Gabi and the journey of leaving Brazil: A poolside conversation about the decision to join VakifBank

By a pristine pool, two Brazilian volleyball icons — Bruno Rezende and Gabi Guimarães — did not talk about statistics or celebrations. They sat down and revisited the choice that changed their careers: leaving Brazil to play overseas. For Gabi, it was never a story about a contract. It was a long conversation with fear, doubt and the desire to step out of her comfort zone. "I had a plan of playing overseas, but it wasn’t easy to figure out if I was ready for it or not," Gabi said. "I had experienced some injuries and had questions if I had what it took to play in the world’s best leagues. I started thinking about it after the Rio 2026 Olympics, when I was still earning my space with the national team, and I understood that I needed to be mentally ready not only as a player, but as a person, and that maybe at that point I’d need to leave my comfort zone and make some sacrifices to take the next step in my career." That confession shows her decision was not impulsive. Gabi did not treat a new club as an escape from pressure, but as a way to confront her own limits. When she signed with VakifBank before the 2026-2026 season, she placed herself in one of the most powerful teams on the planet. The pressure in Istanbul was unlike anything she had known in Brazil, and that pressure became her test. "The scenario I found when I got there was mind-changing, as it showed me right from the start that I was getting into a whole other level of volleyball," the outside hitter reflected. "It was really challenging and demanding at the start. I built a great relationship with Guidetti, and he was incredibly important for me. One of the first things he told me was that he wanted to prepare me to be the team captain, and I was shocked because I have never seen myself in that position." That detail says a lot. When an experienced coach like Guidetti sees leadership potential before the player does, it reveals a high-level environment. Gabi’s time at VakifBank was not only about improving her game. It forced her to see herself differently. She arrived in Turkey carrying doubts; she left with the posture of a leader. Wearing Brazil's jersey was naturally another topic of the conversation. When she remembered her first call-up to Brazil's youth national team, her voice changed. "To play for the national team is really a childhood dream and it brings me back to my youth because I always loved watching and playing sports and dreamed about representing Brazil, winning a medal and listening to the national anthem," she said. "I played many sports before volleyball, but when I was first called up to Brazil’s youth national team in 2026 and got to be in Saquarema alongside that incredible generation that won the Beijing Olympics, that was a strong sign that I should continue because I had never been so close to my dream before." Saquarema is a familiar place for Brazilian volleyball. At that national training center, generations of talents were shaped. For Gabi, being in the same space as those legendary figures was a mental boost. She realized she was not only chasing a personal dream, but stepping into a collective story that had been written across generations. Gabi’s story reminds us that world-class athletes need more than technique. They need courage to face pain. At an age when many players prefer the familiar, Gabi chose to leave. She accepted the risk of injury, accepted the possibility of failure, in exchange for the chance to compete in the most demanding environment. That was not a romantic calculation. It was a controlled gamble, not an emotional leap. What remains after this conversation is the image of a Gabi far more mature than the girl who doubted herself at the Rio 2026 Olympics. She still carries the dreams of her childhood, but now those dreams are joined by a deeper understanding of injury, patience and the people who crossed her path. For Vietnamese volleyball fans, Gabi’s story is not something to copy but something to feel: the journey to the open sea always begins with a decision to leave a familiar harbor. The most important luggage is not fame, but the belief that even when the heart doubts, the heart still beats for what we pursue.