The LEN Champions League is the top-tier

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an professional

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with th ...

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) too ...

. 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 in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 mi ...

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 * 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 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 ...

* 1977–78

Canottieri Napoli Circolo Canottieri Napoli (in English language, English:''Naples Rowing Club'') is one of the most prestigious and renowned Italian nautical clubs. Founded in 1914, its headquarters are located in the green oasis gardens of "Molosiglio", in San Fe ...

* 1978–79 OSC Budapest * 1979–80 Vasas * 1980–81 Jug Dubrovnik * 1981–82

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

* 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 Vaterpolski klub Jadran Split ( en, Jadran Split Water Polo Club), commonly referred to as Jadran Split or simply Jadran, is a professional water polo club based in Split, Croatia. As of 2021–22 season, the club competes in the Croatian Leag ...

* 1992–93

* 1993–94 Újpest * 1994–95

Catalunya Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

* 1995–96 Mladost * 1996–97 Posillipo * 1997–98 Posillipo * 1998–99 POŠK * 1999–00

Bečej Bečej ( sr-cyrl, Бечеј, ; hu, Óbecse, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 23,895, while the municipality has 37,351 inhabitants. I ...

* 2000–01 Jug Dubrovnik * 2001–02

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a numbe ...

* 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 Szolnok (; also known by other #Name and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. A City with county rights, city with county rights, it is located on the banks of the Tisza river, i ...

* 2017–18

* 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 b ...

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 sta ...

of its

rump state A rump state is the remnant of a once much larger state, left with a reduced territory in the wake of secession, annexation, occupation, decolonization, or a successful coup d'état or revolution on part of its former territory. In the last case ...

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 ...

in 2006. Clubs from present day

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

won the title 7 times and were runners-up additional 4 times, clubs from present day

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...

won the title 7 and were runners-up one time, clubs from present day

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

were runners-up one time. *The results of

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

counted with those of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. *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 Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

won the title 2 times and were runners-up additional 5 times, clubs from present day

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

were runners-up once time.

Records

* 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),

(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,

Marijan Žužej Marijan Žužej (8 February 1934 – 18 December 2011) was a Croatian water polo player of Slovenian origin. He was part of the Yugoslavia teams that won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics and placed fourth in 1960. Žužej was born in Maribo ...

Titles with 3 clubs:

Felipe Perrone Felipe Perrone Rocha (born 27 February 1986 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Spanish- Brazilian water polo player. He competed for Spain from 2003 until 2013, including in the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics. Afterwards he competed for his b ...

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 Eraldo Pizzo (born 21 April 1938) is an Italian water polo player who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, in the 1964 Summer Olympics, in the 1968 Summer Olympics, and in the 1972 Summer Olympics. Biography He was born in Rivarolo Ligure, Geno ...

was a player and Pro Recco's coach in the season 1964/65. Titles (2) as a player and a coach:

Veselin Đuho Veselin Đuho (born 5 January 1960) is a Croatian professional water polo coach and former player who was a two-time Olympic gold medalist for Yugoslavia at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics. Đuho was born in Foča but moved to Dubrovnik as a ...

, Marco Baldineti,

Vjekoslav Kobeščak Vjekoslav or Vekoslav is a male Slavic given name, meaning "''glorious through the ages''" . People * Vjekoslav Banovic - Croatian Australian football player * Vjekoslav Bastl - Croatian architect *Vjekoslav Bevanda - Former prime minister of Bo ...

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 ...

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Vanja Udovičić Vanja Udovičić ( sr-Cyrl, Вања Удовичић, ; born 12 September 1982) is a Serbian politician and former professional water polo player who served as minister of youth and sports from 2013 to 2022. An independent politician, he is a ...

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 celebrates ...

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Tamás Kásás Tamás Kásás (; born 20 July 1976) is a retired Hungarian water polo player. Kásás is often described as the best defensive player of his era, if not the best overall. He is known for his ability to spring out of the water and block shots, ...

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 gat ...

–

Denes Varga The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" has ...

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 fa ...

– Andrija Prlainovic *

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 wa ...

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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 Water polo at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament, men's event. ...

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 April ...

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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 of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

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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 s ...

– Andrija Prlainovic *

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 ...

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Josip Pavic Josip () is a male given name found among Croats and Slovenes, a cognate of Joseph. In Croatia, the name Josip was the second most common masculine given name in the decades up to 1959, and has stayed among the top ten most common ones throughout ...

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 ...

–

* 2020 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 coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

– Dusan Mandic * 2022 – Giacomo Cannella

Top Scorer by Season

* 2012–13 –

31 goals * 2013–14 – Filip Filipović 51 goals * 2014–15 –

Sandro Sukno Sandro Sukno (born 30 June 1990) is a Croatian former professional water polo player. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, he competed for the Croatia men's national water polo team, Croatia national team in the Water polo at the 2012 Summer Olympics, men ...

34 goals * 2015–16 –

33 goals * 2016–17 –

42 goals * 2017–18 –

Darko Brguljan Darko Brguljan ( cnr, Дарко Бргуљан; born 5 November 1990) is a water polo player from Montenegro. He was part of the Montenegrin team at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the team finished in fourth place. See also * List of World Aqua ...

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 Len or LEN may refer to: People and fictional characters * Len (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Lén, a character from Irish mythology * Alex Len (born 1993), Ukrainian basketball player * Mr. Len, American hip hop DJ * L ...

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