Giba facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

In this Portuguese name, "Filho" is a generational suffix meaning "son", which is used for someone whose name is the same as their father, like "Jr." in English.

Quick facts for kids

Giba

Giba at the 2011 World League Final

Personal information

Full name

Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho

Born

23 December 1976 (age 48)
Londrina, PR, Brazil

Height

1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)

Weight

91 kg (201 lb)

Spike

325 cm (128 in)

Block

312 cm (123 in)

Volleyball information

Position

Outside hitter

Current club

Retired

Career

Years	Teams
1996–1997	Chapecó São Caetano
1997–1998	Olympikus São Caetano
1998–1999	Report Nipomed
1999–2001	Minas Tênis Clube
2001–2003	Ferrara
2003–2007	Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
2007–2009	Iskra Odintsovo
2009–2012	Pinheiros
2012–2013	Personal Bolívar
2013	Funvic Taubaté
2013–2014	Al-Nasr Dubai
2018–2019	IBB Polonia London

National team

1995–2012

Brazil

Honours

Men's Volleyball

Representing Brazil

Event	1st	2nd	3rd
Olympic Games	1	2	0
World Championship	3	0	0
World Grand Champions Cup	3	0	0
World Cup	2	0	2
World League	8	2	2
South American Championship	9	0	0
Pan American Games	1	1	1
America's Cup	3	4	0
Total	30	9	5

Olympic Games

Gold

2004 Athens

Silver

2008 Beijing

Silver

2012 London

World Championship

Gold

2002 Argentina

Gold

2006 Japan

Gold

2010 Italy

World Cup

Gold

2003 Japan

Gold

2007 Japan

Bronze

2011 Japan

World Grand Champions Cup

Gold

1997 Japan

Gold

2005 Japan

Gold

2009 Japan

World League

Gold

2001 Katowice

Gold

2003 Madrid

Gold

2004 Rome

Gold

2005 Belgrade

Gold

2006 Moscow

Gold

2007 Katowice

Gold

2009 Belgrade

Gold

2010 Córdoba

Silver

2002 Belo Horizonte

Silver

2011 Gdańsk

Bronze

1999 Mar del Plata

Pan American Games

Gold

2007 Rio de Janeiro

Silver

1999 Winnipeg

Bronze

2003 Santo Domingo

South American Championship

Gold

1995 Brazil

Gold

1997 Venezuela

Gold

1999 Argentina

Gold

2001 Colombia

Gold

2003 Brazil

Gold

2005 Brazil

Gold

2007 Chile

Gold

2009 Colombia

Last updated: 24 August 2016

Gilberto Amauri de Godoy Filho, known as Giba, was born on December 23, 1976. He is a famous Brazilian volleyball player who used to play as an outside hitter. Many people thought he was one of the best volleyball players in the world during the 2000s.

Giba played for clubs in many countries, including Brazil, Italy, Russia, Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates. He is most famous for his amazing success with the Brazilian national team.

With the national team, Giba won many important titles. These include 8 South American Championships, 3 America's Cups, and 8 World League titles. He also won 3 World Grand Champions Cups and three World Championships in 2002, 2006, and 2010.

Giba also won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He then won two silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, where he was the team's captain. Giba stopped playing professional volleyball in 2014 when he was 37 years old.

Giba's Club Career
Giba's International Career with Brazil
Giba's Style of Play
Giba's Personal Life
Giba's Role in Management
Giba's Sporting Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Giba's Club Career

Giba started his volleyball journey in Brazil. He played for several clubs like Curitibano and Minas Tênis Clube. Later, he moved to Italy to play in their top league.

He joined Yahoo! Ferrara and then Noicom BreBanca Cuneo. In 2006, he won the Italian Cup with Cuneo and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). After Italy, he played for Iskra Odintsovo in Russia for two years.

In 2009, Giba returned to Brazil and played for Pinheiros. There, he helped his team win a bronze medal in the Brazilian Superliga. Towards the end of his career, he also played in Argentina and briefly in the United Arab Emirates.

