Mario Gómez García (German pronunciation:[ˈmaːʁi̯oːˈɡɔmɛs]; born 10 July 1985) is a German former professionalfootballer who played as astriker. He represented theGermany national team over a period of 11 years between 2007 and 2018.[4]
Gómez began his professional career withVfB Stuttgart. When the team won theBundesliga in 2006–07, Gómez contributed 14 goals and 7assists and was selected asGerman Footballer of the Year. In 2009, hesigned forBayern Munich for an estimated €30–35 million, a league record at the time. With Bayern, Gómez was the Bundesliga top scorer in 2011 and helped the team win seven trophies, including theUEFA Champions League in 2013. He left forSerie A teamFiorentina in 2013 and was affected by injury during his time in Italy. Gómez was loaned to Turkey'sBeşiktaş in 2015 and was top scorer as the club won theSüper Lig. He subsequently returned to Germany by joining Bundesliga sideVfL Wolfsburg for the2016–17 season, helping them avoid relegation. He rejoined Stuttgart the season after, helping them achieve promotion to the Bundesliga after the2019–20 campaign.
Gómez made his international debut for Germany in February 2007 and was included in their squads for threeUEFA European Championships and twoFIFA World Cups, finishing as top scorer atUEFA Euro 2012. He retired from international football in 2018.
In the2005–06 season, Gómez joined the first team permanently. He played in 30 matches in the Bundesliga, scoring six times.[12] His first goal came on 17 September 2005, the winner in a 2–1 defeat ofMainz 05.[13] Gómez also played five times in theUEFA Cup,[12] scoring twice, and played three times in both the DFB-Pokal[12] andDFL-Ligapokal.[14]
In the2006–07 season, Gómez established himself as one of the top scorers in the Bundesliga. However, he broke his hand on 10 March 2007 and suffered a torn ligament in his left knee. He made his comeback on 12 May 2007 and immediately scored after coming on from the bench. In that match, Stuttgart defeatedVfL Bochum (3–2) and went two points clear heading into the Bundesliga's final weekend, where they won at home againstEnergie Cottbus, thus becomingGerman champions. Stuttgart also reached the final of theDFB-Pokal, where Gómez participated, but Stuttgart lost to1. FC Nürnberg. He finished the season with 14 goals in 25 league appearances and two goals in five DFB-Pokal appearances.[15] After the season, he was namedGerman Footballer of the Year for 2007[16] and extended his contract at Stuttgart until 2012.[17]
In the2007–08 season, Gómez scored 19 goals in 25 appearances,[18] elevating him to second in the Bundesliga's top scorer list, just behindBayern Munich'sLuca Toni, who scored 24 times. In theDFB-Pokal, Gómez was the top scorer with six goals.[19] Because of his development, many clubs became interested in the then-23-year-old forward. Gómez gained the nickname "Mr. Zuverlässig" ("Mr. Reliable"), as seen in his second of three goals in a 6–3 win against Bundesliga rivalWerder Bremen, where he managed to net in a virtually unreachablepass by teammateYıldıray Baştürk. On 9 May 2009, Gómez hit four goals in a 4–1 victory over Bundesliga championsVfL Wolfsburg.[20] He also had six goals in three DFB-Pokal appearances and three goals in fourUEFA Champions League appearances.[18]
The2008–09 season was his last in a Stuttgart uniform, as he transferred to Bayern Munich after the season.[21] During the season, he scored 24 goals in 32 league appearances, three goals in twoDFB-Pokal appearances, and eight goals in tenUEFA Cup appearances.[22]
On 26 May 2009, Gómez transferred to Bayern Munich for a Bundesliga record transfer fee,signing a four-year contract. The reported amount of the transfer fee varies from €30–35 million, depending on different sources.[21][23][24] Gómez scored ten league goals and oneChampions League goal in hisfirst season for Bayern.[25] In theDFB-Pokal, Gómez was more prolific, with three goals in four matches.[25]
