Nuno Gomes

Gomes celebrates a goal for Benfica
Personal information
Full name	Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro
Date of birth	(1976-07-05) July 5, 1976 (age 35)
Place of birth	Amarante, Portugal
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Braga
Number	21
Youth career
	Amarante
1990–1994	Boavista
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1997	Boavista	79	(23)
1997–2000	Benfica	101	(60)
2000–2002	Fiorentina	53	(14)
2002–2011	Benfica	192	(65)
2011–	Braga	20	(6)
National team‡
1991–1996	Portugal U16	8	(5)
1992	Portugal U17	1	(2)
1995	Portugal U20	5	(7)
1995–1997	Portugal U21	18	(10)
1996–	Portugal	79	(29)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2011

Nuno Miguel Soares Pereira Ribeiro (born 5 July 1976), commonly known as Nuno Gomes, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.C. Braga as a striker.

He was given the nickname Gomes during childhood after F.C. Porto great Fernando Gomes, and was one of the country's most recognisable offensive players in the 1990s/2000s; he consistently scored for both club and country, and was capable of being a good link-up player, accumulating a number of assists throughout his career, which was spent mainly with Benfica, for which he netted 166 times in 398 games, over the course of 12 professional seasons.

Gomes represented Portugal in two World Cups and three European Championships - helping the national team finish third at Euro 2000 - winning more than 100 caps all categories comprised (nearly 80 for the senior side alone).

Club career[link]

Boavista / Benfica[link]

Born in Amarante, Gomes established his reputation with Boavista FC, where he made his top division debut in the 1994–95 season, aged 18.

He collected his first silverware as Boavista beat Sport Lisboa e Benfica to lift the Portuguese Cup in 1996–97, and scored 23 goals in 79 appearances in three years for the northerners, including 15 in his last term, before moving to Benfica.

Fiorentina / Return to Benfica[link]

After three seasons at Benfica, in which he scored over 60 goals in over 100 appearances, Euro 2000 exploits earned Gomes a €17 million move to ACF Fiorentina. He won the Italian Cup in his first year, but financial collapse by the Viola precipitated a 2002 return to Benfica.

A series of nagging injuries limited Gomes to under 70 games from 2002–05;^[1][2] however, he still helped Benfica win the domestic cup in 2003–04 and the league the following season. In the latter, he contributed with seven goals in 23 outings. He enjoyed his best season in 2005–06, scoring 15 goals in the league, including two at F.C. Porto (2–0 win^[3]) and a hat-trick against União de Leiria, snatching second place in the goalscorers' list, and adding the following Portuguese Super Cup, netting the game's only against Vitória de Setúbal.^[4]

From 2006–07 onwards, Gomes faced tough competition for a starting place in Benfica's attack: he only netted six times in the league, and would suffer even more after the signing of Paraguayan Óscar Cardozo in the following summer. However, still a valuable member of the squad, he netted nine goals overall during the season, and was also made team captain over legendary Rui Costa.

On 2 October 2008, Gomes scored his 150th goal for Benfica in a UEFA Cup outing against S.S.C. Napoli (2–0 home win, 4–3 aggregate triumph) with a fine header; following the June 2009 signing of Argentine Javier Saviola, he further fell down in the club's striker pecking order.

Again a reserve player in the 2010–11 season (but playing even less), 34-year old Gomes made the most with the minutes provided to him by manager Jorge Jesus. He scored his first goal in the campaign on 14 November 2010, in a 4–0 home win against Associação Naval 1º de Maio, the 200th in the competition,^[5] and dedicated it to his father Joaquim who had died in August.^[6] In two consecutive league games in March 2011, he scored three goals, one at home against Portimonense SC (1–1 draw^[7]) and two away against F.C. Paços de Ferreira (5–1 win^[8]), appearing as a late substitute in all three matches.

Later years[link]

Less than one month shy of his 35th birthday, Gomes was released by Benfica after the club decided not to renew his contract. He was, however, offered a position in the team's managerial structure, effective immediately or when he eventually retired.^[9][10] Shortly after, he signed for fellow league side S.C. Braga.

International career[link]

Gomes earned 79 caps and scored 29 goals for Portugal. Having represented the national side at every level, from the U-15 to the seniors, he scored at an excellent rate at every level.

Gomes helped the national under-20s finish third in the 1995 FIFA World Youth Championship, netting four times in as many games, including two in the third-place game against Spain. The following year, he appeared at the 1996 Summer Olympics, helping Portugal to an eventual fourth place.^[11]

Gomes made his senior international debut at 19, in a 1996 friendly against France. He scored his first senior international goal in Portugal's opening match at the UEFA Euro 2000, marking his fourth start with the winner as Portugal came from two goals down to beat England 3–2.^[12] He would finish 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 scored the opening goal.^[13]

With seven goals in only six matches, Gomes helped Portugal qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup - this included a four-goal performance against Andorra. He would struggle to hold a starting place in the finals in Japan and South Korea, only appearing twice as a substitute. 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 halftime substitute, scored the winning goal against Spain to send the hosts through to the quarter-finals. He was often injured during Portugal's 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign, only managing to play four games, 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 Germany in the third-place game, a 1–3 defeat.

After the retirement of Pauleta, Gomes was expected to become his successor in the striker role. He played 10 times and scored three times in Euro 2008's qualifying campaign, captained Portugal at the finals, and scored against Germany in the quarter-finals, thus becoming the fourth player to score at three straight European Championships.^[14]

After the appointment of Carlos Queiroz as coach, Gomes was constantly left out of the squad due to his lack of minutes at his club. During the 2010 World Cup qualification, he only took part in four out of twelve matches, all as a substitute, with Liédson and Hugo Almeida being preferred. He was later on 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.

On 7 October 2011, after more than two years out of international play, 35-year old Gomes replaced Hélder Postiga in the last minute of a 5–3 home win against Iceland for the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

International goals[link]

Nuno Gomes: International goals

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	12 June 2000	Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands	England	3–2	3–2	UEFA Euro 2000
2	24 June 2000	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Turkey	0–1	0–2	UEFA Euro 2000
3	24 June 2000	Amsterdam ArenA, Amsterdam, Netherlands	Turkey	0–2	0–2	UEFA Euro 2000
4	28 June 2000	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium	France	1–0	1–2	UEFA Euro 2000
5	1 September 2001	Camp d'Esports, Lleida, Andorra	Andorra	0–1	1–7	2002 World Cup qualification
6	1 September 2001	Camp d'Esports, Lleida, Andorra	Andorra	0–3	1–7	2002 World Cup qualification
7	1 September 2001	Camp d'Esports, Lleida, Andorra	Andorra	1–5	1–7	2002 World Cup qualification
8	1 September 2001	Camp d'Esports, Lleida, Andorra	Andorra	1–7	1–7	2002 World Cup qualification
9	5 September 2001	Antonis Papadopoulos, Larnaca, Cyprus	Cyprus	1–1	1–3	2002 World Cup qualification
10	6 October 2001	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Estonia	2–0	5–0	2002 World Cup qualification
11	6 October 2001	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal	Estonia	4–0	5–0	2002 World Cup qualification
12	14 November 2001	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Angola	2–1	5–1	Friendly
13	14 November 2001	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Angola	4–1	5–1	Friendly
14	25 May 2002	Estádio Campo Desportivo, Macau, China	China PR	0–1	0–2	Friendly
15	19 November 2003	Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal	Kuwait	6–0	8–0	Friendly
16	19 November 2003	Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal	Kuwait	7–0	8–0	Friendly
17	19 November 2003	Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa, Leiria, Portugal	Kuwait	8–0	8–0	Friendly
18	28 April 2004	Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal	Sweden	2–2	2–2	Friendly
19	29 May 2004	Estádio Municipal de Águeda, Águeda Municipality, Portugal	Luxembourg	2–0	3–0	Friendly
20	5 May 2004	Estádio do Bonfim, Setúbal, Portugal	Lithuania	3–1	4–1	Friendly
21	20 June 2004	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Spain	0–1	0–1	UEFA Euro 2004
22	26 March 2005	Estádio Cidade de Barcelos, Barcelos Municipality, Portugal, Portugal	Canada	4–1	4–1	Friendly
23	8 October 2005	Estádio Municipal de Aveiro, Aveiro Municipality, Portugal	Liechtenstein	2–1	2–1	2006 World Cup qualification
24	8 July 2006	Mercedes-Benz Arena, Stuttgart, Germany	Germany	3–1	3–1	2006 FIFA World Cup
25	6 September 2006	Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland	Finland	1–1	1–1	Euro 2008 qualifying
26	11 October 2006	Stadion Śląski, Chorzów, Poland	Poland	2–1	2–1	Euro 2008 qualifying
27	24 March 2007	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal	Belgium	1–0	4–0	Euro 2008 qualifying
28	26 March 2008	Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany	Greece	1–2	1–2	Friendly
29	18 June 2008	St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland	Germany	1–2	2–3	UEFA Euro 2008

Club statistics[link]

Correct as 30 January 2012

¹ includes one match in the Italian Supercup.
² includes one match and one goal in the Portuguese Supercup.

