Fernando Gomes (Portuguese footballer)

In this Portuguese name, the first or maternal family name is Mendes Soares and the second or paternal family name is Gomes.
Fernando Gomes
Gomes with Porto in the 80s
Personal information
Full name Fernando Mendes Soares Gomes[1]
Date of birth (1956-11-22)22 November 1956[1]
Place of birth Porto, Portugal[1]
Date of death 26 November 2022(2022-11-26) (aged 66)
Place of death Porto, Portugal
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1972–1974 Porto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1974–1980 Porto 158 (125)
1980–1982 Sporting Gijón 27 (12)
1982–1989 Porto 183 (163)
1989–1991 Sporting CP 63 (31)
Total 431 (331)
International career
1974 Portugal U18 6 (1)
1974–1977 Portugal U21 14 (6)
1975–1988 Portugal 48 (13)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Portugal
UEFA European Championship
Bronze medal – third place 1984 France
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Fernando Mendes Soares Gomes (22 November 1956 – 26 November 2022) was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a striker.

He achieved great success with Porto, during the late 1970s and 1980s. He represented Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga as well, and also spent two years in Spain with Sporting de Gijón.

The recipient of nearly 50 caps for Portugal, Gomes represented the nation in one World Cup and one European Championship.

Club career

Showing great ability since entering Porto's youth academy, Porto-born Gomes scored twice in his first-team debut in 1974, scoring twice in a 2–1 win over CUF.[2] Except for a two-year stint in La Liga with Sporting de Gijón (nearly one year of inactivity due to tendonitis),[3] when most key players left the Estádio das Antas in support of director of football – later president – Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa,[4] he was in all important moments of the rebirth of the club: the 20-year Primeira Liga drought end in the 1978–79 season, the first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final against Juventus in 1984 and, while he missed the 1987 final of the European Cup against Bayern Munich after breaking a leg in training days before, he netted five times in the side's victorious campaign, including once in the semi-finals with Dynamo Kyiv;[5] he still recovered in time to play in the European Supercup against Ajax and the Intercontinental Cup against Peñarol, on both occasions captaining the winner and scoring the opening goal in the latter game for a 2–1 victory.[6][7]

In addition, Gomes also won five leagues, three Portuguese Cups and three domestic supercups.[2] Due to personality clashes with Porto's board of directors, he signed with Sporting CP,[8] ending his career in 1990–91 after still netting 22 goals in his final season and also helping the Lions to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, aged 34.[9]

Gomes retired with Portuguese League totals of 404 matches and 319 goals.[10] His nickname, "Bi-bota", was given after the two European Golden Boot awards he received, in 1983 and 1985.[11][12] He remained the best goalscorer in the national territory for more than two decades only behind Benfica's Nené, and later returned to Porto, going on to work with the club in an ambassadorial role.[13]

International career

For the Portugal national team, Gomes scored 13 goals in 48 games from 9 March 1975 until 16 November 1988. His final appearance occurred against Luxembourg for the 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, netting the only goal at the Estádio do Bessa.[14]

Gomes was part of the squads at both UEFA Euro 1984[15] and the 1986 World Cup, reaching the semi-finals of the former tournament, being one of the few players that did not defect from the national side after the latter competition (following the infamous Saltillo Affair) and ending his international career two years later.[16]

Style of play

Apart from being a technically gifted player and a prolific goalscorer, Gomes' talent resided on a fantastic positional sense, which made him very dangerous inside the six-yard box, and earned him a reputation as a "poacher" in the media. In 2023, Tom Hancock of FourFourTwo magazine considered him to be one of the best strikers of the 1980s.[3][17][18]

Personal life and death

Gomes once quoted: "Scoring a goal is like having an orgasm."[19] Benfica striker Nuno Gomes, who played in the 90s/2000s, chose that nickname in deference to him.[20]

On 17 January 2020, Gomes' daughter Filipa died in mysterious circumstances. She worked in the fashion industry, and was 32.[21][22][23]

On 26 November 2022, Gomes died of pancreatic cancer, four days after his 66th birthday. He had been fighting the disease for the three years prior to his death.[24]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition.[25][26][27]

Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Porto 1974–75 Primeira Divisão 24 14 2 3 2[b] 1 — 28 18
1975–76 Primeira Divisão 23 10 2 2 3[b] 1 — 28 13
1976–77 Primeira Divisão 28 26 6 8 1[b] 0 — 35 34
1977–78 Primeira Divisão 25 25 7 4 1[c] 1 — 33 30
1978–79 Primeira Divisão 29 27 1 0 2[d] 1 — 32 28
1979–80 Primeira Divisão 29 23 5 5 4[d] 2 1[e] 0 39 30
Total 158 125 23 22 13 6 1 0 195 153
Sporting Gijón 1980–81 La Liga 4 1 0 0 — — 4 1
1981–82 La Liga 23 11 10 3 — — 33 14
Total 27 12 10 3 — — 37 15
Porto 1982–83 Primeira Divisão 29 36 6 13 4[b] 1 — 39 50
1983–84 Primeira Divisão 23 21 5 1 8[c] 4 0 0 36 26
1984–85 Primeira Divisão 30 39 6 3 2[c] 2 4[e] 2 42 46
1985–86 Primeira Divisão 30 20 4 1 4[d] 0 2[e] 0 40 21
1986–87 Primeira Divisão 26 21 5 3 8[d] 5 2[e] 2 41 31
1987–88 Primeira Divisão 30 21 4 0 1[d] 0 3[f] 1 38 22
1988–89 Primeira Divisão 15 5 2 1 3[d] 0 0 0 20 6
Total 183 163 32 22 30 12 11 5 256 202
Sporting CP 1989–90 Primeira Divisão 26 9 1 0 2[b] 0 — 29 9
1990–91 Primeira Divisão 37 22 3 2 10[b] 5 — 50 29
Total 63 31 4 2 12 5 — 79 38
Career Total 431 331 68 49 55 23 12 5 567 408
  1. ^ Includes Taça de Portugal and Copa del Rey
  2. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in UEFA Cup
  3. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  4. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in European Cup
  5. ^ a b c d Appearances in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  6. ^ Two appearances in European Super Cup, one appearance and one goal in Intercontinental Cup

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year.[28][29]

National team Year Apps Goals
Portugal 1975 4 0
1976 0 0
1977 1 0
1978 4 1
1979 4 0
1980 1 1
1981 0 0
1982 2 1
1983 7 0
1984 9 2
1985 7 4
1986 6 2
1987 1 1
1988 2 1
Total 48 13

International goals

Scores and results list Portugal's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gomes goal.[28][29]

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 11 October 1978 Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal  Belgium 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying
2 26 March 1980 Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland  Scotland 1–3 1–4 UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying
3 10 October 1982 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal  Poland 2–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 1984 qualifying
4 6 September 1984 Estádio do Restelo, Lisbon, Portugal  Bulgaria 1–0 1–0 Friendly
5 12 September 1984 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholms län, Sweden  Sweden 1–0 1–0 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 10 February 1985 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Ta' Qali, Malta  Malta 2–0 3–1 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 3–1
8 12 October 1985 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal  Malta 1–0 3–2 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification
9 3–2
10 5 February 1986 Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal  Luxembourg 2–0 2–0 Friendly
11 19 February 1986 Estádio 1º de Maio, Braga, Portugal  East Germany 1–3 1–3 Friendly
12 23 September 1987 Råsunda Stadium, Stockholms län, Sweden  Sweden 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 1988 qualifying
13 16 November 1988 Estádio do Bessa, Porto, Portugal  Luxembourg 1–0 1–0 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Porto[2]

