Gabi and her decision to leave Brazil: 'I needed to step out of my comfort zone to reach my dream'

By a pristine pool, Bruno and Gabi talked about something more intimate than tactics or trophies: the difficulty of leaving Brazil to play overseas. For many female volleyball players, moving abroad sounds glamorous, but behind every contract there are sleepless nights, questions about ability and the fear of leaving behind family, teammates and familiarity. Gabi admitted she had long planned to play abroad, but it was never easy to know whether she was truly ready. She said, “I had a plan of playing overseas, but it wasn’t easy to figure out if I was ready for it or not. I had experienced some injuries and had questions if I had what it took to play in the world’s best leagues.” Those words reveal something fans rarely see: leaving home is not just about scouting and salary, but also about having an inner dialogue with yourself. The starting point for that thought came from the Rio 2026 Olympics. At the time, Gabi was still earning her place with the Brazilian national team. She watched her senior teammates compete on home soil, felt the passionate atmosphere and realized that if she wanted to move forward, she could not rely only on luck or inspiration. To become the best version of herself, she needed to be mentally ready not just as an athlete, but as a person. Gabi explained that she needed to leave her comfort zone. That was one of those rare moments when she looked back at her youth and admitted that volleyball is not merely a game of hands and feet. High-level volleyball demands maturity in thinking, resilience under pressure and the courage to accept that the road ahead will never be smooth. For Gabi, leaving Brazil was not running away from difficulties; it was opening her arms to a bigger challenge. The turning point came when she decided to join VakifBank ahead of the 2026-2026 season. At that time, VakifBank was a giant of European women's volleyball, a club with huge ambitions, a culture of winning and extremely high standards for every player. For Gabi, it was a bold move. She did not choose a smaller league to adapt. She went straight to one of the strongest teams on the planet and accepted the pressure from day one. “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 Brazilian outside hitter recalled. The environment at VakifBank was not only better technically, physically or tactically. What overwhelmed Gabi was the professional way the club operated, from meals and sleep to training plans and the responsibility each player took for her role on court. The early days in Turkey were really difficult. Gabi had to adapt to new food, a new language, a new culture and the lifestyle of a team constantly under media scrutiny. She did not hide that everything was challenging and demanding from the first sessions. But in that difficulty, she found an important mentor: coach Giovanni Guidetti. Gabi said she built a great relationship with him and that he was incredibly important in helping her through the transition. Guidetti not only taught her about the game; he helped her understand herself. One of the most surprising moments came when he said he wanted to prepare her to be team captain of VakifBank. Gabi admitted she was shocked because she had never seen herself in that position. “I was shocked because I have never seen myself in that position,” she said. For many people, that offer might be a source of joy, but for Gabi, it raised a deeper question: did she have enough courage to lead teammates who were more experienced and came from different volleyball cultures? That doubt helped her grow. Instead of running from responsibility, Gabi learned to listen, accept her weaknesses and turn pressure into motivation. Gabi's story cannot be separated from her dream of playing for Brazil. She has said that playing for the national team is a childhood dream and takes her back to her youth, when she loved watching and playing sports and dreamed of representing Brazil, winning a medal and listening to the national anthem. Before choosing volleyball, she played many sports, but volleyball gave her a sense of belonging and a clear purpose. The first important milestone came in 2026, when she was first called up to Brazil's youth national team. At the time, Gabi was in Saquarema, the heart of Brazilian volleyball, where she saw the generation that had just won gold at the Beijing 2026 Olympics. Standing close to the athletes she admired as a child was a strong sign that she should continue. Gabi said, “That was a strong sign that I should continue because I had never been so close to my dream before.” The presence of the Beijing 2026 Olympic champion generation not only inspired Gabi but also created a standard for her. She watched how they trained, how they took care of their bodies, how they talked under pressure and how they stood up after defeats. For a young woman searching for her own path, those lessons were more valuable than any tactical plan. From then on, Gabi understood that talent is only the beginning. To reach the top, she had to live with discipline, compete fiercely and believe in herself even when everything seemed difficult. The journey from a girl who played many sports in Brazil to a star of VakifBank is not a smooth success story. It has scars, injuries and nights when she wondered if she was on the right track. But Gabi chose to see those difficulties as part of growing up. She did not leave Brazil only for money or personal fame. She left because she wanted to test her limits in the most demanding environment. Gabi's story also reflects a clear trend in world women's volleyball: more athletes from South America, Asia and Africa are willing to leave home to reach professional leagues. What makes Gabi special is the way she prepared mentally before making the decision. She did not jump into the transfer market just because of an exciting offer. She spent time listening to her body, listening to her emotions and defining what she really wanted in the next stage of her career. That explains why Gabi handled the pressure at VakifBank so well. She did not arrive in Turkey with the mindset of a young player who only wanted to learn. She arrived with the mindset of an athlete ready to take responsibility for her choices. That difference lies in psychological depth, something statistics cannot easily measure. If there is one message running through the conversation between Bruno and Gabi, it is that leaving Brazil to play internationally is not the end of a journey; it is a way to expand one's definition of self. Gabi once thought she was just a Brazil national team outside hitter, but VakifBank gave her the chance to become a leader, an inspiration and a role model for young girls dreaming about life abroad. That message is perhaps more important than any trophy. Because when a female athlete dares to leave her comfort zone, she changes not only her own life, but also creates a model for the next generation. Gabi was once inspired by the 2026 Olympic champion generation in Saquarema, and now she can inspire other young Brazilian girls who are still wondering whether to stay home or leave to search for greater challenges. Looking back, Gabi has moved from a girl full of doubts after injuries to a woman who confidently faced the offer to become captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world. That journey has not been easy, but it shows that mental preparation can make a bigger difference than physical or technical ability. Gabi is no longer the confused young girl standing beside her Olympic idols in Saquarema. She has become one of the important voices in women's volleyball, someone who can use her own experience to prove that dreams are not far away if people are brave enough to leave their comfort zone and accept the challenges life throws at them. The conversation between Bruno and Gabi by the pool had no celebration and no final whistle. But it had something far more valuable: a story about maturity, courage and the quiet sacrifices every athlete has to make to reach their dream. For anyone standing at a similar crossroads, Gabi's message is clear enough: do not rush, listen to yourself, prepare mentally and leave only when you know you are ready. That is when a real turning point begins, and Gabi has proven that it can take a Brazilian girl to heights she never imagined.