Vladimir "Vanja" Grbić (Serbian Cyrillic:Владимир Вања Грбић; born 14 December 1970) is a Serbian formervolleyball player and three-time Olympian. He is 193 cm and played as passer-side attacker. Widely regarded as one of the greatest volleyball players of all time, Grbić was inducted into theInternational Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2011.[1]
While playing with the national volleyball team ofFR Yugoslavia, Grbić won a bronze medal in the1996 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the2000 Summer Olympics.[2] He competed in the2004 Summer Olympics with the team of Serbia and Montenegro, finishing fifth.[1]
TheYugoslav Olympic Committee declared Grbić the best sportsman of the year in1996 and2000.[1][3] In1999 and2000, he received theGolden Badge, an award for the best athlete inYugoslavia.[1]
In his career, Grbić made 242 appearances for the national team until his retirement in 2009.[1] Grbić was known for his powerful spikes and excellent passing on the volleyball court.[1] He was also regarded as a sportsman of great character.[1]
Grbić's father, Miloš, also played volleyball and was a member of the Yugoslavian national team.[1] His younger brother,Nikola, was also a volleyball player on the national team, and similarly is in the Hall of Fame.[4][1] Grbić's wife, Sara, is a former karate world champion.[5]
| Club | Country | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mladost Zagreb |  Yugoslavia | 1990 | 1991 |
| Vojvodina Novi Sad | Yugoslavia | 1991 | 1992 |
| Antonveneta Padova |  Italy | 1992 | 1995 |
| Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo | Italy | 1995 | 1997 |
| São Paulo |  Brazil | 1997 | 1998 |
| Roma Volley | Italy | 1998 | 2001 |
| Osaka Blazers |  Japan | 2001 | 2002 |
| P.A.O.K. |  Greece | 2002 | 2003 |
| Dynamo Moscow |  Russia | 2003 | 2004 |
| Andreoli Latina | Italy | 2004 | 2007 |
| Fenerbahçe Istanbul |  Turkey | 2007 | 2009 |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by |  The Best Athlete of Yugoslavia1999, 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Olympic Games | ||
| Preceded by | Flagbearer for Yugoslavia Sydney 2000 | Succeeded by |
| Sportsman of The Year |
|
|---|---|
| Sportswoman of The Year |
|
| Men's Team of The Year |
|
| Women's Team of The Year |
|
| Team Sport Athlete of The Year |
|
| Young Athlete of The Year |
|
| Coach of The Year |
|
 | ||
