Nuno Gomes

Lore & Background

Born in Amarante, Gomes established his reputation with Boavista, where he made his Primeira Liga debut in the 1994–95 season, aged 18. He collected his first silverware as his team beat Benfica to lift the Taça de Portugal in 1997, scoring a goal and winning a penalty kick in a 3–2 win in the final; he and fellow scorer Erwin Sánchez had already agreed to transfer to the opponents. 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. After three seasons at Benfica, his Euro 2000 exploits earned Gomes a €17 million move to Fiorentina. He won the Coppa Italia over Parma 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; 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. A series of injuries limited Gomes to under 70 games from 2002 to 2005, 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 Porto (2–0) and a hat-trick against União de Leiria, 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. 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. On 2 October 2008, Gomes scored his 150th goal for Benfica in a UEFA Cup game against Napoli (2–0 home win, 4–3 aggregate victory) with a fine header. Following the arrival of Argentine Javier Saviola in June 2009, he further fell down the striker pecking order. 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 b

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Estádio da Luz was thick with anticipation as the 85th minute ticked away. The scoreline was deadlocked, and the roar of the 'Ultras' began to swell into a rhythmic chant for one name: Nuno! He stood near the edge of the penalty area, seemingly unmarked yet under constant pressure from two defenders. With a subtle feint that fooled the center-back, he slipped into the channel, receiving a weighted pass across his body. In a flash, before the goalkeeper could react, 'The Fox' had struck the ball with precision, sending it curling into the far corner. The stadium erupted in a sea of red and white as Gomes ran to the corner flag, arms raised, embodying the very soul of Benfica.

Reader's Guide

Gomes represented Portugal at every level, earning 143 caps across all youth levels and scoring at an excellent rate. He helped the under-20s to third place in the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship by netting four goals in as many games, including two in the third-place match against Spain. The following year, he appeared at the 1996 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth. 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. He finished the competition with four goals as the national team reached the final four, and was selected to the UEFA team of the tournament. In the eventual 2-1 semi-final defeat to France, Gomes opened the scoring but the French equalized and later converted an extra-time penalty to win; Gomes earned a seven-month international ban for pushing referee Günter Benkö over the penalty awarded for a handball. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Following the appointment of Carlos Queiroz as coach, Gomes was constantly overlooked due to his lack of minutes at Benfica. During the

Did You Know?

• Gomes scored his 150th goal for Benfica in a 2008 UEFA Cup game against Napoli with a fine header.
• Gomes earned a seven-month international ban for pushing referee Günter Benkö after the Euro 2000 semi-final; the source does not mention any reduction of the ban.
• On 19 November 2003, Gomes scored a hat-trick in 21 minutes against Kuwait.