Brazil has achieved a lot since José Roberto Guimarães took over as coach in 2003.

In his first year, the team won gold at the South American Championship and silver at the FIVB World Cup.

The following season, Brazil won the FIVB World Grand Prix and placed fourth at the Olympic Games.

In 2005, they won the Montreux Volley Masters, the FIVB Grand Prix, the South American Championship, the FIVB World Championship and the Courmayeur Tournament.

In 2007, the team started with four friendly matches against Serbia and won them all. After that, Brazil hosted the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, winning all their matches in straight sets en route to a gold medal match against Cuba. The hosts were eventually beaten in five sets and had to settle for the silver medal. Their last competition in 2007 was the FIVB World Grand Prix. Without setter Fofão and middle-blocker Walewska, the most experienced players of the squad, Brazil finished only in fifth place. But by winning the South American Championship in Santiago, Chile, Brazil earned the right to play the FIVB World Cup in Nagoya, Japan. In that competition, the Brazilians clinched a silver medal, their best result ever in this tournament.

2008 was an exceptional year in the history of Brazilian women's Volleyball. The team won its first Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, and also finished first in the FIVB World Grand Prix and Final Four tournament.

In 2009, Brazil kept up their good performances and had almost a perfect year. With a young team, Brazil proved to have a talented new generation of players. Without setter Fofão and middle blocker Walewska who retired from the national team, Brazil played seven tournaments during the year winning six of them and finishing second in the seventh one. The Brazilians picked up their first gold medal, winning the Montreux Volley Masters tournament in June. After this, Brazil won the Pan American Cup, the Qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIVB World Championship in Japan, the FIVB World Grand Prix, the Final Four tournament and the South American Championship in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Brazil have already played four friendly games against Japan in 2010, winning all of them. Besides, this season, the team saw the comeback of wing spiker Jaqueline Carvalho who didn’t play for the squad last year.

José Roberto Guimarães was born in Quintana, a city 500Km away from São Paulo. His career as a player began in 1967 playing for Randi Esporte in Santo André. This team changed its name for Aramaçan and later to Pirelli, where Zé Roberto played as a setter from 1979 to 1982.

“Maybe that was the reason why I became a coach. The setter is the player that keeps contact with all the team. It is easier for him to get used to the attack style of other players, who gives him a better vision of the game and creates a closer relationship between the setter and the coach,” explained Zé Roberto.

After Pirelli, the Brazilian coach played for Olímpico (1982), Atlético Mineiro (1983), Paulistano (1984), Banespa (85/86), Transbrasil (87) and ended up his career playing for Asbac (1988).

As a National Team player, Zé Roberto won the gold medal in the South American Championship twice (73 and 75) and finished in seventh place in the Olympic Games of Montreal (1976).

In 1988, Zé Roberto started his career as a coach, training Eletropaulo women’s team. In the following three years, he worked for Pão de Açúcar. Meanwhile (89/90), Mr. Guimarães was the assistant coach of Mr. Bebeto de Freitas at the Men’s Brazilian National team. In 1991, he started to coach the Youth and Junior categories, winning the silver medal in the FIVB Women’s Junior World Championship.

In 1992, he achieved the most important title of his career: the gold medal in the Barcelona Olympic Games with the Brazilian Men’s Team. After that, he kept on winning medals and good results: first place in the Top Four (Japan/1991); first place in the FIVB World League (Brasil/1993) and first in the South American Championship (1993); bronze medal in the FIVB World League (1994) and 5th place in the FIVB World Championship (Greece/1994); silver medal in the FIVB World League (1995), gold in the South American Championship (1995) and bronze in the FIVB World Cup (Japan/1995); third place in the FIVB World League (1996) and 5th in the Olympic Games of Atlanta (1996).

After finishing his cycle in the National team, Zé Roberto started to coach Banespa men’s team, where he won the Superliga 96/97 – the Brazilian Championship. After that, he coached Dayvit, a women’s team, finishing 5th in the Superliga. In the following season he left the courts and worked as a Volleyball and football manager.

Zé Roberto was back in Volleyball in 2001 to coach BCN/Osasco, and during this season he was second place at the Superliga Championship.

In 2003, Zé Roberto started to work as the head of the Brazilian Women’s National Team. At the same year he won the South American Championship and was became second place at the FIVB World Cup.

In 2004, the team won the gold medal in the FIVB Grand Prix, and finished in fourth place in the Olympic Games. At the Superliga, José Roberto Guimarães conquered the gold medal coaching Finasa/Osasco.

During the 2005 season, the Brazilian National female team conquered all its tournaments. The first gold came in the Courmayeur Championship, in Italy. After that, the first place in the Montreux Volley Masters, in Switzerland. The main title was the FIVB Grand Prix: the team won its fifth title, and Paula was chosen the best player. Brazil also won the Qualification Tournament to the 2006 World Championship, the South American Championship and the World Grand Champions Cup.

In 2006, Mr. Guimarães’ team kept winning. Brazil was first place in the Courmayeur Championship, the Montreux Volley Masters, the Pan-American Cup, and the FIVB Grand Prix. After that, he was second place at the FIVB World Championship in Japan.           

In 2007, the Brazilian team was silver medal in Pan-American Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in the FIVB World Cup, in Japan. After this competition, the team went to the FIVB Grand Prix and finished in fifth place and won the South American Championship. At the of the season the team took second place at the FIVB World Cup.

The coach had an unforgettable year in 2008. In Japan, Zé Roberto led the team on its 7th victory of FIVB Grand Prix. Following this, he achieved an amazing victory. In Pequim, the coach entered for the history of Brazilian Sport. With the gold medal, he became the only coach to win the Olympics coaching the men's and women's team. After this in Fortaleza, in Brazil, he was champion of the Final Four. In the end of the year he was elected coach of the year for team sports in Brazil by the Brazilian Olympic Federation.   

The year of 2009 started a new Olympic cycle with the coach commanding the Women Brazilian national team. The team played six competitions and won five of them. In the first semester, Zé Roberto coached Brazil to win the Montreux Volley Masters, the Pan American Cup and the Competition that qualified the teams for the 2010 FIVB World Championship in Japan.

Following this, the national team won the 8th title of FIVB Grand Prix and also kept the continental hegemony winning the South American title in Porto Alegre. The FIVB World Grand Champions Cup was the last tournament of the year. However, Brazil lost to Italy to pick up the silver medal.

In 2010, Zé Roberto will have the mission of leading the Brazilian team in the quest for the first FIVB World Championship for Brazil. The tournament will take place in October in Japan. Before, as preparation, Brazil will fight for their ninth gold medal at the FIVB Grand Prix.