After an erratic first season at Bayern with 10 goals in 29 league appearances,[25] Gómez established himself as a starter during the2010–11 season (to an extent at the expense ofMiroslav Klose and due to an injury sustained byIvica Olić) and finished as top goalscorer[26] in the Bundesliga with 28 goals.[27] He scored his 100th Bundesliga goal with his third strike in a 1–8 away victory overFC St. Pauli on 7 May 2011;[28] thehat-trick was his fifth in the Bundesliga in the 2010–11 season and his sixth overall after a hat-trick againstCFR Cluj in the Champions League.[27] Gómez scored 13 hat-tricks in his Bundesliga career, three with VfB Stuttgart and ten with Bayern. Gómez also netted eight times in theChampions League[27] and finished second in the season's top scorers, tied withSamuel Eto'o,[29] although Bayern was eliminated in the round of 16 byInter Milan. Gómez scored 39 goals in all competitions in his second season with theBavarian club.[30]
Gómez scored his first league goal of the2011–12 season on 20 August 2011 in Bayern's win over Hamburger SV.[31] Seven days later, Gómez scored a hat-trick away against1. FC Kaiserslautern.[32] On 10 September, Gómez scored four goals as Bayern beatSC Freiburg 7–0, sealing four straight wins for the Bavarians and a return to the top of the Bundesliga table.[33] Gómez' two first-half goals on 27 September helped Bayern defeatManchester City 2–0 in the group stage of theChampions League.[34]
Gómez scored his second brace of theBundesliga campaign againstHertha BSC when Bayern won 4–0, followed by another brace on 29 October when Bayern defeated 1. FC Nürnberg 4–0. On 11 December 2011, he scored his third brace of the season and sealed Bayern's 2–1 win over southern rivals VfB Stuttgart, his former club.[35] On 2 November 2011, he scoreda hat-trick in a Champions League group stage match againstNapoli. Bayern went on to win the game 3–2. In theDFB-Pokal, Gómez contributed two goals. Gómez's 40th goal of the calendar year of 2011 came on 16 December 2011 against1. FC Köln.[36][37]
On 10 January, when FC Bayern Munich visited India to play in a farewell match for Indian footballerBaichung Bhutia, Gomez scored the opening goal for Bayern as Bayern Munich won 4–0 over theIndia national football team.[38]
On 13 March 2012, during the second leg of their Champions League tie againstBasel, Bayern Munich overturned their 0–1 away loss as Gómez netted four of Bayern's seven goals, firing the Bavarians through to the quarter-finals 7–1 on aggregate.[39] In the quarter-finals, Bayern faced FrenchLigue 1 sideOlympique de Marseille; in the first leg on 28 March,[40] Gómez fired in his 11th Champions League goal of the campaign in a 2–0 win for the Bavarians.[41]
On 4 April, Gómez signed a new contract with Bayern Munich, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2016.[42][43] Gómez scored the winning goal in Bayern's 2–1 victory overReal Madrid in the first leg of their semi-final clash.[44] Bayern went on to win the tie 3–1[45] onpenalties after the teams were deadlocked 3–3 on aggregate.[46] On 19 May 2012, Gómez played in theChampions League final against Chelsea. He failed to find the net in regular time in the game but scored in the penalty shoot-out as Bayern fell at the final hurdle, losing 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 finish.[47] Gómez finished the 2011–12 season with 26 goals in 33 league appearances, two goals in five DFB-Pokal appearances, and 13 goals in 14 Champions League appearances.[48]
Gómez came back late to the squad after having ankle surgery post UEFA Euro 2012.[49] Because of his injury and the signing of Croatian strikerMario Mandžukić from VfL Wolfsburg,[50] Gómez was relegated to the bench as Mandžukić hit a run of form that made him the Bundesliga's top scorer.[51]
Gómez returned to action on 20 November 2012 in the club's 1–1 draw withValencia in the group stage of theChampions League, coming on as a 79th minute substitute for wingerFranck Ribéry.[52] The striker scored his first goal within a minute of hisBundesliga season debut, capping off a 5–0 victory overHannover 96 on 24 November.[53] On 5 December, Gómez opened the scoring for the hosts in their final group game of the Champions League, a 4–1 defeat ofBATE Borisov, which secured the Bavarians top spot in the group over Valencia.[54]