Honours[link]

Club[link]

Boavista

• Portuguese Cup: 1996–97

Benfica

• Portuguese League: 2004–05, 2009–10
• Portuguese Cup: 2003–04
• Portuguese Supercup: 2005
• Portuguese League Cup: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11

Fiorentina

• Italian Cup: 2000–01

Country[link]

• UEFA European Football Championship: Runner-up 2004; Third place 2000
• FIFA U-20 World Cup: Third place 1995
• UEFA Under-18 Championship: 1994
• UEFA Under-16 Football Championship: 1996
• Toulon Tournament: Third place 1996

Individual[link]

• UEFA European Football Championship: Team of the Tournament 2000
• Toulon Tournament: Top Scorer 1996
• Portuguese League Player of the Month: September 2005, October 2005

Orders[link]

• Medal of Merit, Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)^[15]

Personal[link]

• Nuno Gomes was featured on the cover of the Portuguese edition of FIFA Football 2003.

• He has been 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 had another child.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Benfica profile (Portuguese)
• Stats and profile at Zerozero
• Stats at ForaDeJogo
• PortuGOAL profile
• Nuno Gomes at National-Football-Teams.com

Portugal squads v t e Portugal squad – 1996 Summer Olympics Fourth Place 1 Costinha 2 Kenedy 3 Rui Bento 4 Peixe (c) 5 Beto 6 Andrade 7 Dominguez 8 Capucho 9 P. Alves 10 A. Martins 11 Rui Jorge 12 Nuno 13 Vidigal 14 Calado 15 Nuno Gomes 16 Porfírio 17 Litos 18 Dani 20 N. Afonso Coach: Vingada v t e Portugal squad – UEFA Euro 2000 semi-finalists 1 Vítor Baía (c) 2 J. Costa 3 Rui Jorge 4 Vidigal 5 F. Couto 6 Paulo Sousa 7 Figo 8 João Pinto 9 Sá Pinto 10 Rui Costa 11 S. Conceição 12 Espinha 13 Dimas 14 Xavier 15 Costinha 16 Beto 17 Bento 18 Pauleta 19 Capucho 20 Secretário 21 Nuno Gomes 22 Quim Coach: Coelho v t e Portugal squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Vítor Baía 2 J. Costa 3 Xavier 4 Caneira 5 F. Couto (c) 6 Paulo Sousa 7 Figo 8 João Pinto 9 Pauleta 10 Rui Costa 11 S. Conceição 12 Viana 13 Andrade 14 Barbosa 15 Nélson 16 Ricardo 17 Bento 18 Frechaut 19 Capucho 20 Petit 21 Nuno Gomes 22 Beto 23 Rui Jorge Coach: Oliveira v t e Portugal squad – UEFA Euro 2004 Runners-up 1 Ricardo 2 Ferreira 3 Rui Jorge 4 Andrade 5 F. Couto (c) 6 Costinha 7 Figo 8 Petit 9 Pauleta 10 Rui Costa 11 Simão 12 Quim 13 Miguel 14 N. Valente 15 Beto 16 Carvalho 17 C. Ronaldo 18 Maniche 19 Tiago 20 Deco 21 Nuno Gomes 22 Moreira 23 H. Postiga Coach: Scolari v t e Portugal squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup Fourth Place 1 Ricardo 2 Ferreira 3 Caneira 4 Costa 5 Meira 6 Costinha 7 Figo (c) 8 Petit 9 Pauleta 10 H. Viana 11 Simão 12 Quim 13 Miguel 14 N. Valente 15 Boa Morte 16 Carvalho 17 C. Ronaldo 18 Maniche 19 Tiago 20 Deco 21 Nuno Gomes 22 Santos 23 H. Postiga Coach: Scolari v t e Portugal squad – UEFA Euro 2008 1 Ricardo 2 Ferreira 3 Bruno Alves 4 Bosingwa 5 Meira 6 Meireles 7 C. Ronaldo 8 Petit 9 H. Almeida 10 J. Moutinho 11 Simão 12 Nuno 13 Miguel 14 Ribeiro 15 Pepe 16 Carvalho 17 Quaresma 18 Veloso 19 Nani 20 Deco 21 Nuno Gomes (c) 22 Patrício 23 H. Postiga Coach: Scolari