Legendary players Maica Garcia Godoy and Christos Afroudakis will be the ambassadors for the Champions League Final Four tournaments in Malta, where, for the first time ever, the two coronation events of the top-tier men’s and women’s club competition shall be held together.
European Aquatics is delighted to announce the ambassadors of this year’s joint edition of the Champions League Final Four tournaments. Spanish legend Maica Garcia Godoy and Greece’s former great Christos Afroudakis will play a key role, just like in their heydays, though this time not in the pool but on its deck in promoting the event.
Maica Garcia Godoy is a household name in the world of water polo, whose presence was paramount in Spain’s glorious years which saw three Olympic medals (after silvers in 2012 and 2020, they finally claimed gold in Paris 2024), four world podiums (including a title-winning campaign in 2013) and six European podium finishes, three times on top (2014, 2020, 2022) when Maica was part of the show.
And besides these 13 shining medals, Garcia Godoy was the central figure of Sabadell’s rise and reign between 2011 and 2024 – during those years, she played in all seven title-winning sides of the Spanish giant. In total, she played in 11 editions of the Final Fours, so she is definitely someone who is pretty much in the know of the dos and don’ts at these year-ending showcases.
Christos Afroudakis has also been a highly appreciated player on the international stage. He played at four Olympics, including the home Games in Athens 2004, which saw the Greek national team make the semi-finals for the very first time. The next year, he, together with his brother Georgios, was also part of the wild celebrations in Montreal where the Greeks reached the podium at the World Championships, again a historic first-ever feat.
That year was the absolute highlight of Christos’ career as he lifted the Champions League (back then Euro League) trophy with Italy’s Posillipo Napoli. And he was good enough to stay in the elite 10 years later when the Greeks claimed another bronze medal at the World Championships in Kazan, before he bid farewell to his playing days with a third Olympic appearance in Rio 2016 where he captained the Greek team.
Maica and Christos will be on board for the Final Fours in Malta as our expert guests in the EA studio during the four-day spectacle and also for some social media fun across European Aquatics platforms.
The F4s feature the crème de la crème of European water polo with four former Champions League winners – Pro Recco (11 times), FTC-Telekom (3 times, title-holders), Olympiacos Piraeus (2 times) and Zodiac CNAB (1 time) – composing the men’s field.
The women’s event features three-time champions Olympiacos Piraeus, title-holder St Andreu, former runners-up CN Mataro and returning F4 participants FTC-Telekom.
The action kicks off with the women’s semis on 10 June, followed by the men’s semis on 11 June. The next day will see the bronze medal match and the final in the Women’s Champions League, while the Men’s Champions League title and bronze medals will be decided on 13 June.
Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
