Gabi on leaving Brazil: “It wasn’t easy to tell if I was ready” – From VakifBank to the national team dream

In a quiet poolside conversation, Bruno Rezende and Gabi Guimarães reflected on the hardest decision Gabi had to make in her career: leaving Brazil to play overseas. Gabi said the idea had always been there, but doubts crept in after injuries and before she had fully secured her place with the national team following the Rio 2026 Olympics. She knew she had to be mentally ready not just as a player, but as a person, and that leaving her comfort zone was the only way to keep growing. Gabi signed with Turkish powerhouse VakifBank for the 2026-2026 season and immediately felt she had entered a different level of volleyball. The early days were difficult and demanding, but her relationship with head coach Giovanni Guidetti became a turning point. Guidetti told her he wanted to prepare her to become team captain, a role she had never imagined for herself. The conversation also turned to Brazil’s national team. Gabi described playing for Brazil as a childhood dream. Her first call-up to the youth national team in 2026, when she stood alongside the talented generation that would later win the Beijing Olympics, made her believe she was close to something special. It was the moment she understood that dreams need courage, sacrifice and a willingness to start again in unfamiliar places. Gabi’s story is a reminder that great athletes are not born with absolute confidence. They build it through uncertainty, injury and the decision to walk toward what frightens them.