The ambitious plan of the Barceloneta to reign in Europe

BarcelonaTourists and onlookers watched this Monday as two boats crossed the waters of the port of Barcelona with a bunch of smiling young people on board. They were the players of CN Atlètic Barceloneta, who were showing anyone who wanted to see it the most dreamed-of cup: the water polo Champions League. After more than a decade of hard work, with blows received and disappointments, the sailor team won its second European crown a few months ago. And to present the new season, the club boasted about the milestone: "When a few months ago we went to Malta to play the final phase, we first did a kind of symbolic act with a boat through the port, to bond. And now that we have won, we have repeated it," said captain Alberto Munárriz. And that is how traditions are born. Within the club, it has already been internalized that if one reigns in Europe, one will cross the port on a boat every season. But president Julián García is not satisfied. He wants more. "One day we will all make this boat trip together. You are the next ones," he said, looking at the players of the women's team.

After dominating the national men's water polo scene for 21 years in which they have always won the league, Barceloneta is facing its most ambitious challenge: to also lead in women's water polo. Never before in local water polo has a single club dominated both leagues. For years, Barceloneta reigned in the men's league, and CN Sabadell in the women's. Now the sailors want to change history, and that is why they have been "working for years on a grassroots project, to gradually form a good women's team with homegrown players," explains coach Chus Martín. Joining the homegrown players are top-level internationals such as Paula Leitón and sisters Elena and Ariadna Ruiz. All three players, all from the Vallès region, already know what it's like to win a Champions League. In fact, Chus Martín was the coach of the first men's Champions League victory in 2014. A club man who now coaches the women's team, which in five years has gone from playing in the Second Division to being a finalist in the EuroCup, the second international club competition, in which they lost in the final against CN Catalunya. This year, Barceloneta will repeat its presence in the EuroCup. If they win it, they will qualify for the Champions League for the first time. "It is our goal. We can also do it if we finish among the top four. On the last day of the league we lost against Mataró by a single goal; we are on the right track," he explains. Mataró is the reigning league champion and one of the favorites to retain the title along with CN Sabadell and Sant Andreu.

The men's team seeks a new title

The men's team, for its part, has become the rival that everyone wants to beat. Now that it rules in Europe, the challenge is not to relax, and that is why players like the Italian Francesco di Fulvio have arrived. To ensure that Barceloneta will continue to be competitive, coach Fran Fernández has a clear recipe. "Walking. The key is to enjoy the journey. A year ago the dream was to finally win the Champions League and many believed we werebluffing. The goal is to always improve, that is what sport teaches us. And it must be done in every training session. Let's enjoy this journey and hope that the women's team joins us. And for more voyages on these ships", said the coach, a former player of the club, who in the men's league will have as a rival CN Sabadell, coached by one of his best friends, Albert Español. "We have a great responsibility, because once you win, everyone expects you to keep doing it. Our commitment has been clear for years, however. We want to improve in every training session. The past is already the past. Last season, beautiful, is a closed book. We must open a new book", added Alberto Munárriz.

For now, the next challenge is this Wednesday at the Sant Sebastià pool, where they will seek to win their second European Super Cup against the French side Marseille, the only team capable of defeating them last season in continental competition (7:30 p.m.).