Legendary Gilberto ‘Giba’ out to add Brazilian flair to African volleyball

Brazil volleyball legend Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho, commonly known as “Giba” has spent the better part of his life making lemonade from the lemons life has thrown his way; his life having oscillated through trials and triumphs from a tender age.

At only six months old, he was diagnosed with leukemia but overcame it to embrace a sport that changed his life for good. Ruled out by his first youth coach, Giba never gave up and rose to become one of the finest volleyball players in the world, his career peaking at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004.

In fact, the 45-year-old has an interesting history with the Olympics.

He was born in an Olympic year, 1976, when the Summer Games were held in Montreal, Canada. Giba’s first-born child, Nicoll, was born in August 2004, a few weeks into the Athens Olympics in Greece where he also won his first and only Olympic gold medal.

Patrick, his second born child, was born a few weeks after Beijing 2008 when Brazil settled for silver in the Chinese capital.Then in 2020, another Olympic year, his second-born daughter Brianna was conceived.

Paris 2024 might look so far away but Giba is already planning for another delivery in a land so far from his country of birth through volleyball, a game that has defined his entire life. In September last year, International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) seconded him to Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) as Executive Director in charge of volleyball development in Africa, his mandate valid until August 2024 when the Olympics will be held in Paris, France.

“I’m excited about this project, the last time I was in Africa was in 2017 here in Morocco. From what I saw in the Cup of Nations last year, the standards have really gone up in those four years and I think we can do better.

“I’ve been welcomed well by (CAVB) President Bouchra and her team and they’ve really helped me settle. She is part of the reason I accepted to come here because she is so passionate about the game and she is determined to take African volleyball to another level. Having someone with a common goal makes your work easier,” said Giba who wants to popularise the game in all the 54 African states.

Breakthrough in Istanbul

Born in Londrina, a city in Parana State, South of Brazil, Giba never imagined he would be tasked with volleyball development in Africa at any point in his life.

Not least after being raised in a home where football was the order of the day, almost inevitably because his father, Gilberto Amauri de Godoy, was a professional futsal (indoor football) player. “My father was a professional footballer; he was very good in the football that’s played five players aside in a gymnasium (he struggles to recall it’s actually called futsal).  “However, I didn’t like sports with too much contact so I avoided football and initially tried my hand in tennis, basketball and swimming,” he lets out a chuckle.

It was not until Giba’s family relocated South East to Curitiba, the capital of Parana state, that he stumbled upon volleyball and never looked back perhaps to disapprove those who doubted his talent.

“We moved to Curitiba when I was 10 years old and that’s where I started playing volleyball. I fell in love with the sport and stuck with volleyball. I started out as a middle blocker because I was very fast in attack,” recalls Giba whose first call up to a national team set-up arrived in 1993.

The Under-19 FIVB World Championships were to be held in Turkey that year and Brazil were among the favourites given their impeccable record in junior volleyball.

Giba arrived in Istanbul as an unknown spindly 16-year-old teenager but left as one of the brightest prospects in world volleyball as Brazil claimed gold.

Golden era

“At this point I had improved my reception and was now playing position 4 (outside hitter). This championship is the most important in my career since it showed me that I can play professional volleyball,” said Giba who was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in that tournament.

Remarkably, he was also named MVP in 1995 in Malaysia as Brazil won the FIVB World Under-21 Championships and soon afterwards, a senior team call-up followed.

He starred for Brazil during the golden era on the court and built a resume that included titles in every major event from the time he debuted internationally in 1995 to his retirement in 2012. Giba and Brazil captured gold medals in three consecutive FIVB World Championships in 2002, 2006 and 2010 after narrowly missing the podium in 1998.

“The 2006 World Championships were special to me because I was named MVP to become the only player to achieve this at Under-19, Under-21 and senior level,” he pointed out matter-of-factly. 

He also led Brazil to four medals at the FIVB World Cup, including gold in 2003 and 2007, and bronze in 1995 and 2011.

From 1999 to 2011, Brazil had an incredible run in the FIVB World League with 12 medals in a 12-year span, that included eight gold, two silver and two bronze. During one remarkable stretch Giba and Brazil stood on the top podium step after winning 11 straight international competitions including 2004 Olympic Games, two World Championships, two World Cups, five World Leagues and one World Grand Champions Cup.

A four-time Olympian, Giba led Brazil to the 2004 Olympic Games gold medal in which he was selected MVP.

