Gustavo Gómez remains key in a testing season for Palmeiras | OneFootball

Captain and main defensive reference for Palmeiras in recent years, defender Gustavo Gómez concluded his eighth season wearing the green and white jersey. At the beginning of 2025, the Paraguayan renewed his contract for another year, extending the bond until the end of 2027, with the mission of continuing as a pillar of the defensive system led by Abel Ferreira. However, the season turned out to be more challenging than the previous ones.

Irregular start and changes in defense

Gómez had an unstable start to the year and ended up missing Palmeiras' first major decision of the season: the final of the Campeonato Paulista against Corinthians. The defender suffered a collateral ligament injury in his right knee in the semifinal against São Paulo, which forced him to watch from the sidelines as Verdão lost to their biggest rival.

To worsen the scenario, as the season progressed, his most frequent defensive partner, Murilo, lost his place and spent long periods sidelined due to physical problems. As a result, Gómez had to form a partnership with Bruno Fuchs and Micael, both signed by the club in 2025, which required an adaptation process in the defensive sector.

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Records and offensive contribution

Despite the adversities, the captain managed to regain his good form and stood out again, especially in the Club World Cup. In the competition, he reached the milestone of 350 matches wearing the Palmeiras jersey, in the match against Inter Miami. However, the tournament ended bitterly for the defender: sent off in the round of 16 against Botafogo, he missed the quarter-final clash against Chelsea, which resulted in Palmeiras' elimination.

On the offensive side, Gustavo Gómez maintained his usual presence. Throughout the year, he scored six goals and provided two assists. Two of those goals were scored in the Libertadores, making him the highest-scoring defender in the history of the competition, with 14, and placing him third among Palmeiras' top scorers in the continental tournament.

Division between club and national team

Photo by DANIEL DUARTE / AFP

Gómez's season was also marked by the constant division between commitments for Palmeiras and the Paraguayan national team. The defender missed several matches for Verdão due to FIFA dates, but the sacrifice was ultimately rewarded, as Paraguay secured a spot in the World Cup after a 16-year absence.

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A frustrating end to the year

Despite his leadership on the field and individual records, Gustavo Gómez ended 2025 without titles for Palmeiras. Besides being runners-up in the Campeonato Paulista, the team was eliminated by Corinthians in the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil and finished as runners-up to Flamengo on two occasions: in the Libertadores final and the Brazilian Championship.

In total, the defender played 53 matches for Palmeiras in the season, starting 51 of them, ending the year as the eighth player with the most games for the club in 2025.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.