In the second part of his conversation on the Waterpolo Expert Talk, international player Lucas Gielen goes deep into one of the most defining chapters of his career: his move to Serbia and his time at Partizan Belgrade. What began as a sporting challenge quickly turned into a complete transformation – not only as a player, but also as a person.

Lucas describes his arrival in Belgrade as a true culture shock. Coming from the Netherlands, where sport is structured, safe and balanced with everyday life, Serbia represented the opposite extreme. In Belgrade, water polo was not just a sport – it was a way of survival, a daily fight for places, respect and minutes in the water. For Lucas, this was exactly why he chose Serbia: he wanted to test himself in the hardest possible environment.

Initially arriving to play for Banjiča, Lucas quickly caught the attention of Vlado Vujasinović, who offered him a very clear role at Partizan: play defender, stay strong, take exclusions and help the team. Playing time was not guaranteed. For the first months, Lucas barely played at all. Training, however, was relentless. Long hours in the pool, extra leg work after practice, gym sessions, tactical drills and constant evaluation became the new normal.

A crucial moment came when teammates made something very clear to him:
as a foreign player, he had two options – either be the “easy target” everyone wanted to score against, or become the defender everyone feared playing against. Lucas chose the second path. That decision changed how he trained, how he prepared for games and how he approached every duel in the water.

The Serbian mentality demanded total commitment. Distractions, nightlife and excuses had no place. Training, recovery, nutrition and mental focus were non-negotiable. Lucas explains how this environment steadily broke down mental barriers. Again and again, he was pushed beyond limits he thought he could not cross – only to discover that he could.

By February of his first season, the work began to pay off. Lucas made his Champions League debut for Partizan and later played minutes at the Final Six, including the famous victory over Pro Recco. What seemed impossible six months earlier became reality through discipline, humility and persistence.

Beyond tactics and physical development, Serbia reshaped Lucas’s mindset. Winning was not an option – it was an expectation. Preparation became a daily obsession. Teammates and coaches demanded excellence in every detail. As Lucas puts it, after one year in Belgrade, even his family noticed that he had become a different person.

The conversation also touches on what defines a top coach. For Lucas, elite coaching is the balance between tactical knowledge and human understanding. A great coach knows the game deeply but also understands people, moods and timing. He highlights coaches like Vlado Vujasinović and Petar Kovacević as rare examples who combined both qualities at the highest level.

In the final part of the episode, Lucas reflects on life beyond the pool. Water polo, he says, is not only about titles or medals. It is about relationships, networks, cultures and shared experiences. His current involvement in the United States, connections in Europe and career opportunities after water polo all stem from the relationships built through the sport.

This episode is a powerful insight into elite mentality, personal transformation and why true development only happens when comfort disappears.

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