Men’s 2025 Super Cup quotes, facts and figures
Interesting facts
FTC-Telekom have become the masters of European finals, as since the team returned to the big stage in 2017, they have contested 11 finals and won nine of them.
2017 Euro Cup Final W
2017 Super Cup Final L
2018 Euro Cup Final W
2018 Super Cup Final W
2019 Champions League Final W
2019 Super Cup Final W
2021 Champions League Final L
2024 Champions League Final W
2024 Super Cup Final W
2025 Champions League Final W
2025 Super Cup Final W
FTC’s Hungarian star Krisztian Manhercz offered another masterclass in shotmaking in the Super Cup final. After hitting six in the Champions League final against Novi Beograd in June (which also earned him the MVP award), his four goals were paramount in FTC-Telekom’s victory against Recco.
For a while, Recco were the nemesis of Ferencvaros. They beat them in three consecutive Final Eights – in the final in 2021, in the semi-final in 2022 and in the quarter-final in 2023. This changed in 2024, when Fradi dethroned them in the Champions League final, preventing Recco from a historical run of four consecutive titles. And on Wednesday, the Magyars halted another mighty run of the Italian giants, as Recco won their last nine Super Cup finals, but the historical 10th triumph was delayed as the green army downed them in a fantastic battle.
Champions League winners are now 22-1 up in the Super Cup finals since the event resumed in 2002. Indeed, it was FTC-Telekom that managed to break the trend in 2018, upsetting Olympiacos in the same Komjadi pool in Budapest, winning the shootout. Fradi have six Super Cup trophies now, but only their last three followed their Champions Legaue wins, in the first three occasions they won as underdogs (before 2018, they triumphed in 1978 and 1980).
It’s only October and the season is just beginning, but FTC-Telekom have already landed two trophies. Ten days ago they lifted the Hungarian Cup (it was their 8th straight win), and now they retained the Super Cup. Across all competitions, this was their 9th title in a row, and with six more wins in this current season, their win-loss stands 94-2 since 2024.
Quotes from the players
Krisztian Manhercz, player, Ferencvaros (scored 4 goals)
“There were great expectations about the high levels the teams would produce for this game, and I can tell you that those expectations were met. It’s a rarity to reach that quality in October, and I do think everyone in the pool enjoyed this game, as it was a truly fantastic battle. The lead was changing hands from time to time, there were a lot of emotions. Small things separated us and I’m happy that we came out on top at the end.”
Gergo Fekete, player, Ferencvaros (scored 4 goals)
“I can’t really tell you what made the difference today, perhaps that we’ve been together since 3-5-6-8-10 years, depending when the respective players joined Fradi. I think both teams knew everything about the others, as we had a lot of joint practices recently and we took advantage of that. It was great that we had such a strong start, and we managed to get their goalie off balance early on, which was important. It was a great game, a great tactical battle of the two coaches and I’m really happy that we could win this match. Sport is crucial, as what you achieved in the past, doesn’t matter tomorrow, you have to prove your quality every day. I’ve learned that in my career and we all did, that’s how we could play these matches with the proper motivation.”
Marton Vamos, player, Ferencvaros (scored the winner)
“We had great matches with Recco in New York, where we also had toe-to-toe battles. Obviously, these two teams are the best in the world right now, and today we were a bit better. This was a fantastic celebration of water polo, in front of packed stands, no seats remained unoccupied and I’m sure everyone enjoyed this game. These are the matches why you started to play water polo and why you put in the hard work on grey weekdays. Of course, we cannot win every time everywhere, but as of now, our run is still on, and we enjoy these days when we lift another trophy.”
Francesco di Fulvio, captain of Pro Recco
“We leave this evening with some regret, because even if we’ve only been together for forty days, at Pro Recco there’s always the obligation to try to win. It was a great match, with many mistakes but also many positives. We changed eight players (since last year), and this was the first real match of the season, only the second official one after Salerno, and it wasn’t easy.
“Credit to our opponents – they were under more pressure than us, playing at home. We walk away with our heads held high and are thinking about the three trophies we can still lift.
“The moment that might have changed the game was perhaps the counterattack at the end of the third quarter that could have put us two goals ahead. We start again tomorrow, the road ahead is long, and in Italy the teams will be even more fired up against us.”
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
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