Večernjak bira Vaterpolista godine (IV)
The Zagreb daily newspaper "Večernji list”, for the 37th consecutive year, selects the best domestic player in a sport that is one of the most successful in Croatian history. Especially when it comes to ball, team, or collective sports. This year is sensational with three Croatian finals in all three biggest world competitions – Olympic Games, World Championships, and European Championships – truly special. Such successes certainly make the job harder for the expert judging panel of “Večernjak”, even though such a difficult and close choice is surely desired every year.
One of our water polo aces is definitely a water polo player that we further present to you, if anyone even needs a special introduction. He is...
Loren Fatović
Long ago, in Budapest 2017, Elvis Fatović publicly stated that his son had ‘clearly’ surpassed him. Elvis was a great, accomplished water polo player and a representative. It's not really right to interpret what was said from a father's perspective, where a parent will always put their offspring first. In the case of Loren Fatović, it is simply the genuine truth.
Today, Loren is one of the few players with dazzling moves, with a sense of humor in the game. He is not only extremely fast, which was the characteristic that initially set him apart from others. He is not only a scorer, although even today, he is exactly that, both in the national team and in the club. Loren is also a playmaker, a great assistant, simply a complete player. The extent of his importance in the Croatian national team's game could perhaps be seen best when he was not in the team. He missed the World Championship in Fukuoka 2023 due to a hand injury and operation.
Focusing solely on the year 2024, for which the selection of the best Croatian water polo player is taking place, Loren Fatović was phenomenal.
At the European Championships in Dubrovnik and on the Sava River, he was the second top scorer of the Barracudas with 9 goals or an average of 1.5 per game, right after Marinic Kragic. A month later, in the Arabian desert, specifically in the pool in Doha, he left us breathless. And his opponents unsuccessful. He scored half of all our goals against Spain in the 2nd round, i.e., 3 goals. He maintained that rhythm of three goals against South Africa and China, before stepping it up when facing much tougher tests. In the quarterfinals, he scored ‘4 goals against Serbia’, the top scorer of the match. In the semifinals against France, he was again number 1, with three goals. He was ‘shut down’ by the Italians in the final, but he still recorded three assists.
In Paris at the Olympics, his first appearance was already a small show. Against Montenegro, 3 goals and 3 assists. Two goals each against Italy and Romania, but 3 against Greece and the United States, and 2 against Spain in the quarter-finals along with a block and an assist. However, the semi-final was one for the books.
‘He single-handedly destroyed’ the Hungarians. Of the 9 Croatian goals, more than half, five are his, along with 2 blocks and 1 expulsion. In the second half of the first and throughout the second quarter, he was the only Croat scoring goals. An uninterrupted ‘fiver’. He ‘craze’ the Hungarians, they couldn't do anything to him. Perhaps the demonstration of skill, imagination, and power was sublimated precisely in that one match. He was not chosen by chance in the ideal seven of the Paris Olympics, and just a few days ago, he was included among the 7 candidates for the best in the world, in the World Aquatics selection.
This year, he won the Super Cup with Jadran (in spring 2024), as well as the Croatian champions title, and excels in all competitions. He particularly stands out with goals, so this autumn he scored 5 against Radnicki Kragujevac, and 6 goals each against Jug Adriatic Insurance and Kotor's Primorac.
Medals with the national team:
- – Olympic Games in Paris 2024 – silver
- – World Championship in Budapest 2017 – gold
- – World Championship in Doha 2024 – gold
- – World Championship in Gwangju 2019 – bronze
- – European Championship in Split 2022 – gold
- – European Championship in Dubrovnik and Zagreb 2024 – silver
- – European Championship in Barcelona 2018 – bronze
- – World League in Belgrade 2019 – silver
- – World League in Ruz 2017 – bronze
- – Europa Cup in Rijeka 2018 – gold
- – Europa Cup in Zagreb 2019 – silver
