“Never in my best dreams did I think I would be in the world championships final in my last tournament,” said Spanish team captain Felipe Perrone Rocha. “I’m 39 and it is not easy. Biel Gomila Faiges, Spain’s youngest player, will turn 20 years old next February, in the same month that I will turn 40. These guys have a lot of energy, and I worked a lot and gave everything to be here.”

Before the tournament began, Perrone wasn’t even sure he would make the trip. “My kids said, ‘Dad, go and do it.’ They told me to enjoy it, and I’m really enjoying it now,” he smiled. “I’ve tried to avoid thinking about the end because there are too many emotions. I cannot be playing and crying, so I just try to enjoy it as I always do with world championships.”

The newly crowned world champion will now return home to his wife, Marija Pecotić, and their two children, Giovana and Nicola, with another gold medal in hand. “I don’t count the matches or save the medals,” he admitted. “I have some medals stashed away for my son, which he’s excited about. But I don’t have that habit. I don’t save anything at all. I give everything away. Even my clothes!”

A Career at the Pinnacle

In February 2024, at his 12th appearance at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, the Brazilian-born captain of Spain’s water polo team announced that the Paris Olympics would be his final international competition. “I am not sure that I will not play as a professional athlete in clubs, but as a national team player, Paris will certainly be the last,” he said.

Perrone’s Olympic journey began at the Beijing 2008 Games. Paris 2024 marked his fifth Olympic campaign. Four times he represented Spain, including a fourth-place finish at Tokyo 2020.

Born in Rio de Janeiro to a Spanish grandmother, Perrone received Spanish nationality in 2005. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, however, he chose to play for his country of birth, helping Brazil to an eighth-place finish on home soil. He switched back to Spain in 2018 and led them to sixth place at Paris 2024.

Medal-Laden Legacy

In Singapore, Perrone closed his international career with 16 major medals, including the freshly minted 2025 world championship gold. That title pairs with the gold from Budapest 2022, along with two silvers and three bronzes from previous World Championships, all with Spain. With Brazil, he earned two silver medals at the Pan American Games in 2003 and 2015.

Born into the Game

Perrone’s path to the sport was shaped by his father, a water polo player, and his older brother Ricardo “Kiko” Perrone, his Olympic teammate at Beijing 2008. As a child, Felipe spent his days at the pool, preferring the ball to swimming laps. At home, the brothers turned the family couch into a goal, playing water polo in the living room.

His first World Championships came at age 15 in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2001. “My first match was Italy-Brazil,” he recalled. “We lost 6-1 and I scored Brazil’s only goal. I wanted to test myself, to find out what my level was. I came out of the pool feeling incredibly proud. It was incredibly hot as the Fukuoka pool had been built on top of tennis courts.” After that tournament, he moved to Spain to further his development, aiming to compete at the highest level.

Mentors and Friendship

One of Perrone’s earliest mentors was USA captain Tony Azevedo, the first non-European water polo player to compete at five Olympic Games (2000–2016). “I have known Felipe since he was just a kid. We played a tournament together and beat everyone by a lot. The Perrone brothers lived with my family in California for several months and were coached by my father, Olympic coach Ricardo Azevedo, when Felipe was 13 or 14 years old,” Azevedo recalled. “From that moment on, Felipe has dedicated his life to water polo. I am so proud to call him a friend. I look forward to Felipe continuing to help water polo grow globally and making the same impact he has in the water out of the water.”

Water polo runs in the family—Felipe’s father played, his brother Kiko played, and now his nephew has recently won a U20 title for Spain. “It’s in his blood to play this sport,” Azevedo said.

Connected to Singapore

The Singapore crowd witnessed not only a champion’s skill but also his deep connection to the host nation. “I was in Singapore a couple of years ago when they announced that the world championships would be held here. I bought a book and learned about the history of Singapore. I feel really connected with the community. We are super happy that they are seeing us play, and that we are here playing in the final. It’s an amazing sport, and we are giving our hearts and our souls in the water,” Perrone said.

A Record-Breaker and a Reformer

Singapore 2025 marked Perrone’s 13th World Aquatics Championships appearance—more than any other water polo player. The only other athlete in aquatic sports to match that number will be Chilean swimmer Kristel Kobrich, who competed in the 800m and 1500m freestyle in Singapore.

Only Spanish legend Manuel Estiarte has more Olympic appearances in the sport, with six between 1980 and 2000. Estiarte remains the highest goal scorer in Olympic water polo history; Perrone is second among Spanish players.

As a member of the World Aquatics Athletes Committee, Perrone also championed significant rule changes, including shortening the playing field from 30 to 25 metres and reducing possessions from 30 to 25 seconds. “The games are more intense and the speed is greater. You can’t lose focus for even a second,” he said. “I like it because, in addition to speeding up the game and making it more fun for those watching, by reducing the size of the pool, it makes water polo easier for everyone to play at a high level. It helps the sport spread.”

The Final Whistle

Before the gold medal match, a group of players from various nations recorded a heartfelt video message—Gracias Felipe—sharing how much the Spanish captain had inspired them.

Perhaps the greatest tribute is the one repeated by those who have met him: Felipe Perrone is a very special person. And yes, they’ll add, he also happens to be one of the greatest water polo players the sport has ever seen.

Parting Shot