He was given the nickname Gomes during childhood after Fernando Gomes,[3] and was regarded as one of the country's most recognisable attacking players in the 1990s and 2000s; he consistently scored for both club and country, and was also capable of being a good link-up player, accumulating a number of assists throughout his career,[4] which was spent mainly with Benfica, for which he netted 166 goals in 398 games over the course of 12 seasons.[5][6]
Gomes ranked joint-fourth top scorer in his last year at the Estádio do Bessa, before moving to Benfica. In the 1998–99 campaign he netted 34 times in all competitions, in an eventual third-place finish in the league.[10]
Fiorentina
After three seasons at Benfica, his Euro 2000 exploits earned Gomes a €17 million move to ACF Fiorentina. He won the Coppa Italia over Parma F. C. in his first year, scoring in a 1–1 draw in the second leg of the final at home, which allowed his team to clinch the title 2–1 on aggregate;[11] however, his second season was less successful, as financial collapse by the Viola and their subsequent relegation precipitated a 2002 return to his previous club on a four-year deal as a free agent.[12][13][14]
Return to Benfica
A series of injuries limited Gomes to under 70 games from 2002 to 2005,[15][16] but he still helped Benfica win the domestic cup in 2003–04 and the league the following season – in the latter, he contributed seven goals from 23 appearances. He enjoyed his best season in 2005–06, scoring 15 goals in the league, including two in an away win over FC Porto (2–0)[17] and a hat-trick against U.D. Leiria,[10] finishing second in the scorers' list and adding the subsequent Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, where he netted the game's only goal against Vitória de Setúbal.[18]
From 2006–07 onwards, Gomes faced tough competition for a starting place: he only netted six times in the league, and would suffer even more after the signing of Paraguayan Óscar Cardozo the following summer. However, still a valuable member of the squad, he finished the campaign with nine overall goals, handing the captain armband to legendary Rui Costa in the process.[19]
On 2 October 2008, Gomes scored his 150th goal for Benfica in a UEFA Cup game against SSC Napoli (2–0 home win, 4–3 aggregate victory) with a fine header.[20] Following the arrival of Argentine Javier Saviola in June 2009, he further fell down the striker pecking order.[21]
Again a reserve player in 2010–11 – but playing even less – the 34-year-old Gomes made the most with the minutes provided to him by manager Jorge Jesus. He scored his first goal in the season on 14 November 2010 in a 4–0 home defeat of Associação Naval 1º de Maio, the 200th in the competition,[22] and dedicated it to his father Joaquim who had died in August.[23] In two consecutive league games in March 2011, he scored three goals, one at home against Portimonense SC (1–1 draw)[24] and two in a 5–1 away rout of F.C. Paços de Ferreira, appearing as a late substitute in all three matches.[25]
Braga
Gomes was released by Benfica on 30 June 2011, after the club decided not to renew his contract; he was, however, offered a position in the managerial structure, effective immediately or when he eventually retired.[26][27] Shortly after, he signed with fellow top-division S.C. Braga.[28]
On 11 September 2011, Gomes scored a brace in a 3–1 home win against Gil Vicente FC.[29] During his only season with the Minho side, he was mostly used as a backup.[30]
On 28 June 2013, aged 37, Gomes was released.[34] After retiring, he was appointed director of Benfica's academy at Futebol Campus in Seixal, leaving his position in September 2017.[35]
Gomes made his senior debut at 19, in a 1996 friendly against France. He scored his first goal in Portugal's opening match at the UEFA Euro 2000, marking his fourth start with the winner as the side came from two goals down to beat England 3–2.[39] He finished the competition with four goals as the national team reached the last four, but earned a seven-month international ban after pushing referee Günter Benkö following the semi-final defeat by France, in which he had opened the score;[40] he was selected to the UEFA team of the tournament.[41]
With seven goals in only six matches, Gomes helped Portugal qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup – this included four in a 7–1 away demolition of Andorra.[42] He would struggle to hold a starting place in the finals in South Korea and Japan, only appearing twice from the bench. On 19 November 2003 he scored his second hat-trick, in only 21 minutes of play against Kuwait.[43]
Things went better for Gomes at Euro 2004, where he played each game and, after coming on as a half-time substitute, scored the winning goal against Spain to send the hosts through to the quarter-finals.[44] He was often injured during the nation's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, only managing to play four times, with one goal; he found limited time at the final stages and only made two appearances, but managed to find the back of the net with a header against hosts Germany in the third-place playoff, a 3–1 defeat.[45]
After the retirement of Pauleta, Gomes was expected to become his successor in the striker role. He played ten matches and scored three times in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, captained Portugal at the finals and scored against Germany in the quarter-finals, thus becoming the fourth player to achieve the feat at three straight European Championships.[46]
Following the appointment of Carlos Queiroz as coach, Gomes was constantly overlooked due to his lack of minutes at Benfica. During the 2010 World Cup qualification, he only took part in four out of 12 fixtures, all as a substitute, with Liédson and Hugo Almeida being preferred; he was one of the 50 preliminary players[47] but was left out of the 23-men squad for the final stages in South Africa, this being the first time the player was left out of a major tournament.[48]
On 7 October 2011, after more than two years out of international play, the 35-year-old Gomes replaced Hélder Postiga in the last minute of a 5–3 home victory over Iceland for the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Four days later, he played against Denmark in what was his last full appearance;[49][50][51] due to little playing time for his club in 2011–12, he was left out of Paulo Bento's squad for the finals in Poland and Ukraine.[52]
Personal life
Gomes' younger brother, Tiago (born 1981), was also a footballer and a striker.[53] He spent most of his career in the lower leagues but, from 2004 to 2007, competed in the Segunda Liga with F.C. Marco (two seasons) and C.D. Olivais e Moscavide (one), totalling 30 games and one goal.