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c d Fernando Gomes at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ a b c "FC Porto recorda a estreia de Gomes" [FC Porto remember Gomes' debut]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 8 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Un fichaje espectacular" [Spectacular signing]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  4. ^ "FC Porto. O Verão quente de 1980, que esfriou a relação no futebol" [FC Porto. 1980's hot summer, when football relations turned cold]. i (in Portuguese). 6 August 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  5. ^ Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge (27 May 2017). "Baixas em Viena: "Fraturei a tíbia e o perónio, mas marquei golo"" [Out for Vienna: "I fractured both the tibia and the fibula, but I scored"] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  6. ^ Marques, Sara (11 January 2016). "O dia em que o FC Porto trouxe a Supertaça Europeia para Portugal" [The day FC Porto brought the European Supercup to Portugal] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Toyota Cup 1987". FIFA. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  8. ^ Da Cunha, Pedro Jorge (28 April 2014). "1988/89: FC Porto sem troféus e dez campeões europeus a chorar" [1988/89: FC Porto without trophies and ten European champions crying] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Recordações de Alvalade: 1991, o Inter nos pés de Oceano" [Memories from Alvalade: 1991, Inter in Oceano's feet] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 28 June 2003. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. ^ "A melhor época de sempre de Mário Jardel" [Mário Jardel's best season ever] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 6 May 2002. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Fernando Gomes: uma Bota de Ouro com orgulho e memória" [Fernando Gomes: a Golden Boot with pride and memory]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 8 November 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Award winners". European Sports Media. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Fernando Gomes lembra play-off de 2016/17 e aborda rumores sobre Herrera" [Fernando Gomes remembers 2016/17 play-off and addresses Herrera rumours]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Lista completa dos internacionais portugueses" [Complete list of Portuguese internationals] (in Portuguese). Mais Futebol. 18 February 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Platini faz a diferença em meia-final de sonho" [Platini makes the difference in dream semi-final] (in Portuguese). UEFA. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  16. ^ Sousa Vasco, Rute (22 May 2018). "Saltillo, 1986. O 25 de abril do futebol português ou algo muito parecido" [Saltillo, 1986. The 25 April of Portuguese football or something like that] (in Portuguese). SAPO. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Nené sends Portugal to EURO 1984 semis as Romania miss out in Group 2". UEFA. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  18. ^ Hancock, Tom (27 November 2023). "The best strikers of the 80s". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  19. ^ "1/16 final Taça de Portugal – Quarta-Feira, 20 de Janeiro de 2010 – Freamunde, 1 (Bertinho 60m) vs SC Braga, 3 (F. Oliveira 58m, Moisés 72m e Matheus 79m)" [Portuguese Cup Last-32 – Wednesday, 20 January 2010 – Freamunde, 1 (Bertinho 60m) vs SC Braga, 3 (F. Oliveira 58m, Moisés 72m and Matheus 79m] (in Portuguese). Pacto Factual. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  20. ^ Vinagre, Hugo (2 January 2019). "Nuno Gomes: "Tive propostas de Itália e Inglaterra. Respondi que só falavamos depois de me reunir com o Benfica"" [Nuno Gomes: "I had offers from Italy and England. I replied that there would only be conversations after I met with Benfica"] (in Portuguese). Playboy. Archived from the original on 6 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Antigo jogador Fernando Gomes, o 'Bibota', de luto pela filha de 32 anos" [Former player Fernando Gomes, the 'Bibota', mourns 32-year-old daughter]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 17 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Fernando Gomes está de luto pela morte da filha" [Fernando Gomes mourns deceased daughter]. O Jogo (in Portuguese). 17 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  23. ^ "Funeral da filha de Fernando Gomes marcado por lágrimas e dor" [Funeral of Fernando Gomes' daughter marked by tears and pain]. Jornal da Madeira (in Portuguese). 19 January 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  24. ^ Cabranes, Ángel (26 November 2022). "Fallece a los 66 años el exjugador del Sporting Fernando Gomes" [Former Sporting player Fernando Gomes dies at the age of 66]. La Nueva España (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  25. ^ Fernando Gomes at ForaDeJogo (archived) Edit this at Wikidata
  26. ^ "Fernando Gomes". Footballdatabase.
  27. ^ Fernando Gomes at WorldFootball.net
  28. ^ a b "Portugal - Record International Players". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  29. ^ a b Fernando Gomes at EU-Football.info
  30. ^ Claro, Paulo; Preston, Simon; Nunes, João; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Portugal – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  31. ^ Arotaritei, Sorin; Di Maggio, Roberto. "Golden Boot ("Soulier d'Or") Awards". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  32. ^ Conceição Silva, Rui Manuel. "Portugal – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 9 February 2022.