Papu Gómez breaks silence on his relationship with Lionel Scaloni | OneFootball

The midfielder Alejandro “Papu” Gómez spoke publicly again and made strong statements about his relationship with Lionel Scaloni and his departure from the Argentine national team after the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

The midfielder recalled his early days at Atalanta with the current coach of the “Albiceleste”: “When I arrived at Atalanta, Tanque Denis, Maxi Moralez, and Scaloni were there, who was kind of a misfit. Leo came from Lazio, they had separated him, they wanted to get rid of him, but he trained with us. He didn't play much, but he trained like hell. He was the person who helped me from day one with everything: buying a car, finding a house”.

In a conversation with journalist Julián Polo, Gómez also described what Scaloni was like as a footballer: “Unbearable, in a good way. He was active all the time, with a lot of energy. Making jokes, training, always at a thousand. He was very loved in the locker room”.

He also highlighted his intelligence as a coach: “He was very shrewd in management: he made a very good renewal in the national team after Russia 2018, he surrounded Leo well with talented players who were going to kill for him. He is very close to the player, he is straightforward and doesn't talk nonsense. This created a harmonious atmosphere”.

“Papu” reviewed his journey in the “Albiceleste” and how he went from being a substitute to a key piece in the 2021 Copa América: “When he called me, I had just been named player of the month in Italy and I didn't play a minute. It was difficult because I share a position with the best in the world. But never a sour face, never anything. I trained like hell. I ended up playing the Copa América and being important, showing that I could play”.

He even said that he had an influence on the arrival of Cristian Romero: “He came to ask me about a left central defender and I told him: ‘Take Cuti, he's a crack’. First he called me and then he called him”.

About his doping sanction, the midfielder did not dodge responsibilities: “I don't want to play the victim. I was the fool who took a cough syrup from my son that I couldn't take. I swallowed it and here I am. The first few months were very hard, I was angry with everything, I isolated myself, I worked with psychologists and with myself. Little by little I was able to get up”.

Gómez acknowledged that he even distanced himself from football and that the blow led him to reconsider his future: “I don't want to be retired like this. I want to retire when I want to. Also for my children, so they see that their dad kept fighting and went back to doing what he loves most: playing”.

Finally, he valued the support he received during this time: “I was surprised by the people who disappeared, but I was also pleasantly surprised by those who appeared out of nowhere. I met more people in these two years as a former player than in the six I was at Atalanta”.

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