.jpg) Gomes atWatford in 2015 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Heurelho da Silva Gomes[1] | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1981-02-15)15 February 1981 (age 44) | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | João Pinheiro,Minas Gerais, Brazil | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2] | |||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Democrata SL[3] | |||||||||||||
| 2001 | Cruzeiro | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Cruzeiro | 59 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | PSV | 128 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Tottenham Hotspur | 95 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2013 | →1899 Hoffenheim (loan) | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2014–2020 | Watford | 144 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2021 | Democrata SL | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| Total | 435 | (0) | ||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Brazil U23 | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Brazil | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
Heurelho da Silva Gomes (born 15 February 1981) is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as agoalkeeper.
He played forPremier League clubsTottenham Hotspur andWatford, having previously made a name for himself at Dutch clubPSV Eindhoven.
Gomes made 11 appearances for theBrazil national team between 2003 and 2010 and was part of their 23-man2010 World Cup squad.
Gomes began as aforward, only becoming agoalkeeper at age 19.[4] Gomes started his career in his native country Brazil atCruzeiro, where he played 59 games between 2001 and 2004. Here, he was scouted byPiet de Visser and in July 2004, he was sold toPSV.
Gomes made his debut for theEindhoven club against Serbian sideRed Star Belgrade on 11 August 2004.[5] He conceded two goals in his league debut againstRBC Roosendaal, which PSV won 5–2, but secured his first team place and played a major part in PSV's four consecutive titles in the Eredivisie and European achievements. In his first season, PSV reached the semi-finals of theUEFA Champions League, where in their 14 previous attempts, they had not reached the second round. In the following seasons, PSV progressed each time from the group stage.
In theEredivisie, Gomes was known for his reflexes, which saved points for PSV more than once. He was also able to throw the ball deep into the opponent's half. In a match againstFeyenoord, Gomes injured himself whilst celebrating a goal scored by his teammatePhillip Cocu. However, he managed to continue and later managed to make an important save, keeping his side in the game, which they went on to draw.[citation needed]
Following the appointment of managerJuande Ramos, Gomes signed forTottenham Hotspur on 27 June 2008[6] for a fee was believed to be around £7.8 million.[7] Gomes played his first game in Tottenham colours in a pre-seasonfriendly match on 19 July 2008 against SpanishSegunda División B sideDénia, which Tottenham won 4–2.
Gomes eventually obtained awork permit to play in the United Kingdom, despite playing less than the 75% required number of games forBrazil in the last two years. Gomes made his home debut on 10 August 2008, keeping aclean sheet with a 5–0 victory overRoma on Tottenham's last pre-season friendly, before the2008–09 Premier League began.
Tottenham lost their two opening games 2–1 toMiddlesbrough andSunderland respectively, but his presence in goal helped Spurs earn their first point of the season with a draw againstrival clubChelsea atStamford Bridge. His reputation took a hit a week later, however, when he conceded a weak shot fromAshley Young[8] in Spurs' 2–1 home defeat againstAston Villa. These blunders continued as he conceded anown goal in aLondon derby againstFulham on 15 November 2008, which kept his club mired deep in the relegation zone and also caused Spurs goalkeeping coachHans Leitert to be sacked on 19 November 2008, with the appointment of former Spurs goalkeeperTony Parks made shortly after.[9]
Gomes went on to put in a strong performance againstWest Ham United, saving two shots deep into the match in which Tottenham won 2–0, before making two important saves to denyPark Ji-sung andRyan Giggs in a 0–0 draw withManchester United.[10]
Gomes was injured in Spurs' 5–1 win overHull City in the second game of the2009–10 Premier League season and had to be replaced by second-choice goalkeeperCarlo Cudicini.[11] After anMRI scan, it was revealed that Gomes suffered damage to his groin which would keep him out for up to a month.[12] He made his return to first team action in the 5–1 victory overPreston North End in theLeague Cup on 23 September 2009,[13] and made his Premier League comeback in the 2–1 win atPortsmouth on 17 October. During this match, the Brazilian made a handful of brilliant saves, one of which was compared by former Spurs goalkeeperPat Jennings to a famous save made byGordon Banks against Brazil in the1970 FIFA World Cup.[14]
On 3 April 2010, he made twopenalty saves out of three against in a 3–1 defeat away at Sunderland, then on 14 April, Gomes' fine form aided Spurs in picking up their first Premier League victory over Arsenal in 21 meetings; he saved aRobin van Persie free kick and several other attempts on goal in succession. The following week, on 17 April, Gomes again made several crucial saves as Tottenham beat Chelsea 2–1 as the team passedManchester City to sit fourth in the League standings. He kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 win overBolton Wanderers and then played a vital role in the 1–0 victory against Manchester City with two crucial saves which saw Tottenham get into theUEFA Champions League for the first time ever.
On 20 October 2010, Gomes received ared card for foulingJonathan Biabiany within the first ten minutes of the first half against European ChampionsInter Milan at theSan Siro inthe Champions League. Tottenham Hotspur lost the match 4–3 after going 4–0 down inside the first 35 minutes, despite a second halfhat-trick fromGareth Bale.[15]
Gomes' goalkeeping ability was called into question on 13 April 2011 in the second leg tie againstReal Madrid after a long-shot fromCristiano Ronaldo slipped out of Gomes' hands over his head and into the goal to put Real Madrid 5–0 up on aggregate. Gomes took blame for another controversial goal against Chelsea on 30 April after a shot fromFrank Lampard slipped between his legs and although Gomes scrambled back and appeared to clear the ball, the goal was allowed.[16] Spurs went on to lose the game 2–1.