Following the winter break, Gómez pushed for a first-team berth, scoring two goals and setting up another as Bayern cruised past Werder Bremen 6–1 on 23 February 2013. The game was his managerJupp Heynckes' 1,000th game as a player and coach in the Bundesliga.[55] The striker was a used substitute againstEintracht Frankfurt on 6 April, as a loneBastian Schweinsteiger strike confirmed an 11th successive victory and a 23rd national title for the club. It was Gómez's second title win with Bayern, and his third overall.[56]
On 16 April, in the DFB-Pokal semi-final against VfL Wolfsburg, Gómez scored a six-minute hat-trick after being substituted on in the 77th minute, rounding off a comfortable 6–1 victory and securing a spot in thefinal against southern rivals and former club Stuttgart.[57] In the club's next league match, on 20 April, Bayern managed another 6–1 victory and Gómez recorded a second brace in four days to lift Bayern to a 26th league victory of the campaign, a new Bundesliga record.[58] Gómez led the line in the absence of Mario Mandžukić in the semi-finals of the Champions League on 23 April, poking home Bayern's second goal in their 4–0 first-leg defeat ofBarcelona.[59]
Despite missing the better half of the first three months of the campaign, Gómez still managed 11 Bundesliga strikes, placing him as third top-scorer in the league for the club. He made an appearance as a late substitute in Bayern's 2–1Champions League final victory over German rivalsBorussia Dortmund on 25 May atWembley Stadium inLondon.[60] He scored a second-half brace in the DFB-Pokal final on 1 June as Bayern defeated Gómez's former club Stuttgart 3–2 at theOlympiastadion inBerlin.[61] The win secured a 16th DFB-Pokal trophy and an unprecedented league, cup and European cup treble for the Bavarians.[62] Gómez finished the2012–13 season with 11 goals in 21 league appearances.[63]
On 6 June 2013, Gómez's consultant Uli Ferber announced that it "is quite clear that he will separate from Bayern" as he had fallen behind Mario Mandžukić in the pecking order for starting striker.[64]
On 8 July 2013, Gómez signed a four-year deal forSerie A sideFiorentina for a fee believed to be around €20 million.[65][66] He was officially unveiled as a Fiorentina player on 15 July to a crowd of 20,000 people.[67] Gómez scored his first two goals forla Viola in a 5–2 defeat ofGenoa on 1 September.[68] In the following match, a 1–1 draw withCagliari, Gómez sustained an injury which kept him out of the team until Fiorentina's match against Internazionale on 15 February 2014.[69] On 13 March, Gómez scored his first European goal for Fiorentina in a 1–1 draw againstJuventus in the first leg of aUEFA Europa League round of 16 tie. Three days later, he scored his first goal at theStadio Artemio Franchi in a 3–1 win againstChievo.[70] Gómez damaged the ligaments in his left knee on 23 March in a 1–0 win at Napoli and was later ruled out for the remainder of the season by Fiorentina managerVincenzo Montella.[71][72] During the2013–14 season, he scored three goals in nine league appearances and one goal in six Europa League appearances.[14] Gómez scored twice in Fiorentina's 3–1 win overAtalanta in thelast 16 of the Coppa Italia on 21 January 2015,[73] and followed this up with another brace 13 days later in a 2–0 quarter-final win away againstRoma.[74] He finished the2014–15 season with 4 goals in 20 league appearances, four goals in four Coppa Italia appearances and two goals in eight Europa League appearances.[14]
On 30 July 2015, Gómez joined Beşiktaş on a season longloan contract from Fiorentina for2015–16 Süper Lig, with abuy option.[75][76] The contract consisted of €3.50 million of seasonal wages.[77] He successfully completed amedical test on 31 July 2015.[78] Gómez officially signed for the club along with 4 other new players, including his compatriotAndreas Beck, at a press conference held on 7 August 2015.[79][80] He chose number 33 for his shirt.[81]
Gómez made hisSüper Lig debut on 16 August 2015 againstMersin İdman Yurdu atMersin Arena, when he was substituted on forOğuzhan Özyakup in the 73rd minute. The game ended 5–2 in favour of Beşiktaş.[82] Gómez scored both goals as Beşiktaş beatMedipol Başakşehir 2–0 at theAtatürk Olympic Stadium on 13 September 2015 in gameweek 4.[83] On 21 September 2015, during the week 5 game againstGençlerbirliği, Gómez reportedly narrowly escaped ared card for an alleged deliberate elbow on Icelandic midfielderÓlafur Ingi Skúlason during the 55th minute.[84] On 27 September 2015, Gómez scored two goals during thederby game againstFenerbahçe. Beşiktaş won 3–2 and went to the top of the Süper Lig standings.[85]
