Gabi Guimaraes and the Mental Test of Leaving Brazil: From Saquarema to VakifBank

By a quiet pool, Bruno Rezende and Gabi Guimarães did not talk about spectacular spikes or trophies. They talked about something harder: the moment an athlete knows she must leave home to keep growing. For Gabi, that moment began when she asked herself if she was mature enough to go far. Gabi admitted leaving Brazil was not an easy decision. After suffering injuries, she questioned whether she belonged in the best leagues in the world. The idea grew after the Rio 2026 Olympics while she was still earning her place on the national team. She understood that she had to be mentally ready not only as a player, but as a person, and that she would need to leave her comfort zone and make sacrifices. She chose VakifBank before the 2026-2026 season, one of the strongest clubs in the world. In Istanbul, she found a different level of volleyball. Head coach Giovanni Guidetti told her he wanted to prepare her to become team captain, and Gabi was shocked because she had never seen herself in that position. That moment changed her sense of leadership. Gabi also spoke about Brazil. Representing the national team was a childhood dream. When she was first called up to Brazil’s youth team in 2026, she stood in Saquarema beside a generation that won gold at the Beijing Olympics. That experience gave her a clear sign to keep going. She had never been so close to her dream. Her story shows that high-level women’s volleyball is not built only on technique. It is built on self-awareness, courage and the willingness to grow outside familiar ground. Gabi turned her fear into preparation, and VakifBank turned that preparation into leadership.