After several high-profile errors and misjudgements by Gomes, Tottenham signed 40-year-old keeperBrad Friedel on afree transfer from Aston Villa to provide competition in the first team. Friedel began the season as the starter with Gomes being relegated to the bench and later being left out of match day squads entirely, which led to immediate speculation regarding his future at the club.[17] Gomes played his first match of the2011–12 season in aLeague Cup defeat toStoke City 6–7 in apenalty shoot-out afterMassimo Luongo missed a penalty. Subsequently, Gomes played in the2011–12 UEFA Europa League, keeping a clean sheet in the 1–0 victory overRubin Kazan. Following Spurs' deadline day capture of goalkeeperHugo Lloris fromLyon, Gomes slipped to fourth-choice at Spurs, but following the sale of Carlo Cudicini to theLA Galaxy, he rose back to third-choice, behind Lloris and Friedel.
On the final day of the January 2013 transfer window, Gomes agreed to join GermanBundesliga side1899 Hoffenheim on loan until the end ofthe season.[18] On 2 February, he made his debut as Hoffenheim won 2–1 againstSC Freiburg. After the match, managerMarco Kurz praised Gomes, saying, "Gomes has shown a very solid performance. Although he has only trained once with us, his aura was strong." Throughout the match, Gomes made four crucial saves and looked assured in claiming six crosses, commanding his penalty area.[19] By his third match for Hoffenheim, he was alreadycaptaining the team, although his season ended prematurely when, on 6 April 2013, he broke hismetacarpus during an important 3–0 home win overFortuna Düsseldorf. He had to undergo hand surgery.[20]
After his injury, Gomes returned to Tottenham and started the2013–14 season with Spurs. Gomes' role remained as third-choice, however, as the backup to Brad Friedel and the club number one Hugo Lloris. On 22 May 2014, Tottenham announced that Gomes would leave the club the following month when his contract expired.[21]
Gomes signed a one-year deal withChampionship sideWatford on 24 May 2014. The club retained the option to extend his contract by a further year.[22] In his first season with the club Gomes played in 44 games helping the club gain automaticpromotion to the Premier League.
Following the Hornets' promotion to the Premier League, Gomes signed a new three-year contract with Watford on 20 May 2015.[23] On 16 April 2016, Gomes saved two penalties fromSaido Berahino as Watford won 1–0 atWest Bromwich Albion.[24] Having played in every league game in 2015–16, he won the Player of the Season award at the end of the campaign and improved the terms of his contract.[25][26] In 2016–17 he again started every league game as Watford retained their Premier League status. He lost his starting place toOrestis Karnezis for what proved to beMarco Silva's last match in charge of Watford on 20 January 2018 and did not return to the starting line-up until the final game of the 2017–18 season.[27][28]
On 27 July 2020, Gomes confirmed on his Instagram that he would be leaving Watford after their relegation to the Championship.[29] He confirmed his retirement in an interview withESPN Brasil on 16 October, saying that he did not want to play for another club after Watford.[30]
Gomes returned to Brazil in June 2021 and signed forDemocrata SL.[31] He, however, left the club in July without making an appearance, after bureaucracy delayed his registration to the squad past the start of theMódulo II season.[32]
Gomes made his debut for Brazil in the2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Although the competition is for senior national teams, Brazil chose to send an under-23 squad to the competition. Gomes made five appearances as Brazil went to the final and finished second after being beaten byMexico 1–0.
Despite being part of theBrazilian squad that won the2005 FIFA Confederations Cup as the third-choice keeper behindDida andMarcos, Gomes did not receive any playing time. He was also excluded fromCarlos Alberto Parreira's final23-man roster for the2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
It was not until his inclusion in the team for a series of late-summer friendlies, as a consequence of new Brazil coachDunga's desire to play many of theSeleção's younger stars, that Gomes finally gained some consistent playing time in goal. On 14 August 2006, he was called up for a friendly againstNorway, which ended in a 1–1 draw. On 3 September 2006, he played in Brazil's 3–0 win over rivalsArgentina atEmirates Stadium in England. Two days later, Gomes kept a second consecutive clean sheet in a 2–0 victory overWales atWhite Hart Lane. He also featured for the team in a 2–1 win overEcuador on 10 October 2006.
On 11 May 2010, it was announced that Gomes would be part of theBrazilian squad which would compete at the2010 World Cup in South Africa, alongsideJúlio César andDoni. Gomes made a rare appearance for Brazil in a World Cup warm-up game, replacing Brazil's number one keeper Júlio César as a substitute.[33]
Gomes has stated his intention to become a pastor and football agent.[34] According to Gomes he had been offered coaching positions but turned them down saying that he felt it would not leave him time for his pastoral life, saying that he felt a call from God.[35] Gomes was raised Catholic though has since converted to Pentecostalism.[36]
Gomes is a supporter of Brazilian presidentJair Bolsonaro, although he is not a committedright-winger and supportedLula andDilma Rousseff of theWorkers' Party in previous elections.[37]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cruzeiro | 2002 | Brasileiro Série A | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2003[40] | Brasileiro Série A | 40 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | — | 65 | 0 | |||
| 2004[41] | Brasileiro Série A | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |||
| Total | 59 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | — | 106 | 0 | ||||
| PSV Eindhoven | 2004–05 | Eredivisie | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | — | 44 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Eredivisie | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Eredivisie | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 0 | ||
| Total | 128 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 182 | 0 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2008–09 | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 95 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 0 | — | 130 | 0 | |||
| 1899 Hoffenheim (loan) | 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Watford | 2014–15 | Championship | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 144 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 160 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 435 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 98 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 587 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2003 | 5 | 0 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | |
Cruzeiro
PSV
Tottenham Hotspur
Watford
Brazil
Brazil squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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