At the end of 2022, we were given the chance to view what was considered to be a globally significant water polo tournament from the poolside. Not only did this allow us to witness the suspense of the game up close, but also allowed us to interview some of the most significant players in water polo. The North Texas New Year’s Showcase, which took place from Dec. 28 to Jan. 3,  hosted three powerhouse water polo teams in North Texas: the US Pan American Champions from the United States, the World Champions from Spain, and the Olympic Champions from Serbia.

For those unfamiliar with water polo, it’s a team sport played in a pool, with the objective of throwing a ball into the opposing team’s goal. The game is fast-paced and requires a mix of swimming, passing, and shooting skills, making it a unique and challenging sport.

Watching water polo from a dim laptop screen held no candle to witnessing the game from a couple feet away. All the matches had memorable moments ranging from an emotional fist fight in the water, to a ruthless penalty shootout cementing a win for Serbia, to an insane comeback by the Spanish who scored 7 consecutive in 9 minutes.

However, what really stood out to us during our time at the games were the individual stories of the players themselves. One of the most important players representing the Spanish team was 20-year-old Unai Aguirre, a recent addition to the team who has already participated in numerous International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Tournaments and will play in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aguirre was initially a football goalkeeper as a child, but at seven-years-old he was willing to give water polo a chance. This willingness to step outside of his comfort zone and try something new ultimately led to his success in the sport.

“I’ve been playing water polo since I [was] seven years old,” Aguirre said. “I was [a] football goalie. And I swam also, and my [coach] said to me like, ‘you want to play water polo as a goalie because you are football goalie, and we need a goalie.’ And I mean, it’s not bad, no? I made it a career and I’m so happy.” 

Although Aguirre is new to the league, he has already been nominated for several awards such as the 2022 European Swimming League (LEN) Awards Best Male Water Polo Player. He said that what lies behind his rapid success in global professional water polo is his approach to training.

“I’m training at 100% every day,” Aguirre said. “I try to improve at every training session. And that’s why I’m here. And I’m so happy. And now I have a lot of things to improve, but in a good way.” 

USA National Team member, Max Irving, started playing water polo in high school, and later moved to the college level at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), before eventually making it to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo with the USA water polo team. Similarly to Aguirre, Irving believes that he can only gain as much as he puts in.

“Immerse yourself in the game and everything, every day matters,” Irving said. “So whether you’re at training, try to train as much as possible. If you can play up in age group, play up an age group. If you can do swim team, do swim team. But you know it’s one of those things you’re gonna get out what you put in.” 

Irving has also proven this to be true, as he went from being a redshirt, a player who is on the team but does not play in games at UCLA, to joining the national team in the span of just 3 years. On top of that, Irving has shown to be a fierce competitor in the water despite his smaller stature and size compared to other professional players.

Spain’s water polo team did not get to global prominence with Aguirre alone, and according to Aguirre, the team currently consists of some of the best players they have ever had. While ranked sixth in the world by FINA, their team has a dominant player in every position, something that continues to push them higher in global rankings.

“I think that we have one of the best generations that Spain had in recent years. Here we are an amazing team,” Aguirre said. “We are top players in every position. We won the World Championship in Budapest this year. We’ve been 20 years without winning anything.”

Álvaro Granados, one of Aguirre’s teammates, is another one out of the five men nominated for the 2022 LEN Awards Best Male Water Polo Player. He also competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and helped his team win a gold medal in the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. 

Granados joined Spain’s national team when he was only 16 and over the past seven years he has had to focus on his flourishing professional water polo career. Granados has had to balance being an athlete along with his own personal life and other passions he is currently studying. 

“If you really want it, you can do it,” Granados said. “But for me, this is the meaning of wanting something. I can say, I want a nice car, but if I don’t work for it, if I don’t put so much effort on this, I will never achieve it, right? And being an athlete, it’s so hard and so tough some moments, you need to put a part and leave behind many, many things.” 

Granados said he faces difficulties in his sport, spending long and draining hours training, but perseverance makes the positives so much more worth it. He is not only able to turn water polo, something he loves, into a career, but is able to make friends and travel the world. 

“Sometimes it’s really hard, but it’s my life and I enjoy life,” Granados  said. “For me, the most pretty thing of this sport is to share moments with my teammates. Traveling together, being here is the best example. Being in the United States in Dallas, with my teammates, and enjoying and knowing other countries, other cultures, it’s amazing actually.” 

Not only did this tournament showcase some of the best water polo teams and players in the world in action, but provided us a unique opportunity to witness the dedication of these severely underrated athletes up close, learn about their individual stories, and have the ability to share them. This was a once in a lifetime experience, changing our perspective on the game and the world of professional water polo.