The Ayuntamiento honours Atlètic-Barceloneta's historic season

The institutional reception was held at the Mirador M. Aurèlia Capmany, with the mayor Jaume Collboni, municipal representatives and members of the Catalan Swimming Federation in attendance. The squad arrived with the trophy and shared with the city a victory that is already part of Barcelona’s sporting history.

The club was represented by its president, Julián García, coach Fran Fernández and the first-team players. For many of them, the event was a way of closing a season of enormous demands with recognition from a city that does not always give water polo the attention it deserves.

The mayor presented the club with the Plaque of Barcelona’s Profile, a recognition of the Champions League won and of an extraordinary campaign by the team. Collboni highlighted values such as humility, effort and collective work, which are key for a team used to competing at the highest level without losing its link with the neighbourhood.

The final was played on 13 June in Malta and had all the ingredients of a historic night. Atlètic-Barceloneta defeated Pro Recco 17–16 in a thrilling match, the highest-scoring men’s Champions League final, and lifted its second European Cup.

The victory had added value because of the opponent. Pro Recco is one of the great giants of world water polo, a club used to dominating Europe and with a squad full of top-level names. Beating them in a close final further reinforced the scale of Barcelona’s achievement.

The victory came twelve years after the club’s first Champions League, won in 2014 at the Bernat Picornell pools. Between that title and the one in Malta lies a decade of national dominance, European finals, seasons of quiet work and a very recognisable competitive identity.

Fran Fernández’s team thus closes an almost perfect season. In addition to the European title, Atlètic-Barceloneta has also won the League and the Cup, confirming a campaign that places it among the leading references in team sport in Barcelona.

The municipal reception also served as a reminder that success does not come from a final alone. Behind it are youth development, daily training, club structure and a very close relationship with Barceloneta, a neighbourhood where water, the sea and sport are part of everyday life.

Club Natació Atlètic-Barceloneta is much more than a champion squad. It is an institution born beside the sea, with a history tied to swimming pools, the neighbourhood and a way of understanding sport through discipline and belonging.

For Barcelona, the title has a meaning that goes beyond the honours list. In a city used to major events and international spotlights, water polo reminds us that there are also successes built by neighbourhood clubs, away from the noise of football but with an indisputable European dimension.

The trophy is already in the club’s hands, but the image of the squad at City Hall leaves another, less visible victory: that of a sport once again claiming space in Barcelona’s sporting story. Atlètic-Barceloneta’s Champions League does not belong only to the pool; it also belongs to the city that saw it grow.