Gómez scored twice during the week 7 game againstEskişehirspor atNew Eskişehir Stadium, which ended 2–1.[86] By end of week 7 of the Süper Lig, Gómez had scored six goals with a shooting accuracy of 50%, with six successful shots out of twelve.[87] Gómez scored the equaliser during week 3 of Beşiktaş'Group H game againstLokomotiv Moscow, which ended 1–1 atLokomotiv Stadium, Moscow, on 22 October 2015.[88] Gómez scored the third goal in Beşiktaş' week nine game againstAntalyaspor, helping secure a 5–1 win.[89]
During Beşiktaş' week 12 game againstSivasspor, Gómez scored the first goal of the game via a 44th minutepenalty kick; the game ended 2–0.[90]
On 5 December 2015, Gómez scored againstKayserispor in a 2–1 win for Beşiktaş.[91] On 10 December 2015, Gómez scored Beşiktaş' only goal againstSporting in the Europa League Group Stage as the game ended 3–1 for the Portuguese side. Beşiktaş were eventually eliminated from the competition.[92] On 14 December 2015, Gómez scored Beşiktaş' first goal with a divingheader in thederby game againstGalatasaray that ended 2–1 for Beşiktaş.[93] During week 16, Gómez opened the scoring tally for Beşiktaş while they were 2–0 down againstOsmanlıspor; the game ended 3–2 in favour of Beşiktaş.[94] On 28 December 2015, Gómez scored the 2nd goal of the week 17 encounter againstKonyaspor, which ended in a 4–0 win.[95] Gómez, along with Samuel Eto'o, was the top scorer of the first half of the Super Lig, with 13 goals;[96] Gómez completed the first half of the season with highest shooting accuracy, with 29 shots on target.[97] He also scored two goals in the UEFA Europa League by the end of 2015.[98]
In the Süper Lig week 20 game againstGaziantepspor, Gómez scored twice as Beşiktaş achieved a comfortable 4–0 win.[99] Gómez added another goal to his tally in the 64th minute in Beşiktaş' week 22 game against Gençlerbirliği and secured a 1–0 win.[100] Gómez scored twice against Eskişehirspor during the game on 7 March 2016, which ended 3–1 for Beşiktaş.[101][102] His tally of 19 Süper Lig goals equalised the club record for "most scoring foreign player in single Süper Lig season", along withPascal Nouma andDemba Ba.[103]
Beşiktaş andTrabzonspor faced each other in a rescheduled week 19 game on 14 March 2016. Gómez scored the first goal in a 2–0 win.[104] Gómez scored the first goal ever scored in Beşiktaş' newly builtVodafone Arena in the 22nd minute of the encounter againstBursaspor during the 2015–16 season. The game ended 3–2 as Beşiktaş recorded their first win in this stadium.[105][106][107] This was Gómez's 21st goal of the 2015–16 season.[108]
Gómez continued to produce goals in May 2016. He scored once more in the Istanbul derby versus Galatasaray in the 76th minute, which sealed a final score of 1–0 for Beşiktaş in week 32.[109] Gómez scored again in the week 33 game against Osmanlıspor. It was the fifth consecutive Süper Lig game in which he had scored and his last league goal for Beşiktaş as the game ended 3–1.[110] This goal, his 28th in all competitions, made Gómez the "most scoring foreign player across all competitions in single season", beating the previous record of Demba Ba with 27 goals scored in the2014–15 season.[111][112][113]
Gómez became the seasonSüper Lig top scorer with 26 goals, ahead of Samuel Eto'o andHugo Rodallega.[114][115] He completed the season with 28 goals in 41 games played in all competitions.[116] On 20 July 2016, Gómez announced his farewell message via hisFacebook account, stating that he would not continue to play for Beşiktaş. He described it as a "difficult decision" on a political basis, which was perceived as a reference to2016 coup d'état attempt in Turkey.[117][118]
In 2016, Gómez expressed his satisfaction with his spell at Beşiktaş in an interview with German newspaperDie Welt, stating: "[My time at] Beşiktaş was a pure dream for me. It was wonderful. I had a consistent season there. It was my biggest success after 2013 Champions League title".[119][120]
