A few days after Francesco Di Fulvio’s transfer to Barceloneta was confirmed, Pro Recco lost another experienced player.
Andrea Fondelli retired at the age of 32. He will stay in Recco’s family and will serve as Head of the Youth Sector and Academy Project.
Fondelli has always lived in the city of Recco. He played for the youth, junior, and senior teams of Camogli before coming to Pro Recco in 2011. He was loaned from Pro Recco to Sport Management (2017-2019) and to Savona (2020-2022).
During his eleven seasons wearing Pro Recco’s cap (2011 – 2017; 2019 – 2020 and 2022-2026), he won 10 Italian Championships, 8 Italian Cups, 3 Champions League titles, 3 European Super Cups, 1 Euro Cup, and 1 Adriatic League title.
Fondelli played more than 200 games for Italy, winning an Olympic bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, two World Championship silver medals (2022 and 2024), two European Championship bronze medals (2014 and 2024), gold in the 2022 World League and silver in the 2023 World Cup.
He explained that the decision to retire did not come suddenly:
“In March 2025, after winning the Italian Cup in Naples, I faced a serious health issue that required delicate surgery. Those were difficult days, full of uncertainty. In moments like that, you inevitably imagine the worst—even the possibility of never playing again. That’s when I began thinking seriously about my future, even though everything ultimately worked out”, Fondeli said in an interview with Pro Recco’s website.
Several months later, Pro Recco offered him a new role in the club, and an agreement about his work with young players was reached.
Departures and arrivals
Besides Fondelli, Recco’s second goalkeeper, Tommaso Negri, retired from playing water polo, but he also stayed at the club as part of the club management.
Four departures have been confirmed: Francesco Di Fulvio (Barceloneta), Luke Pavillard (who will move to Mladost and apply for Croatian citizenship), Lorenzo Demarchi, and Slovakia’s center-forward, who will likely join Jadran Herceg Novi.
The reinforcements are two returnees, Marko Bijac (from Jadran Split) and Gergo Zalanki (from Olympiacos), plus Tommaso Gianazza (from Brescia), Mattia Di Corato (Roma Vis Nova), and Alessandro Carnesechi (from Ortigia). Gianazza and Carnesechi are currently with the national team in Australia, representing Italy at the World Cup Final Eight.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: total-waterpolo.com
