Papu Gomez: Banned for a slip-up, at my best now, Napoli dream gone | OneFootball

Alejandro “Papu” Gomez opens up again in a long interview with Sportweek, starting from the present—Padova, in Serie B—and retracing a journey marked by talent, setbacks, comebacks, and life choices.

Papu Gomez: “Suspended for a silly mistake, but now I’m at my best. Napoli? A missed dream”

At 37, after two years of suspension for doping, the Argentine champion assures he’s back at his highest level, driven by an undiminished hunger for football.

Starting over from Padova: a life choice

Gomez doesn’t look for excuses or shortcuts. The decision to accept Padova’s offer—500,000 euros for two seasons—came from the need to challenge himself again in an environment where he could regain a central role. He told director Mirabelli: “Look, I just want to play and feel important. I’m not here to take strolls.”

He turned down offers from Saudi Arabia and Argentina because he wanted a competitive environment, even knowing that no call would come from Serie A.

From a technical standpoint, Gomez assures: “The level is high. I’m the same Papu as always, even at 37 and with a few aches and pains.”

The suspension and personal rebuilding

The episode that marked the last two years of his life came after a night of coughing: “I took my son’s syrup, in good faith. Then came the surprise test… I had forgotten to declare the antibiotic.”

The two-year suspension, he says, felt disproportionate: “You can’t stop a player for two years over something so trivial.”

Those were very tough months: too much freedom, no routine, no reference points. To overcome the trauma, Gomez sought support: “I got help from a psychologist. I was used to a precise rhythm, and suddenly I didn’t know how to fill my days.”

He tried to detach from football and got into reading, especially books on nutrition and psychology. In the first months, he couldn’t even watch a match: “It made me feel bad, I was angry with the system.”

A career of dreams fulfilled, without regrets

Gomez looks back with clarity and pride: “I’ve achieved everything: debuting with Arsenal Sarandí, playing in Italy, the Champions League, the national team, the World Cup. What more could I ask for?”

He doesn’t even deny his mistakes. On the choice to join Metalist, he’s clear: “I chased the money and I was wrong.” Yet every time, after a crisis, his career found a positive turning point.

Napoli and that dream never realized

Among the teams he would have liked to play for, he doesn’t hesitate: “Napoli. For the passion of the fans and for Diego. I grew up watching his plays.”

A technical and emotional regret, but without bitterness.

Gasperini, Atalanta, and memories of an unrepeatable era

Gomez doesn’t hide what Gasperini meant for his growth: “With him, you either run or you’re out. I understood that on the first day. He was right: by the 70th minute, the others collapsed and we were still going strong.”

Off the pitch, the relationship never became a friendship, but was always based on respect: “We understood each other just by looking in each other’s eyes. After the Europa League, we went out to dinner, reminisced about the Bergamo days. Then that was it.”

The memories also touch on one of Atalanta’s most iconic nights, Valencia–Atalanta 2020, experienced in the midst of the Covid emergency: a moment of sporting joy immersed in the city’s tragedy.

Argentina and the World Cup victory: an overwhelming emotion

Gomez describes the Qatar 2022 final as an all-encompassing experience: “It’s impossible to sleep before a final. You look at your phone, see the fans going to the stadium, your heart is racing.”

The World Cup win has a special meaning: “In Argentina, they live football in an exaggerated way. People sold their cars to come support us.”

The celebrations became a surreal anecdote: five million people in the streets, the bus blocked, suffocating heat, euphoric exhaustion. They even needed helicopters to get the players home.

The future of football and a changing legacy

Gomez observes the evolution of the game with realism: “There are few players like me. Now they want everyone big and physical.”

He mentions Dominguez from Bologna as a possible heir but admits that technically gifted, lighter profiles are becoming rare.

On Gasperini at Roma, he’s convinced: “Roma can win the Scudetto. They’ll fight until the end.”

Papu off the pitch: a demanding father

He describes himself as an “old school” dad, convinced that young people today are too fragile in competitive dynamics. His children play sports, are talented and determined; little Constantina, who loves Paolini and Alcaraz, already has a mentality that surprises even him.

And Papu the footballer?

For a while, he admits, that Papu seemed gone. Not anymore: “Papu Gomez is back.”

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