Balazs Nyeki praised Ferencvaros for finding the emotional strength to secure a Champions League bronze medal in Malta, but admitted that changes will be necessary if the Hungarian champions are to return to the European throne.
FTC recovered from their painful semifinal defeat against Zodiac CNAB to beat Olympiacos 16-13 in the third-place match, ensuring that their attempt to win a third consecutive Champions League title ended with another European medal.
For Nyeki, the result was about more than simply finishing third. After losing to Barceloneta in a penalty shootout, FTC had to rediscover their motivation while watching two other teams prepare for the final they had expected to contest.
“I am extremely satisfied,” Nyeki told Hungarian news agency MTI after the match. “I think it was clear from the players, and from me as well, that we gave everything.”
“It is always difficult for a champion to watch others prepare for the final when they are not there. We reacted well to that situation.”
Nyeki revealed that his players required different forms of encouragement as they attempted to recover from the disappointment of the semifinal.
“There were moments when we had to shake the players up, and others when we had to comfort them. We had to find the emotional energy that could turn the match around.”
That response was particularly important because FTC did not have complete control against Olympiacos. The Greek champions repeatedly threatened and included Hungarian internationals Gergo Zalanki and Daniel Angyal, but FTC found another level during the decisive stages to pull away and claim bronze.
Nyeki said the squad had deliberately given the third-place match greater meaning.
“We made this bronze medal extremely important to ourselves,” he explained. “Some players were really struggling, but we managed to lift them from rock bottom.”
FTC’s official reaction captured the same feeling, describing the medal as a bronze that the team experienced almost like a Champions League victory.
That emotion was understandable. FTC had arrived in Malta as back-to-back European champions and had won ten consecutive trophies across all competitions before their defeat to Barceloneta. Their reign ended by the smallest possible margin after a 9-9 draw and a penalty shootout.
However, Nyeki did not allow the positive conclusion to hide the wider lesson of the weekend.
“If a team does not achieve its main objective, then it cannot say that nothing needs to change,” he said.
“Something definitely has to change.”
Nyeki pointed towards Barceloneta’s speed and movement as an example of how elite European water polo is developing. The eventual champions played with relentless dynamism throughout the Final Four, defeating FTC before overcoming Pro Recco in a record-breaking final.
Yet Nyeki does not believe Ferencvaros should simply attempt to copy the Spanish club.
“Barceloneta play extremely dynamic water polo, but we do not necessarily have to follow them,” he said. “Half of our players are slightly older than the new generation.”
“We have to find a way to combine those things. If we find that formula, we can return to the throne.”
That may become the central challenge of FTC’s next cycle.
The Hungarian champions still possess one of the most experienced and successful squads in Europe, with players who have repeatedly delivered in major finals. Their physical strength, composure and tactical control have formed the foundation of an extraordinary period of success.
But Malta also demonstrated the growing importance of speed, movement and transition play under water polo’s new rules.
Nyeki’s comments suggest that FTC’s response will not be to abandon the qualities that made them champions. Instead, the objective will be to blend their established strengths with the energy and dynamism of a younger generation.
The Champions League trophy will belong to Barceloneta for the next year, but FTC still left Malta with a medal and a clear sense of what must come next.
Their reign may be over, but Nyeki believes the route back to the top can already be seen.
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