Seven years after Nikola Grbic's departure from the Serbian national team, his name is once again frequently mentioned in his homeland. This time, the reason is entirely different. In 2019, he left after the unsuccessful Olympic qualification in Bari, and today he is at the helm of Poland, with whom he has won ten medals in ten major tournaments and has just defended the European title.
The contrast became even more visible at EuroVolley 2026. Serbia ended its participation in the round of 16 after losing to Slovenia 0:3, while Grbic remained in Milan until the last evening and led Poland to the title after a 3:1 (31:29, 25:19, 20:25, 25:16) victory against France. This was the second consecutive European gold for the Poles, who also secured a spot at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028 with their success.
Serbian media also noted this contrast. Meridian Sport reminded after the final that while the country's national team once again remained far from the medal contention, one of the greatest Serbian volleyball players continues to win with Poland. The topic of his possible return to lead Serbia is gradually coming back to the agenda.
There is also a much more serious reason for such discussions than the wishes of fans and journalists. Grbic himself has openly stated that he does not rule out a second period as coach of his homeland.
"I see myself as the coach of Serbia in the future. When that will be – I don't know," he admitted in early 2026.
Grbic also explained why this possibility continues to attract him. He spoke of his desire to one day pass on his accumulated knowledge and experience to Serbian volleyball players and admitted that no matter how good he feels in Poland, the feeling of success with his own country is different.
"My desire is to pass on the knowledge, emotion, and everything I have to our children. It's wonderful with the Poles, I enjoy working with them. But it's different when you hear your anthem after winning something," Grbic said.
His first period at the helm of Serbia lasted from 2015 to 2019. Under his leadership, the team won the World League in 2016, took silver a year earlier, reached bronze at EuroVolley 2017, and the semifinals of the World Championship in 2018.
The separation came in August 2019 after the Olympic qualification in Bari, where Serbia failed to secure a quota for Tokyo. The Federation then announced the termination of relations as a decision made in the interest of the national team. At that time, Zoran Gajic was at the head of Serbian volleyball, speaking of the need for change after the performance in Italy.
Just a few weeks later, Serbia, now with Slobodan Kovac on the bench, became European champions. This further left the separation with Grbic in the shadow of the subsequent success.
Seven years later, the situation is different. Zoran Gajic is now the Minister of Sports of Serbia, and the coach with whom the federation parted ways in 2019 has built an impressive career outside the country. After successes with Perugia and ZAKSA, he took over Poland in 2022, and since then, the national team has not been without a medal in any of the ten major tournaments in which it has participated.
Grbic does not seem inclined to let what happened in 2019 become an obstacle to a possible return.
"I don't want to go back to that moment. The fact that I'm thinking of returning speaks for itself. If the separation was so bad, I would never return," he says.
For now, however, Grbic has other work to finish. His contract with the Polish Volleyball Federation is until the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. The European title in Milan has already secured an Olympic quota for the Poles, and the next two seasons can be entirely focused on preparing for the big goal.
Interestingly, in Poland, there is already talk about the time after Grbic. The president of the federation, Sebastian Swiderski, revealed to WP SportoweFakty a conversation with the Serbian specialist, in which the current coach himself raised the question of who could continue his work. And Grbic pointed to a specific name. "As of today, if you want a Pole, you have Winiar. Talk to Winiar," Swiderski recounted.
This refers to Michal Winiarski – a world champion with Poland as a volleyball player in 2014 and the current coach of Aluron CMC Warta (Zawiercie). Until the end of 2025, he also led the German national team, so he already has serious experience in international work.

Of course, Grbic's words do not mean that Winiarski has been designated as his successor. Nor is there a decision that the Serb will leave Poland after the 2028 Olympics. Even less is there an agreement for him to take over Serbia afterward. But the conversation is already interesting precisely because it comes from both sides. In Poland, the name of a person whom Grbic himself considers a suitable option after him has appeared. In Serbia, on the other hand, there is increasingly talk about the coach with whom the country parted ways in 2019 and who, in the meantime, has accumulated successes far from home.
And Grbic leaves no room for speculation on at least one issue – he would like to be the coach of Serbia again someday.
When and if this will actually happen is another question. Until Los Angeles 2028, he is the coach of Poland and has a contract that he must fulfill. After the Olympics, however, both Poland and Grbic will have to decide how to proceed. Then it may become clear whether what was said today about Winiarski and Serbia was just a conversation about the future or the first sign of what it will look like.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov