On December 18, 2022, Argentina defeated France in a penalty shootout to win the FIFA World Cup title. Lionel Messi was the inspirational leader of that historic team, but one of his fellow champions later suffered a major setback after being imposed a doping ban, which has now officially ended.
Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez appeared in two matches during Argentina’s 2022 World Cup campaign. He started in the group stage opener against Saudi Arabia – a shock 2-1 defeat – and again in the round of 16 against Australiaa 2–1 victory for the South Americans.
That match turned out to be Gomez’s last appearance Argentina. He did not feature in the quarter-finals, semi-finals or finals, and was surprisingly left out of the head coach position Lionel Scaloni‘s calls for the festive friendlies played in Argentina in March 2023.
Speculation about his absence took an unexpected turn in mid-2023 Gomez was found guilty of using a controlled substance in 2022during his time at Seville. The Argentinian midfielder received a two-year ban and played only two games Monza in Series A before the ban came into effect.
Alejandro Gomez of Argentina walks past the winners’ trophy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The return of Papu Gomez
On October 20, Alejandro Gomez’s two-year ban officially expired, allowing him to return to professional football. Now 37 years old, he is a long way from the elite level at which he shined World Cup and play a key role for top clubs The League and Series A.
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However, his comeback will take place at a more modest European club: Padua football. The Italian side is participating Series BItaly’s second division, and are currently eleventh in the standings with three wins, two draws and three losses in eight matches.
Calcio Padova played their last match on Sunday, October 19, the last day of Gomez’s suspension. Their next match is Sunday, October 26, at home against Juventus Stabiaand Papu Gomez is expected to be part of the squad. His debut is likely to cause great excitement at the club, given the rare presence of a reigning World Cup champion in Serie B.
Papu Gomez’s record with Argentina
Few players in history can match the honor Alejandro Gomez achieved with Argentina. He is a two-time world champion, a America’s Cup winner, and A Very definitive champion. He won his first title at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, where he played alongside future stars Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero, And Once Banega.
However, it would be many years before Gomez would earn a place on the senior national team. As a creative midfielder or winger, he faced fierce competition for playing time, often overshadowed by superstars such as Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria.
Gomez made his debut for Argentina in 2017 at the age of 29 but only became a permanent fixture from 2020 under Lionel Scaloni. From then on, he was heavily involved in the build-up to the 2022 World Cup, securing his squad place after Giovani Lo Celso was ruled out due to injury.
In total, Gomez made 17 appearances for Argentina between 2017 and 2022, scoring three goals and providing four assists. He won the Copa America 2021the Grand final 2022 in return for Italyand of course the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
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