Floki, the footvolley-playing dog, is captivating both social media and Rio de Janeiro’s beach crowds with his impressive talents, sparking a wave of brand partnerships.
Rio de Janeiro’s main beaches are always a hive of activity on sunny weekends, but on September 8, one particular stretch of sand came to a near halt. Crowds gathered, phones raised, to capture something they’d never seen before. The game? Footvolley—a mix of soccer and beach volleyball. The star of the show? A three-year-old border collie named Floki.
Floki left the crowd in awe as he competed in a game that even seasoned players find challenging. Footvolley follows the rules of beach volleyball but with a twist—a slightly lower net, and, like soccer, players aren’t allowed to use their hands or arms. Floki leaps from the sand, skillfully hitting the ball with his mouth.
Floki’s incredible talent has made him an internet sensation, with hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok. His owner, Gustavo Rodrigues, a footvolley coach, swears this was never part of the plan. Rodrigues initially wanted an American Bully, a breed not known for its athletic prowess. But when Floki came into his life, he quickly showed his potential. At just two months old, he was already leaping after balloons.
Rodrigues first introduced Floki to altinha, a beach game where players juggle a soccer ball in a circle. By 2023, Floki had made his official debut in footvolley, a game beloved by retired Brasilian soccer stars like Ronaldinho and Romário. Footvolley requires agility, precision, and quick thinking—and Floki was a natural. His court awareness even surprised Rodrigues, who marveled at how Floki instinctively positioned himself to always face the ball head-on.
It’s clear that this high-energy dog lives for the game. Even while resting under the shade of a beach bar, Floki stays laser-focused on the match happening nearby. When he’s on the court, he eagerly barks at Rodrigues for the ball and even sneaks it over the net himself to score a point, much to the crowd’s delight. Afterward, he jumps into Rodrigues’ arms to celebrate.
One fan, Luiza Chioli, 21, had traveled from São Paulo to Rio and was thrilled to see the famous Floki in action. “We thought social media was just showing the highlights,” she said, “but he played the whole time. It was incredible.”
As Floki’s popularity has skyrocketed, brand deals and endorsements have followed. Though based in Brasília, Rodrigues and Floki frequently travel to Rio, the heart of footvolley, for marketing appearances and social media content.
That Sunday, Floki spent almost an hour playing alongside former footvolley champion Natalia Guitler, who’s often called Brazil’s Queen of the Beach. They played under the scorching sun, with Floki scampering for water and cooling dips in the ocean. “We’re dead,” Guitler laughed, as she collapsed on the sand next to a panting Floki. Later, she shared their rally with her nearly 3 million Instagram followers, captioning it: “Me and my bestie @dog_altinha playing footvolley.”
Floki’s day didn’t end there. After another game, he headed to a more secluded beach for a marketing shoot with Farm, the designer known for embodying Rio’s
relaxed tropical style. Then, he promoted a brand of dog ice pops on Instagram, enjoying a banana-flavored treat, before demonstrating his altinha skills at a local shopping center.
Once the whirlwind weekend in Rio wrapped up, Rodrigues and Floki headed back to Brasília, where their influencer lifestyle takes a back seat to competitive footvolley matches. They win about one in every three games, with opponents doing everything they can to avoid the embarrassment of losing to a dog. “It always gets people talking, and no one likes to lose to him, so they play even harder,” Rodrigues says with a smile.