He would later go on to win Olympic silver medals in 2008 and 2012 when he retired.
“Participating at the Olympics was a really unique experience because you get to feel the Olympic spirit and the energy around the Games. Athens 2004 was really special because we won and also my first born Nicoll was born after our first match against Italy.

“I only got to see her 15 days after she was born. In 2008, we struggled a bit because our setter Ricardo had left the team so we were in transition. My son (Patrick) was born shortly after the Olympics so the silver felt like gold for me.  London 2012 was another special moment in my career. It’s unfortunate that we lost to Russia (2-3) after winning the first two sets. But this is the only time I cried in my entire career, not because we lost but because it was the last time to play for Brazil. It was the end of an amazing career,” said a beaming Giba, who was inducted to FIVB Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Sleeping giant

The former Brazil number 7 also had a stellar professional career took him to Argentina, Russia, United Arab Emirates, and Italy’s topflight league.  “I enjoyed the four years (2003-2006) I spent in Italy with (Bre Banca Lannutti) Cuneo. It was an amazing city and I made good friends during my stay there. I’m still very close with the club president and friends I made there,” offered Giba.

It is on the back of this vast experience at club and national team level that FIVB president Ary Graca forwarded Giba to CAVB last year to spearhead volleyball development activities in Africa. His job description is simple or at least he makes it appear that way “popularise volleyball”.

“It’s not just about the top teams in Africa who are already established as volleyball nations. The idea is we have to get all countries in Africa to play volleyball and develop them to a level where they can compete against the top teams,” emphasized Giba who previously served as chair of FIVB Athletes Commission.

As part of acclimatising to his new role, Giba attended the Beach Volleyball Continental Cup/Tokyo Olympics qualifiers in Morocco last year as well as Africa Nations Championships (both men and women) in Rwanda. On the evidence of the display in both tourneys, he believes Africa is a sleeping giant.

“There is natural talent and really good potential. The players have a good physique, jump really high and power. We have to work on the technique and give them exposure at a high level,” he notes leaning forward. “We need to work with different generations and change their mentality. If we keep them close together for some time and follow what is good then there will be results.”

CAVB Challenge Cup

Giba concedes that he has scanty information about African volleyball.  “I’m just getting started so I just know some of the teams that I have watched. I want to travel all of Africa and understand what the 54 countries need. By August I will be in a better position to tell what every country requires,” said Giba who is excited about the inaugural CAVB Challenger Cup. CAVB will hold its Challenger Cup from July 1-10 with the winner set to qualify for the FIVB Challenger Cup which is a pathway to the prestigious Volleyball Nations League (VNL) organised by FIVB.

The FIVB Challenger Cup is held before the Nations League Final Round and the winner earns the right to participate in the next year’s Nations League.

“This competition shows the kind of commitment (CAVB) President Bouchra has to develop volleyball in Africa. It is a unique opportunity for all African teams to play in the VNL. This means they can grow faster by gaining more experience at the top level,” said Giba, his head nodding in approval.

While he singles out Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, Cameroon and Morocco as the cream of African volleyball currently, he notes that there is need for Africa to export more talent to foreign leagues to improve their level.

“FIVB has done a lot to support African countries like last year they sent some coaches to prepare Tunisia (men) and Kenya (women) teams for the Olympics.

“It’s important that the players also pursue professional volleyball because it gives them exposure at a different level,” said Giba who has set an ambitious target for Paris Olympics in 2024.

“My dream is to put other (African) countries in the Olympics not just the usual ones that qualify. I also want to see more than two African countries at global tournaments. It’s something I hope to achieve and remain here for the next Olympic cycle,” asserts Giba.

Another Olympic year, Los Angeles 2028, another challenge and perhaps another glass of lemonade served by the great Giba.

'Giba' Factfile

Name: Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho

Nickname: Giba

Date of Birth: December 23, 1976

Nationality: Brazil

National team caps: 319 (1995-2012)

Team honours

1 Olympic title (Athens 2004)

3 World Championships (2002, 2006, 2010)

8 World League titles (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010)

1 Italian Cup (2006)

9 South American Championships (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)

Individual honours

Most Valuable Player award

Under-19 1993 World Championships

Under-21 1995 World Championships

2004 Athens Olympic Games

2006 World Championships

2006 World League 

2018 FIVB Hall of Fame inductee

Administration life

2016-2020: Chair, FIVB Athletes Commission

2021-2024: CAVB Executive Director