Gomes was married twice, first to Isméria with whom he had a daughter, Laura, born in 1999. In July 2006 he married lawyer Patrícia Aguilar, with whom he also fathered another child, born in July 2010.[54]
Rui Manuel César Costa is a Portuguese former professional footballer who is the 34th president of sports club S.L. Benfica. He also succeeded Luís Filipe Vieira as president of the club's SAD board of directors.
Joaquim Manuel Sampaio da Silva, known as Quim, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Ricardo Alexandre Martins Soares Pereira, known simply as Ricardo, is a Portuguese retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Fernando Mendes Soares Gomes was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a striker.
João Pedro da Silva Pereira is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played mainly as a right-back.
Rui Manuel Trindade Jordão was a Portuguese footballer.
Ânderson Luís da Silva, known as Luisão, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre back.
José Filipe da Silva Moreira is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Fábio Alexandre da Silva Coentrão is a Portuguese former professional footballer. Mainly a left-back, he also operated as a winger and occasionally as a defensive midfielder.
Luís Carlos Novo Neto is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Sporting CP.
Eliseu Pereira dos Santos, known simply as Eliseu, is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played either as a left-back or left winger.
André Gomes Magalhães de Almeida is a Portuguese professional footballer who last played for Benfica mainly as a right-back but also as a left-back or midfielder. He earned 8 caps for the Portugal national team from 2013 to 2015.
Haris Seferovic is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a striker for Emirati club Al Wasl and the Switzerland national team.
Rodrigo Moreno Machado, known as Rodrigo, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for Qatar Stars League club Al-Rayyan and the Spain national team.
Danilo Luís Hélio Pereira, known as Danilo Pereira or simply Danilo, is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Portugal national team.
André Filipe Tavares Gomes is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Everton.
Ricardo Jorge da Luz Horta is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Primeira Liga club Braga and the Portugal national team.
Nuno Miguel Gomes dos Santos is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a left winger or left wing-back for Sporting CP.
Nuno Miguel Valente Santos is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Vitória de Guimarães.
↑ Alvarenga, Vítor Hugo (2 October 2008). "Taça UEFA: Benfica-Nápoles, 2–0 (ficha)"[UEFA Cup: Benfica-Napoli, 2–0 (match sheet)] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
↑ Ferreira, Almiro (30 June 2011). "Nuno Gomes assinou pelo Braga"[Nuno Gomes signed for Braga]. Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 October 2017.
↑ "Liga round-up". PortuGOAL. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
↑ "A eficácia de Nuno Gomes"[The efficiency of Nuno Gomes]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 February 2004. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
↑ "Tiago Ribeiro irmão de Nuno Gomes e o golo"[Nuno Gomes' brother Tiago Ribeiro and the goal] (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
↑ "Nuno Gomes" (in Portuguese). Portuguese Football Federation. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
↑ "Bicampeões para a história" [Back-to-back champions for the ages]. Visão (in Portuguese). Portugal: Impresa Publishing. May 2015. p.60. ISSN0872-3540.
↑ Vicente, Jorge (4 July 2004). "Grécia conquista a Europa"[Greece conquer Europe] (in Portuguese). UEFA. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
Pereira, António; Pereira, Mário. Nuno Gomes, o menino querido da luz[Nuno Gomes, the apple of Estádio da Luz's eye] (Firsted.). Cofina Media Books. ISBN978-972-8996-98-7.
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