On 17 August 2016, Gómez returned to the Bundesliga by signing for VfL Wolfsburg.[121] He scored his first goal for the club on 22 October, netting in a 3–1 defeat toDarmstadt 98. His goal was the 1,000th scored by Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.[122][123] On 2 April 2017, Gómez scored his first hat-trick for the club, netting three times in seven minutes as Wolfsburg came from 2–0 down to draw 3–3 withBayer Leverkusen.[124] His third goal on the night was his 150th goal scored in the Bundesliga.[125] He ultimately scored 16 league goals during the2016–17 season as Wolfsburg narrowly avoided relegation via the relegation play-offs.[126] Gómez finished the2016–17 season with 18 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions.[127]
On 22 December 2017, it was announced that Gómez would return to VfB Stuttgart on 1 January 2018[131] for an undisclosed fee.[130] He signed a contract until June 2020.[132] He finished the2017–18 season with eight goals in 16 appearances.[133]
Gómez was Stuttgart's top scorer with seven goals in2018–19. In the first leg of the play-off defeat to1. FC Union Berlin that caused Stuttgart's relegation, Gómez scored an additional goal, becoming the first player to score for two teams in Bundesliga relegation play-offs.[134]
On 28 June 2020, Stuttgart announced that Gómez had ended his professional career, after scoring in his final match for the club and helping them secure promotion back to the Bundesliga.[135]
After Gómez impressed in pre-tournamentfriendlies, Germany head coachJoachim Löw called him up to the German squad forEuro 2008.[138] Löw broke up the strike partnership ofLukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose, with Podolski moving out to the left wing at the expense of talismanic midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger and Gómez partnering Klose up front. Unfortunately, Gómez was not able to reproduce his club form and missed several chances, including one in the last group match againstAustria, a performance for which he was criticized by the German media and many fans of the national team. Germany eventually won courtesy of aMichael Ballack free-kick to seal a place in the knockout stages, but Löw dropped Gómez to the bench and reverted to the Podolski–Klose partnership.[139] Gómez was an unused substitute in the quarter-final and semi-final and later came off the bench in thefinal of Euro 2008 for Klose, but could not prevent Germany from losing 1–0 toSpain on 29 June.[140]
In a friendly match against theUnited Arab Emirates played on 2 June 2009, Gómez scored four goals in Germany's 7–2 victory, ending his 15-game goal drought for the national team.[141]
Gómez was named as one of the six forwards in Joachim Löw's 23-man squad for the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[142] He featured in four out of seven German matches at the World Cup, all from the substitutes' bench; he played againstAustralia, replacingMesut Özil in the 73rd minute;Serbia, coming on for left backHolger Badstuber in the 77th minute;England, coming on for Miroslav Klose in the 72nd minute; and Spain, replacing defensive midfielderSami Khedira in the 80th minute. However, Gómez again did not score a goal at a major tournament.[143]
Despite being second choice, behind Miroslav Klose, for centre-forward during Germany'squalification for Euro 2012, Gómez played regularly and contributed goals against every opponent of that campaign:Kazakhstan, Austria,Azerbaijan,Turkey andBelgium. This included two goals against Austria in Germany's 2–1 away win in theErnst-Happel-Stadion, scoring into the very same goal in which he had been unable to score four years earlier during Euro 2008. In a gesture of relief, he kissed the goalpost after he scored the first goal.[144]
Prior to Euro 2012, Gómez captained Germany for the first time in a 3–3 draw againstUkraine in the first match at the renovatedOlympic Stadion of Kyiv.[145] It was his 50th international cap, and aged 26, he was Germany's oldest player in the starting lineup.[146]
