Spain returns to the semifinals of the World Cup: How has it risen in water polo?
“We are the Guardians of the Galaxy,” announces Blai Mallarach and we must remind him that the reference is already somewhat old, although Marvel insists on sequels. The Guardians of the Galaxy are him and Felipe Perrone, 35 and 37 years old, the only two Spanish water polo players who have seen the universe burn and are still alive. “A few puretas”, admits Mallarach. A decade ago, the national team was left out of the World Cup, the players refused to be called up, the coaches lasted a breath in the position. Now she is the current champion who seeks to defend her title at the Fukuoka World Cup. This Tuesday they managed to come back against France in the quarterfinals (7-6) in another display of solidity, what was missing not so long ago. Thursday, semifinals.
What happened? It's the fault of David Martín, the coach. When he arrived in 2016, everything changed. Before, most of the coaches we had were based on physique and it was difficult for us to compete. Now David teaches us to play water polo, he focuses on tactics and that sets us apart. Each training is a class, he knows a lot and, above all, he is very educational. In water polo, just like in football or basketball, everything is invented, but it is very difficult for an entire team to know what to do. He gets it.
Mallarach's praise is shared by all levels of Spanish water polo: Martín has done the miracle. After Manel Estiarte, Jesús Rollán and company won Olympic gold at the Atlanta 1996 Games, Spain disappeared from the podiums and now it has returned in style. In the last two World Cups and the last three Europeans he has won a medal. It sounds easy, but it is not. Throughout the country, there are 10,000 men who play water polo, less than rugby, field hockey or roller hockey. Competing like this against Italy, Serbia, Croatia or Hungary has merit.
“Let's not fool ourselves, the structure remains the same. Water polo is a very minority sport in Spain. We have the drive of a club, Barceloneta, which always plays in the Champions League, and good coaches in lower categories. But whether the Spanish team wins depends on there being a good coach who will raise an entire generation. Every year. With alot of work. That is what has happened now,” analyzes Mallarach, who has lived through the entire process.
When Martín appeared after the Rio Games, he separated several veterans and handed the team over to a lot of kids: Alberto Munárriz, Miguel del Toro, Marc Larumbe, Álvaro Granados and so on until Unai Aguirre, who last year at the age of 19 became a starter in goal. They were all or were going to be for Barceloneta. They all believed that they could be world champions and last year in Budapest they were.
Was there a key moment in the process? Many, but especially the Tokyo Games. There we already had a positive dynamic, but we were not a winning team. We lost in the semifinals against Serbia, which was a logical defeat, and then we didn't know how to secure bronze. Finishing fourth in the Games was difficult to accept, but it was a tremendous learning experience. Helped us take the last pass. Since then we have won the World Cup and a couple of weeks ago, the World Cup, which was a title that Spain had never lifted.
“It has been a very nice evolution to live, more so having gone through years in which we did not win. I am very grateful to David and that is why whenever he calls me I will end up coming although after the Paris Games I see it as complicated. Felipe [Perrone, the captain] is still here because of his quality and I suppose because the youngsters are very good, but they are not left-handed,” jokes Mallarach, who left Barceloneta last year and will play for Sabadell next year.
The final of the last World Cup, against Italy, decided on penalties, will be remembered for centuries by water polo fans, but this Spain knows that to go down in posterity, to really ascend the altars of Estiarte, Rollán and company, it needs to culminate in the next Games in Paris 2024. “The comparison is continuous. That generation marked the whole world. Obviously we know that the Games are the Games, but we have to be proud of what we are achieving”, concludes one of the few veterans, of “the Guardians of the Galaxy”, of the team that, under the leadership of David Martín, has revived Spanish water polo.