Papu Gomez reflects on isolation after two-year doping ban and World Cup fallout | OneFootball

World champion in 2022, Papu Gomez was banned for two years after testing positive for terbutaline in October 2022 during surprise checks at Sevilla, shortly before Qatar.

‘I do not know if we can talk about revenge. Why would two or three suit-and-tie men in an office decide when I will stop? I wanted to retire when I chose,’ he told De Visitante in 2025.

He still featured in Qatar, starting against Saudi Arabia, a 1-2 defeat, and Australia, a 2-1 win, then stood on the podium on 18 December. He learned of the result during the tournament, and sources said team-mates were unaware then and some were angry when they later found out.

In October 2023 he was suspended for two years for serious negligence, upheld in early 2024. The Code lists terbutaline as a specified substance that can be taken accidentally and does not bring a provisional ban. FIFA requires more than two violations to strip a title.

He said the early months were brutal, that he took full responsibility and called himself the idiot, yet felt two years was excessive. He could not watch football, turned off the TV, isolated himself and saw a therapist, before gradually freeing himself.

In July 2025 he joined Padova in Serie B, returned to action, then suffered an ankle injury. Whether he kept his medal remains unclear, with Argentina’s federation, FIFA and Spain’s anti-doping body declining to answer. He is also named in a Barcelona probe over an alleged multi-million-euro NFT scheme.

Source: L'Équipe