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Leila Barros will get to witness how far volleyball has come 25 years since she first captured the hearts of Filipinos because the Brazilian returns to the Philippines as visitor of honor within the FIVB Males’s World Championship
MANILA, Philippines – There may be an abundance of things for the recognition that volleyball enjoys at present within the nation, and one of many central figures within the rise of the game is Brazilian icon Leila Barros.
Barros will get to witness how far volleyball has come 25 years since she first captured the hearts of Filipinos as she returns to the Philippines as visitor of honor within the closing of the FIVB Males’s World Championship in September.
“What a pleasure it is going to be to reconnect with these passionate volleyball followers,” stated Barros, who’s now 53 years outdated and serves as a senator in Brazil.
“It’s with a coronary heart filled with gratitude that I obtain this very particular invitation. Returning to the Philippines, the place I’ve all the time been welcomed with such heat, is extremely thrilling.”
Leila Mania
Rocking an elegant bob and armed with a imply lefty assault, Barros rapidly endeared herself to followers when the nation hosted the ultimate spherical of the 2000 FIVB World Grand Prix.
Followers packed the PhilSports Area in Pasig to cheer for Barros, who helped lead Brazil to the bronze medal as they scored a 12-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-18 win over China within the third-place match.
The Philippines’ internet hosting of the Grand Prix lasted for simply round every week, however Barros’ magnificence, allure, and fierceness had been so charming that her Filipino supporters got here with banners that learn, “Leila, will you marry me?”
Some even discovered Portuguese to get their devotion throughout.
It was such a short however memorable stint that Barros fondly remembered the admiration she obtained from Filipino followers over a decade later.
“The Philippines lives in my coronary heart. All of you lives in my coronary heart,” Barros stated in a video message in 2013.
“I immensely missed the nice and cozy welcome from all of you — the love and the heat of the Filipino individuals. I missed you all a lot.”
After that Grand Prix run, Barros and Brazil gained their second straight Olympic bronze medal within the 2000 Sydney Video games a month later as they swept the USA within the battle for third.
Lasting influence
Barros impressed numerous of younger Filipino women to pursue volleyball as she sparked curiosity within the sport.
Former Ateneo star Charo Soriano wore No. 8 in honor of Barros, whereas Creamline center blocker Pau Soriano obtained into volleyball due to the Brazilian belle.
“I idolized Leila Barros of Brazil so I began enjoying volleyball at an early age,” Soriano informed Rappler in Filipino in 2013.
Barros even had a hand in Alas Pilipinas head coach Jorge de Brito deciding to take his act to the Philippines.
“Leila as soon as informed me that if ever it struck my thoughts to maneuver elsewhere, I ought to be transferring to the Philippines,” De Brito, who can also be Brazilian, stated in 2021.
Alas Pilipinas has made enormous strides with De Brito on the helm because the crew gained its first-ever silver medal within the 64-year historical past of the AVC after reaching the finals of the Ladies’s Nations Cup for the primary time earlier this yr.
So when it was introduced that Barros will grace the upcoming worlds, Filipino followers had been fast to precise their pleasure for the possibility to see her once more after plans for her Manila return in 2016 fell by.
Barros feels simply as ecstatic.
“See you quickly!” stated Barros. – Rappler.com
