“We don’t pay enough attention to water polo.” Merkulov on his Champions League win and move to Savonna

Water polo player Daniil Merkulov won the most prestigious club trophy this season – the Champions League. He did it as part of Ferencvaros. And despite the fact that he became the first Russian water polo player to achieve such a result in 23 years, this event went almost unnoticed, as did Merkulov’s transfer to the Italian Savannah after his triumph in the final.

— Of course, Pro Recco was the favorite before the final, and it was predicted that they would win. But I think our great desire to win played a role here; we came out very motivated,” Merkulov said. “Also, the defensive game is excellent, we did a lot of work before the Final Four.” They played one of the best games of the entire season.

— There is an opinion that the refereeing was not very good.

“I didn’t say it was bad.” In the end, we helped our opponents a little, they played without a single player for four minutes, and to maintain some intrigue, I think the referees decided to send off our players too.

— Was it nice to end your performance for the team on such a note?

— I didn’t want to leave Ferencvaros, but it seems to me that the team management didn’t expect us to win the Champions League this year, and at the beginning, in the middle of the season, they planned to build a team that could compete for gold. We didn’t have several positions filled, we didn’t have a second central striker – they bought a foreigner for the following year. It was sad to leave, but on the other hand, we won the Champions League and I always wanted to play in Italy, so I left with peace of mind.

— Isn’t it a pity that in Russia they don’t pay much attention to your achievements?

— It seems to me that in Russia, at first, few people pay attention to water polo, the emphasis is on other types. Interest in water polo is not as developed as in other countries where it is more popular.

— Did you manage to return to Hungary with the trophy? How did you meet?

— Most of the fans welcomed us at the hotel after the match. And in Budapest, when we returned, it was already a more intra-club atmosphere. They hung a huge congratulatory banner over half the city. We took several photos against its background.

— At club level, you have won everything. What more do you want?

– I’m waiting for the result. I had many good offers, financially, from other clubs. But I chose Italy because there is development there, I can grow as a player. I like the Italian culture, the country itself, the sea and the sun. And the team is going to grow, I want to contribute to that. Also, my Italian friends said that Pro Recco liked me and that they were interested in me. Maybe in the future I can join that team after playing in Italy. It’s the dream of every player, like many Real Madrid footballers.

— So you beat the dream team in this final?

— Well, Real Madrid doesn’t always win everything either. In general, I wouldn’t refuse to become the first Russian player in the history of Pro Recco.

— As far as I understand, you weren’t planning on joining the national team after the Champions League?

“Right now I am focusing on playing for the club. I would really like all the avenues to be open for us to play for the national team in tournaments. It is not possible yet. And if I come to training camps just to train, I can do it as a member of a club.

More sports news in our telegram channel .