Giovana Garbelini has taken the popular saying, “New year, new me” very seriously as she heads into 2025. Over the past few months, the Atletico Madrid player has turned her career around and is enjoying football again. In the process, she has been scoring some exquisite goals for the Brazilian national team.
She has done this while adopting the surname of her grandmother, Nair Garbelini, thus changing her name from Giovana Queiroz to Giovana Garbelini. It is a choice that, she feels, shows her maturity and reconnects her to her roots. In an interview with FIFA, Garbelini recalled how debuting at age 15 helped shape her into the player and person she is today.
“I was very young and not very aware of the negative stuff,” said Garbelini. “But I’m happy that I started so young to get to where I am now, at 21, as I know how to handle a lot of different situations.”
While the name may be different, she has the same objectives as before, and is now better prepared to deal with the issues life throws at her, doing so with a renewed hunger.
“I wanted to change my name to start a new chapter,” said Garbelini. “I think I have matured a lot, and my football has been improving. The name comes from my maternal grandmother, Nair, so I wanted to honour her by no longer going by the name Gio Queiroz. Now I go by the name Gio Garbelini. Sadly, my grandmother has already passed away, but she is always by my side.”
At certain points when she was speaking, Garbelini seemed to display wisdom in abundance. She has already been through a lot in football. Her time at Barcelona and Arsenal over the past few years was not easy, but the winger returned to the Spanish capital and has been at Atletico Madrid since August 2024. Now, she has a powerful combination at her disposal: experience and the promise of fruitful years to come.
“I have learned a lot,” said Garbelini. “I wanted to progress, to play and to help the team, but unfortunately that wasn’t to be. I was training with the best players in the world, and the girls [at Barcelona and Arsenal] really helped me. It was a tough spell because I was a long way from my friends and family but, wherever I go, my parents come with me. I think that enabled me to learn and to keep going, and it made me stronger.”
“Coming back to Madrid was good for me,” she added. “I needed to get some confidence back and feel like a player again. I went to Madrid CFF on loan in January and had a really good spell there, finally playing, helping the team and feeling like I was part of a team. I came to Atletico Madrid in the middle of the year and I’ve been very happy here.”
Garbelini feels as though, even at her young age, she has already gone from the peak of her powers to rock bottom, and then back to the top of her game again.
“My advice for anyone going through a tough period is to not give up because everything will come to an end – whether it’s good or bad – and to focus on what you can control,” said Garbelini. “If you are working hard, good things will come.”
A long-awaited return to the Seleção
As a result of injuries and a lack of continuity at her old clubs, Garbelini spent two years out of the picture of the Brazilian senior national side, but head coach Arthur Elias heard the growing clamour and included her in his squad for the friendlies in October and November 2024.
The young winger returned in style, with sublime finishes in the 3-1 wins over Colombia and Australia. She showed her pace in both instances, bursting into the area, and leaving the defender for dead before slotting past the keeper.
Considering her call-up for the two games came to her as a surprise, it’s safe to say that Garbelini made the most of it.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” she said. “We were on our way to Bilbao for an away game, and [Brazil and Atletico Madrid team-mate] Lauren asked me if I was watching [the squad announcement]. I told her I wasn’t because I wasn’t expecting to be called up. She said, ‘Congratulations, you’re in the squad’. Then… Wow, I was so happy, I called my dad straight away. I learned a lot over those two years but it was very tough. I was obviously nervous, but very happy.”
If those finishes were the work of a nervous player, it will be exciting to see what Garbelini offers the Seleção when she is back in the squad on a regular basis. It helps that her first impressions of Elias as a coach have been very positive.
“I think that Arthur’s style of play aligns really well with my game,” said Garbelini. “Arthur really likes to press high, to get forward quickly, to go one-on-one. He is very intense and that combines well with my game. I think we had some great training sessions and that I played well in the matches.
“I felt great, I felt comfortable. Everyone really welcomed me, Arthur, the coaching staff, the girls… As soon as I arrived, I really felt at home. I was so happy, and now I’m going to work at trying to stay in the team.”
Three passports, but only one national team
Garbelini was born in Brazil, but she spent a large part of her childhood in the USA before moving to Spain as a teenager. She now has citizenship in three countries as a result, and even represented USA and Spain at U-17 level. That said, her heart has only been set on one national team.
“I am Brazilian, my family are Brazilian,” said Garbelini. “It is a huge honour to put on that yellow shirt and represent my country. I am also a Spanish citizen and I only speak Spanish when I’m at my club, but I always feel Brazilian, on and off the pitch. The people and fans of Brazil were a key part of my choice, and Marta was a big inspiration to me. She was in the Seleção squad the first time I was called up, and I’ve always wanted to play alongside her.”
The irony in Garbelini’s story is that she has had to watch Spain and the USA lift major trophies over the past two years, with Spain winning the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ and USA claiming gold at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024. She has a lot of respect for those sides, but she wants to see Brazil conquering women’s football sooner rather than later, particularly with the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027™ on home soil.
“I wasn’t upset,” said Garbelini. “I obviously want to see Brazil get as far as they can and to win things, but I was happy for Spain in 2023 because they were going through a difficult time and that really demonstrates what they achieved together. As for the USA, they have an exceptional group of players. I obviously want to see Brazil win, and in 2027 it will be us, so that’s great.
“It was really tough seeing Brazil lose the gold medal match at the Olympics,” concluded Garbelini. “The dream of winning a gold medal is huge for any Olympic athlete, so that was tough seeing the girls in tears. But they had a fantastic tournament – I was really proud watching them collect their silver medals. If we continue on this path, Brazil will win a lot of major tournaments. It was tough, but it was the start of a new era for the Seleção.”
