the AWPC (Association of Water Polo Clubs) in Budapest, Hungary, for their contribution to the world wide popularity of water polo. Players of the Mladost (= Youth) team are nicknamed zabci (froggies; zaba = frog).

Zapci (Froggies), players of Mladost-Zagreb water polo club