An Olympic medal would be the crown of a great career

For almost 14 years of the existence of the water polo national team of Montenegro, there were many ups and downs, from 2008 to 2019, it went from the title of European champion to 10th place in the world, but during all that time, the national team had one constant - character and the work of Aleksandar Ivović.

The legend of the water polo sport, the man who tied his career to two clubs (home Jadran and the giant Pro Reko, with the fact that he also spent one season in the South) and the cap of the Montenegrin national team, is the hero of the bronze that the "sharks" won seven days ago in Budapest. In the duel for third place, Ivović scored five goals in a great turnaround and victory for Montenegro over Croatia with a score of 10:9.

"This is probably my favorite medal in my career. I have been in the national team for 13 years, but I will especially remember this award," said Ivović after winning bronze at the European Championships.

Ivović remembers both difficult and championship days, because in all these years he skipped only one major competition (World Championship in Budapest 2017) and was part of the national team in 15 of the 16 biggest tournaments in which he participated.

Ivović's portrait is therefore not difficult to write, because from head to toe, from the beginning of his career until today, he is exclusively an athlete.

Medals, trophies (there are almost 30 of them), the name he earned in the world of water polo as one of the best players on the planet speak for him. He was also recognized by Montenegro, because he was chosen by the Olympic Committee as the best athlete in 2015, while a year later he shared the same award with karate player Marija Raković.

The popular Leka also comes from a sports family from Baošić near Herceg Novi. Blagoje's older brother is also a water polo player, he was an international player in Italy, Spain..., now he plays for Budva, and he also wore the cap of the Macedonian national team. Sister Marijana is a former basketball player, she played in Budućnost, she was part of the Montenegrin national team at the European Championship in 2012...

It is also remembered that Ivović, who turns 34 in three weeks, was also invited by Serbia after the referendum on Montenegrin independence in 2006 to play for the national team there, but like his godfather, he is a teammate from the Adriatic and the national team, and now coach Vladimir Gojković , decided to stay at home and write history with the "sharks" with whom he became European champion in Malaga in 2008.

All the successes of the water polo national team at the biggest tournaments are tied to Ivović, and in addition to the gold from Andalusia, he also won three silver medals (EP 2012, WC 2013, EP 2016), as well as a bronze in Budapest this January. The next goal is known - first in March, Montenegro must pass the qualification tournament for the Olympic Games, and then go to Tokyo in the summer to chase a medal. It would be the first Olympic, after three disappointing cycles and fourth positions in Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.

After the OI, if the water polo players are of course part of them, there is a high probability that Ivović will finish his representative career, because it has already been announced that he will spend the summer of 2021 (when the World Championship in Japan is next) in Malta, where he will play for the Neptunes.

It would be his return to Malta after three years, as he also spent the summer of 2017 there...