At the age of 23, he joined Barca with the title of starting midfielder for the European Championship winning team, and Gomes became the red and blue summer window champion, and added the Ballon d'Or clause. Who would have thought that he would leave the Premier League in 2 years and be tackled by Son Heung-min to break his ankle.
At the age of 29, he reunited with his former teammate Messi. Gomez, who assisted the goal, once let Lille, who was trailing by two goals, face a three-goal comeback. However, this "battle of the kings" ended with Messi's free-kick shootout and Paris' 4-3 victory.
01. Fans jokingly call the "King of the Ball": the Barça champion with the terms of the Ballon d'Or
a. Travelling to Barça with a European Cup winner: come with the terms of the Ballon d'Or
Debuting at Benfica in Portugal, Andre Gomez was once considered the successor to the classical forward.
In the summer of 2016, after helping the Portuguese national team win the European Championship as a semi-main player, he became Barca's summer window transfer champion (€35 million fixed transfer fee + additional floating clauses including the Ballon d'Or).
The biggest feature of the six new signings of Barça in that summer window is that they all happen to be 23 years old. Andre Gomes and Umtiti quickly became regular players, but in the end, only the French centre-back was the real starter.
Barca had high expectations for Gomes and gave him plenty of opportunities to become Iniesta or Sergio Busquets as a successor (tried to get him to play in midfield, as well as at the back).
However, it is said that Gomez, who performed extremely well in training, always walked on the pitch but always lost his soul. In his own words, "too nervous to play"! Gomez, who was introverted, was eventually crushed by pressure and failed to show his talent.
In his occasional flashes, he was used as a right-back under Luis Enrique. In the Copa del Rey final, Gomez, who ran wildly with the ball all the way, was eye-catching.
Helplessly, with the departure of Enrique, Valverde, who employs relatively conservative people, can give Gomez too little room for development, and his departure is also an inevitable result.
b. Regain confidence in the Premier League: unfortunately he was tackled by Son Heung-min and broke his leg
When Barca decided to waive Gomes, Everton took him to the Premier League with a €25 million fixed transfer fee + €5 million floating clause.
Gomez seems to be gradually regaining his confidence after leaving Barca. Not only was he named Premier League Best in a single game several times, but he also scored some beautiful goals and assists.
In the match against Wolves, it was Gomes who scored with a powerful blast after entering the box and ignited the passion of the pitch.
The more confident Gomez seems to be able to play his due skills (Barça fans once joked that Gomez, wearing a red and blue shirt, is a success, and if he plays 5 successes, he must be honored as a Goball king).
Just as Gomez was becoming familiar with the rhythm of the Premier League and getting better at confrontation, defense and ball handling, he suffered a serious ankle fracture in the game against Tottenham because of Son Heung-min's retaliatory tackle foul behind his back.
Although the South Korean star cried on the spot, he only got a yellow card, and Gomez could no longer find his own self who could rush and accelerate.
02. Against Paris Saint-Germain: Gomes scored twice with an assist
a. Passing has improved: physical flexibility remains
Despite returning from injury, it is really difficult for Gomes to find his former self in the fierce and fast-paced Premier League. Loaned to Lille this season, he became one of the team's double backs, partnering veteran captain Andre.
Against Paris Saint-Germain, Lille once dominated the midfield advantage, and the value of Andre Gomes and Andre was quite clear.
Paris got off to a great start, giving them an early 2-0 lead. However, as Lille gradually took possession of the ball, they began to pressure the home team's penalty area.
This time Andre Gomes sent in a quality cross and Diakite scored with a header from inside the box to close the gap to 1-2.
Before he knew it, Gomez was also 29 years old, and his passing skills had improved over the years. This time he first moved the ball to Timothy Weah and gave his teammates a cross.
Then the ball came to the feet of Gomes again, he first made a beautiful escape move, followed by a change of left foot, allowing David to complete the shot in the box, but unfortunately blocked by the defender.
b. Passing has improved: physical flexibility remains
Although Paris led 2-1 in the first half, they had less than half the number of shots on goal (5-11) and 14 percentage points less possession.
In the first half of the second half, Paris performed even worse, and Lille even completed a three-goal comeback.
Gomez, a man who is close to 1.9 meters tall, has a high level of physical flexibility and control of the center of gravity.
His second assist of the game was to use his turn to deliver a high-quality long pass without a passing line at the near end.
It can be clearly seen from the lens that Gomez's body flexibility and strength are very good. His movements are slow, but he has a hint of Busquets.
This time the assist was assisted by Bamba's goal, of course, thanks to the quality of the shot from his teammates, but the pass itself deserves applause.
03. Three whips for two! Gomez and Messi looked at each other
a. Defensive end against Messi in a row: Gomez actually broke the ball
Gomez not only had two assists, but also contributed two steals, one interception and one block shot.
Surprisingly, Gomez, who has been criticized for being too slow and inefficient in defense, made two tacks in this game with Messi.
This time, when Messi passed the ball continuously, it was Gomez who successfully broke the ball. However, the problem of his slow movement was exposed.
Neymar's pass, although blocked by Gomez, then he also lost his center of gravity and could only watch as Neymar passed the ball to the feet of Mbappe.
Looking at the defense again, when Vitinha passed back to Messi, Gomes once again made a successful tackle, and then created a counter-tackle foul by Vitinha to win a free kick in front.
In this wave of Parisian counter-attacks, Neymar took the ball from the front of the penalty area, but it was blocked by Gomes.
Gomez's biggest problem is that he does not have the ability to handle the ball at a continuous fast pace, his movements are slower, his continuous movements are even slower, and after the first wave of defense is successful, once the opponent launches a second attack, he tends to lose position and center of gravity.
Fortunately, Messi, who was vacant after Neymar's brilliant pass, was saved by the goalkeeper.
b. Ball King Moment! Messi scored from a free kick
Messi is not in good form, but that doesn't mean Messi can't decide the winner.
The team went from 2-0 to 2-3 and had a bad time. However, in the last 10 minutes of the game, Paris regained the initiative.
In the final moments of the game, Messi scored a direct free-kick from a dead corner to help Paris Saint-Germain complete a 4-3 comeback.
This is also the 16th consecutive year that Messi has scored from a free kick, setting a new record.
After the game, Messi, who sent the killer goal, hugged Gomez, who scored twice with an assist. Former teammates reunited, all these years are cold and warm self-aware.
Conclusion:
Whether a player can live up to his talent will be interfered by many factors. An individual's mental endurance, injuries, and a little luck can have a big impact.
Obviously, the introverted Gomez lacks a strong heart, and at the same time loses the possibility of turning over due to serious injuries. At the age of 29, at least he can still stand in the big five leagues and try to find a chance to make another appearance in European competition.