 Gómez playing forSwansea City in 2009 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jordi Gómez García-Penche[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-05-24)24 May 1985 (age 40)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Barcelona, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Barcelona | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2006 | Barcelona C | ||
| 2005–2007 | Barcelona B | 59 | (6) |
| 2006 | Barcelona | 0 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Espanyol B | 22 | (10) |
| 2008–2009 | Espanyol | 3 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | →Swansea City (loan) | 44 | (12) |
| 2009–2014 | Wigan Athletic | 127 | (17) |
| 2014–2016 | Sunderland | 35 | (4) |
| 2016 | →Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 19 | (3) |
| 2016–2017 | Wigan Athletic | 15 | (3) |
| 2017 | Rayo Vallecano | 12 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | Levski Sofia | 35 | (4) |
| 2018–2022 | Omonia | 93 | (12) |
| 2023 | Omonia 29M | 11 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Spain U17 | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:29, 22 May 2023 (UTC) | |||
Jordi Gómez García-Penche (born 24 May 1985) is a Spanish professionalfootballer who plays as acentral midfielder.
After playing for thereserve teams ofBarcelona andEspanyol, he spent most of his career in England, mainly withWigan Athletic with whom he won theFA Cup in2013.
Born inBarcelona,Catalonia, Gómez emerged throughBarcelona's youth ranks.[1] He played once for the first team in competitive games,coming on forThiago Motta in the 68th minute of a6–0 win againstZamora in theCopa del Rey on 11 January 2006.[4]
Gómez completed his development with neighboursEspanyol, making his official debut with the latter in a 4–0 away defeat toReal Murcia CF on 23 March 2008.[5] He appeared in two moreLa Liga matches during his tenure, always as a second-half substitute.[6][7]
On 6 June 2008, Gómez signed forSwansea City of theFootball League Championship on aseason-longloan, for a fee of £200,000;[8] his teammateAlbert Serrán also made the move, albeit in a permanent situation.[9][10] He scored the winning goal with a deflectedfree kick against rivalsCardiff City on 23 September, in the firstSouth Wales derby for seven years.[11]
Scouts describe Gómez as having "a lovely ability to receive the ball in space or if he is marked tightly, find space after his first touch."[12] Whilst on loan, reports surfaced that Swansea wanted to sign him permanently[13] and other teams were supposedly interested in acquiring his services,[14][15] but nothing came of it, as managerRoberto Martínez eventually announced the club would not be able to retain the player due to his high price tag.[16][17][18]
Gómez finished the season with 14 goals in all competitions and returned to Espanyol, being immediately sold toPremier League sideWigan Athletic on a three-year contract on 19 June 2009, with the transfer fee estimated to be in the region of £1.7 million – the move also meant he would be reunited with his former Swansea boss, compatriot Martínez.[19] He debuted in a 2–0 victory overAston Villa on 15 August,[20] and netted his first goal for the club againstBirmingham City on 5 December, albeit in a 2–3 home loss.[21]
Gómez scored his second league goal in a 2–0 defeat ofWolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2010. However, during the match, he escaped suffering aleg injury after a challenge fromKarl Henry.[22][23]
On 17 December 2011, Gómez scored the equaliser for the hosts in a 1–1 draw againstChelsea, his fourth goal in five league games.[24][25] He netted the second goal atArsenal in the eighth minute of an eventual 2–1 away win on 16 April 2012 at theEmirates Stadium,[26] and the Latics once againmanaged to avoid relegation.[27]
On 28 August 2012, Gómez scored once as Wigan defeatedNottingham Forest 4–1 away toreach the third round of theFootball League Cup.[28] On 24 November, he netted ahat-trick to help his club win 3–2 at home againstReading at theDW Stadium,[29] becoming just the second Spaniard to achieve the feat in the Premier League afterFernando Torres.[30][31]
On 9 March 2013, Gómez provided the cross from whichMaynor Figueroa opened the scoring atEverton, and he added the final 3–0 for his team's third goal in as many minutes, in an eventual qualification tothe semi-finals of theFA Cup.[32] He helped themwin the competition, being replaced after 81 minutes byBen Watson, who went on to score the winning goal;[33] however, only three days later, with him on the pitch again, the side were relegated from the top division following a 1–4 away defeat to Arsenal.[34]
Gómez remained at Wigan fortheir first season back in the Championship, and also participated in the club'sinaugural campaign in theUEFA Europa League. On 12 December 2013, in the last group stage match, he scored apenalty kick to put his team ahead atMaribor, but the Slovene ultimately won 2–1.[35]
On 29 May 2014, Gómez signed a three-year deal withSunderland on afree transfer after his contract at Wigan expired.[36] He made his debut on 16 August, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute forJack Rodwell in a 2–2 draw away toWest Bromwich Albion,[37] and scored his first goal 11 days later in a 3–0League Cup second-round victory at Birmingham City.[38]
Gómez scored his first league goal for his new team on 3 November, the second in a 3–1 away win overCrystal Palace.[39] His third goal ofthe campaign came on 13 December, where he scored a penalty to open the scoring in a 1–1 draw at home toWest Ham United.[40]