Giba's International Career with Brazil

Giba's time with the Brazilian national team was full of victories. He joined the team when he was just 18 years old.

Early Years: 1995–2001 Wins

Giba first played for the Brazilian National Team in 1995. In that same year, he won his first big title, the South American Championship. This win helped Brazil qualify for the World Grand Champions Cup in 1997, which they also won.

Brazil faced some tough losses in the 1998 World Championship and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. But in 2001, Giba helped Brazil win their first World League title. They beat Italy, who had won the title eight times before.

Golden Era: 2002–2007 Dominance

The years from 2002 to 2007 are known as the "Golden Era" for Brazilian volleyball. Giba was a key leader of this amazing team. The team was coached by Bernardo Rezende and included other great players like Dante and Sérgio.

After losing the 2002 World League final, the team went on an incredible winning streak. They won 11 major international competitions in a row! This included 5 World League titles, 2 World Championships, and an Olympic gold medal.

At the 2002 World Championship in Argentina, Brazil won their first World Championship title ever. They beat Italy and Russia in thrilling matches. In 2003, Giba led Brazil to win the first of five World League titles in a row.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Giba played his best. He helped Brazil win their second Olympic gold medal in history. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Giba continued his fantastic performance in the following years. He won MVP awards for the 2006 World League, the 2006 World Championship, and the 2007 World Cup. Many people believed he was the best volleyball player in the world during this time. In 2006, he was named the best Brazilian athlete of the year.

Later Years: 2008–2012 Challenges

Giba in a World League semi-final in 2011

In 2008, Giba was 32 years old, and Brazil started to face more challenges. They lost in the semifinal of the World League in Rio de Janeiro to the United States. Later that year, Brazil reached the final of the Beijing Olympics. However, they lost to the US again and earned a silver medal.

The next year, Giba was part of a new team that won the World League title back. In 2010, Giba became the team's captain. Even though younger players started more often, he was still a very important part of the team. He helped Brazil win his eighth World League title and their third World Championship in Italy.

In 2011, Giba returned to the starting lineup due to an injury to another player. Brazil almost won another World League title but lost a close final to Russia. At the 2012 London Olympics, Giba was mostly a reserve player. Brazil reached the gold medal match again.

In the final against Russia, Brazil was leading but lost in five sets. Giba and his teammates earned another silver medal. After the London Olympics, Giba retired from the Brazilian national team.

Giba's Style of Play

Giba was not the tallest volleyball player. But he made up for it with his amazing physical skills and jumping ability. When he played, he was known as one of the best wing spikers in the world.

People loved Giba not just for his great plays, but also for his passion and energy. He was chosen as the national team captain because he was a great leader. His energetic personality helped motivate the whole Brazilian team to play their best. Brazil was almost unbeatable in the 2000s, and Giba was a huge part of their success.

Giba's Personal Life

Giba was born in Londrina but grew up in Curitiba, Brazil. He helps children who are fighting leukemia. He himself was diagnosed with this disease when he was six months old.

From 2003 to 2012, he was married to Cristina Pîrv, who was also a volleyball player. They have two children, a daughter named Nicoll and a son named Patrick. Giba can speak three languages: Portuguese, English, and Italian.

Commercial Work

Giba has worked with many famous brands. These include Vogue Italia, Nissan, Technos, and Olympikus.

Social Work and Charity

Giba cares a lot about helping others. He supports children who are orphans or who have cancer. He also takes part in campaigns to fight prostate cancer.

Giba and his ex-wife Cristina Pirv joined a campaign against breast cancer. He has also celebrated Olympic Day with many children from social projects in Rio de Janeiro. Giba is the president of the FIVB Athletes’ Commission and is active in many social responsibility projects.

Media Appearances

The Brazilian Olympic Committee made a documentary about Giba called Heróis Olímpicos (Olympic Heroes). His book about his life, Giba Neles!, has been translated into Polish and Italian.

Giba's Role in Management

In 2016, Giba was chosen to be the President of the FIVB Athletes Commission. This group is made up of 10 athletes from different countries. They represent both volleyball and beach volleyball players.