Vladimir Vujasinović


Vladimir Vujasinović is a former Serbian water polo player, who has two Olympic bronze medals, an Olympic silver medal, and numerous other titles. He has been named best water polo player in the world several times. In 2003 he was pronounced the best athlete of Serbia and Montenegro, and in 2005 the Olympic Committee of Serbia and Montenegro declared him to be the best sportsman. Vujasinović has played 341 matches for his country and scored 391 times. In 2011, his club VK Partizan won the National Championship and National Cup of Serbia, LEN Euroleague, LEN Super Cup, Eurointer League and Tom Hoad Cup.

Early life

Vujasinović was born on 14 August 1973 in Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia, to ethnic Serb parents hailing from Ivoševci village near Knin. He grew up in Istria.

Career

As Player

Vujasinović debuted for the national team in Kotor scoring his first goal against France in an 18–3 win. He was 17 years, three months and 22 days old. From 1995. he was a permanent member of the national team, and a captain since 2003. During this period, Vladimir only missed the 1999 European championship after a doping scandal after the Italian Cup semi-final. In numerous surveys, he was elected as the world's best water polo player on the grounds that he can play equally well in all positions for the team. Forerunner of all-round player, he was a member of all possible ideal setups. He retired from the national team in 2008. Vujasinović is considered to be one of the best players in the history of world water polo. He played for Croatian Primorje, Serbian VK Crvena Zvezda, Spanish Barcelona, Italian A.S. Roma Pallanuoto, Serbian VK Partizan, Italian Pro Recco, Brazilian Fluminense. In summer 2007 he played with Maltese side Neptunes WPSC and helped them retain the Maltese First Division. He was named Most Valuable Player at the 2001 European Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Vujasinović won European Champions League several times with Italian Pro Recco and Serbian VK Partizan. He rejoined Partizan Belgrade for the 2008/9 season. He won the Malta Waterpolo Summer League title with Neptunes Emirates in August 2010.

As Coach

Vladimir Vujasinović named as assistant coach of Serbian national team in 2012. With national team, he won 2016 Olympic Games, 2015 World Championship, two European Championships: 2014, 2016 and four World League: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. In 1 year and less than 2 months the Serbian National team had won the four biggest titles in Waterpolo in a row, nobody before him do it.

Club

As Player

Neptunes WPSC

Efforts to strengthen the team and try to retain the championship in 2007 were made immediately after the 2006 season ended. Serbian idol Vlado Vujasinović was snapped up from top Italian side Pro Recco and Sergio Afric’s immediate reaction to the club president was "Abbiamo appena vinto il prossimo campionato!" And how true that was. Vlado turned out to be the toast of the game’s connoisseurs as he managed to bring the best out of his colleagues with his superb marshalling at the back, closing all gaps and his play-making was the platform of Neptunes offensive stints. The final game that wrapped up the championship for Neptunes will go down in the club’s history as the biggest win they ever registered over Sliema – 12–4.

Partizan Raiffeizen

2011–12 season
On 22 October 2011. Vujasinović scored two goals in the first round of the Euroleague Group, in an 8–9 loss to Szeged Beton VE. On 9 November Vujasinović scored a goal in the second round of the Euroleague Group in the 10–10 tie against TEVA-Vasas-UNIQA. On 26 November Vujasinović scored a goal in a 9–6 Euroleague third round win over ZF Eger in Belgrade. On 30 December Vujasinović won with Partizan the ninth "Tom Hoad Cup" in Perth, defeating in the final the Australian team, Fremantle Mariners 11–9. He led his rejuvenated team to the victory with no Serbia men's national water polo team representatives as a captain. On 15 February 2012. Vujasinović scored his first goal of the Serbian National Championship season, in the second round of the "A League", in an 8–6 win against Crvena Zvezda VET. On 17 February Vujasinović scored in the third round of the "A League", in an easy 14–2 win against ŽAK. On 26 February Vujasinović scored his last two goals in the final round of the Euroleague Group, in which his team lost by 9–8 to Szeged Beton VE and dropped out of the competition. On 1 March he scored two goals against VK Vojvodina in a 10–9 win in the "A League" fourth round.
Clubs he played for
Vujasinović has additionally had summer league club stints in Malta and Brazil with Neptunes WPSC and Fluminense, respectively.

As Coach

Vujasinović led VK Partizan from 2013. He won two Serbian league matches and was twice in the semifinal in LEN Champions League. He led the youngest team in LEN Champions League.

Honours

Club

VK Crvena Zvezda
CN Barcelona
AS Roma Pallanuoto
Pro Recco
Neptunes WPSC
PA Fluminense
VK Partizan