On 3 February 2015, Gómez netted another penalty in a 3–1 win atFulham in anFA Cup fourth round replay.[41] On 2 May, again from 12 yards, he scored once in each half as theBlack Cats defeatedSouthampton 2–1 at theStadium of Light.[42] The following week, his shot was deflected in byDanny Graham to give the latter his first Sunderland goal, in a 2–0 away victory overEverton;[43] still in that month, he was ruled out for the last three games of the season with a fractured kneecap.[44]
In the last minutes of the 2016 wintertransfer window, after making only six appearances in the first half ofthe season, Gómez was loaned to Championship clubBlackburn Rovers until June.[45] He scored in his debut on 6 February, helping to a 1–1 draw atMiddlesbrough.[46] He netted twice three weeks later, including a last-minute winner from a 30-yard free kick in a 3–2 win againstMilton Keynes Dons atEwood Park.[47]
On 17 August 2016, Gómez rejoined Wigan Athletic on a one-year contract.[48] He returned to Spain after nearly nine years on 31 January 2017, signing withRayo Vallecano of theSegunda División.[49]
Gómez moved to Bulgarian clubLevski Sofia on 6 July 2017, on a two-year deal.[50]
On 16 August 2018, Gómez joinedOmonia of theCypriot First Division on a two-year contract.[51] Already asteam captain, he agreed to extensions until 2021 and 2022.[52][53]
Gómez's team was leading the2019–20 championship when the season was abandoned due to theCOVID-19 pandemic; although they were not awarded the title, they did secure a place inthe qualifying rounds of theUEFA Champions League.[54]
Thefollowing campaign proved successful for both team and player, as Gómez helped them qualify for the group stage of a European competition for the first time in history.[55] On 29 October 2020, he scored a goal from inside his half in a 2–1 home loss againstPSV in theEuropa League, breaking the record for the furthest distance for a goal ever scored in the competition.[56] He ended the domestic league as a champion, Omonia's first in 11 years.[57]
On 25 November 2021, Gómez scored again from his half in the 89th minute of a 2–2 away draw atQarabağ in theEuropa Conference League.[58] The following February, he suffered a ruptured knee ligament which kept him out of action for several months.[59] He scored his last goal for the club on 5 January in the 1–1 away draw againstPafos,[60] and in May it was announced that the 37-year-old would not be retained.[61]
Gómez signed a one-year deal withCypriot Second Division sidePAC Omonia 29M in November 2022, effective from 1 January.[62]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Barcelona B | 2004–05[63] | Segunda División B | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06[63] | Segunda División B | 36 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 36 | 6 | |||||
| 2006–07[63] | Segunda División B | 21 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 59 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 59 | 6 | ||||||
| Barcelona | 2005–06[63] | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Espanyol B | 2007–08[63] | Segunda División B | 22 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 22 | 10 | ||||
| Espanyol | 2007–08[63] | La Liga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Swansea City (loan) | 2008–09[64] | Championship | 44 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 51 | 14 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2009–10[65] | Premier League | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | ||
| 2010–11[66] | Premier League | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 20 | 3 | |||
| 2011–12[67] | Premier League | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 5 | |||
| 2012–13[68] | Premier League | 32 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 42 | 8 | |||
| 2013–14[69] | Championship | 31 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6[a] | 1 | 3[b] | 0 | 46 | 11 | |
| Total | 127 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 162 | 28 | ||
| Sunderland | 2014–15[70] | Premier League | 29 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2015–16[71] | Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 39 | 6 | ||||
| Blackburn Rovers (loan) | 2015–16[71] | Championship | 19 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 3 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2016–17[72] | Championship | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 3 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 2016–17[63] | Segunda División | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||
| Levski Sofia | 2017–18[72] | First League | 31 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 39 | 5 | ||
| 2018–19[72] | First League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Total | 35 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 45 | 5 | |||
| Omonia | 2018–19[72] | Cypriot First Division | 30 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 8 | |||
| 2019–20[72] | Cypriot First Division | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 22 | 3 | ||||
| 2020–21[72] | Cypriot First Division | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 10[c] | 3 | — | 41 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22[72] | Cypriot First Division | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 11[d] | 2 | 1[e] | 0 | 25 | 3 | ||
| Total | 93 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 17 | ||
| Omonia 29M | 2022–23[73] | Cypriot Second Division | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 469 | 71 | 36 | 8 | 14 | 7 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 554 | 92 | ||
Wigan Athletic
Omonia
Individual