Gómez scored the only goal againstPortugal in their first group match at Euro 2012, securing a 1–0 win for Germany.[147] He then scored twice against theNetherlands in Germany's second Group B match, making it three goals in two matches.[148] Gómez finished as second-best scorer of the tournament, behind Spain'sFernando Torres. Both had three goals and one assist; however, Torres became top scorer of the tournament because he had played fewer minutes than Gómez.[149]
After missing the majority of the 2013–14 season with a knee injury, Gómez was not included in Joachim Löw's squad for the2014 World Cup which Germany went on to win.[150]
Gómez was excluded from the national team forUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group D encounters againstIreland andGeorgia.[151] His performance in the first half of the 2015–16 Süper Lig led Gómez to be recalled to the national team[152] for the first time since the international friendly against Argentina on 4 September 2014.[153] He was included the Germany squad for friendlies againstFrance and the Netherlands in November 2015.[154] Gómez scored his first international goal in four years in a 2–3 loss to England in Berlin on 26 March 2016.[155]
On 21 June 2016, Gómez was selected to start in Germany's finalEuro 2016 group match againstNorthern Ireland; he scored the winning goal in the 30th minute.[156] On 26 June 2016, Gómez scored in the 43rd minute in Germany'sRound of 16 3–0 win againstSlovakia, becoming Germany's all-time leading scorer at theUEFA European Championship with five goals.[157]
On 4 June 2018, Gómez was selected in Joachim Löw's 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[158] He made an appearance during Germany's opening match againstMexico, coming on forMarvin Plattenhardt in the 79th minute, but the game ended in a 1–0 loss for Germany.[159] On 24 June, Gómez provided an assist toMarco Reus' equalizing goal with his first touch during Germany's second group stage match againstSweden; the game ended in a 2–1 victory.[160] On 5 August, he announced his retirement from international football.[161]
During his prime, Gómez was considered one of the best strikers in world football.[162] Throughout his career, Gómez was known for his ability to shoot with both feet and was considered an aerial threat. Additionally, his ability to anticipatecrosses and passes and position himself to shoot were considered to be some of his best attributes.Arsenal managerArsène Wenger described him as "a great finisher who is often in the right place to finish off moves".[163] Gómez's body balance and ability to hold up the ball often created trouble for defenders. During his time at Bayern, his ability to appear "at the right place at the right time" proved to be one of Bayern's most lethal attacking weapons, as Franck Ribéry andArjen Robben could often outrun defenders and provide a cross for Gómez. However, despite his goal-scoring abilities, Gómez was often accused of having limited skills and a poor work ethic.[164][165]
Gómez was born inRiedlingen, in the state ofBaden-Württemberg.[166] He was brought up in nearbyUnlingen, anUpper Swabian village in Baden-Württemberg, about 100 km (60 miles) south ofStuttgart and 175 km (110 miles) west ofMunich. Gómez is of German-Spanish descent. His father, José "Pepe" Gómez García, is aSpaniard fromAlbuñán,Granada, and his mother, Christel Roth, is German. He has dual citizenship and opted to play for Germany.
Gómez ended his nine-year relationship with Silvia Meichel on 2 October 2012.[167] Gómez began dating German model Carina Wanzung in December 2012.[168] They married on 22 July 2016.[169]
^"Löw'den sürpriz Gomez açıklaması!".Hürriyet Daily News (in Turkish). 7 October 2015. Archived fromthe original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved20 October 2019.Türkiye'de bir dönem Fenerbahçe ve Adanaspor'da teknik direktörlük yapan Löw, Almanya'nın, 2016 Avrupa Şampiyonası (EURO 2016) Elemeleri'nde 8 Ekim'de deplasmanda İrlanda ve 11 Ekim'de evinde Gürcistan ile oynayacağı maçlar için Gomez'i 23 kişilik kadroya almamıştı.
^"Gomez yeniden milli takımda!" [Gomez is back on the national team!] (in Turkish). 7 November 2015. Archived fromthe original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved20 October 2019.
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