‘LEILA Mania’ was quite the local phenomenon in the early 2000s when Brazilian volleyball star Leila Barros took the Philippines by storm in the 2000 World Grand Prix.
Some of her most loyal Filipino fans and even veteran reporters who were at the sidelines of that 2000 event got the chance to meet Barros again on Saturday as part of the festivities for the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship.
READ: For 25 years and counting, this Filipino remains a Leila Barros superfan
Barros received multiple gifts and tokens from Filipinos in her short yet momentous return to Manila.
It gave her a pat in the back and a gentle reminder of the unwavering love and support showered her way decades ago.
Now a senator and almost a decade since last touching a volleyball, the 53-year-old Brazilian icon still carries vivid memories of that trip to the Philippines.
And there was one thing that stood out most for Barros, as it became a foreshadowing of sorts on her life away from sport.
“The memory that stands out the most is the natural empathy I felt as soon as I entered the stadium with Filipino people,” Barros said in Portuguese.
“It’s funny that when I was here, people were having signs saying ‘Leila for President’ and 'Leila, Marry Me.’
“It sounds like they could see the future that I will actually become a senator for Brazil.”
Brazil star's home away from home?
The South American nation’s first female senator felt the need to stay in touch with her Filipino roots.
May it be from the confines of the Brazil Senate or now in what she hopes to be one of many trips back to the Philippines, Barros will always have a piece of her second home wherever she goes.
“I will always have good memories (of Manila). I tell everyone that we can leave sports, but sports doesn’t leave us,” she said. “I’m very surprised that it’s been years since and still in social media, I get a lot of love from Asian and Filipino fans."
“For years, I’ve been receiving invitations to come to the Philippines. Then the longing really hit. I thought it was the right time to come to the Philippines because I believe this is the moment when Filipino volleyball is growing."
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