 Gómez in 2007 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rónald Gómez Gómez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1975-01-24)24 January 1975 (age 50) | ||
| Place of birth | Puntarenas, Costa Rica | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Coatepeque F. C. (Manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1992–1994 | Carmelita | 27 | (9) |
| 1994–1996 | Alajuelense | 68 | (45) |
| 1996–1997 | Sporting Gijón | 21 | (2) |
| 1997–1998 | Hércules | 11 | (4) |
| 1998–1999 | Municipal | (22) | |
| 1999–2002 | OFI | 87 | (39) |
| 2002–2003 | Al Qadsia | (2) | |
| 2004 | →Irapuato (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2004–2006 | Saprissa | 61 | (13) |
| 2006–2007 | APOEL | 20 | (4) |
| 2007–2008 | Saprissa | 28 | (4) |
| 2009 | Santos de Guápiles | 14 | (2) |
| Total | 353 | (148) | |
| International career | |||
| 1993–2008 | Costa Rica | 93 | (26) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | Carmelita | ||
| 2010 | Santos de Guápiles | ||
| 2011 | Deportivo Cartagena | ||
| 2012 | Juventud Escazuceña | ||
| 2013 | Halcones | ||
| 2014 | Limón | ||
| 2016–2018 | Xelajú | ||
| 2018–2021 | Malacateco | ||
| 2021–2022 | Costa Rica (assistant) | ||
| 2023 | Santa Lucía | ||
| 2023–2024 | Apollon Smyrnis | ||
| 2024- | Achuapa | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Rónald Gómez Gómez (born 24 January 1975) is aCosta Rican formerfootballforward and manager. He is the current manager forLiga Nacional clubCoatepeque Fútbol Club.
An important player on theCosta Rica national football team during the 1990s and 2000s, Gómez is regarded as one of Costa Rica's best forwards, known for his rocket shots and top dribbling.
Gómez is, along withPaulo Wanchope, the top scorer for Costa Rica in theFIFA World Cup with three goals.[3]
Born inPuntarenas as the 12th child of Francisca Gómez, he was raised in the village Pilas de Canjel inGuanacaste Province.[4]
NicknamedLa Bala (The Bullit), Gómez started his career atCarmelita and scored his first league goal on 20 September 1992 againstSaprissa.[5] He then scored 45 goals forAlajuelense before moving abroad.
He has played in 6 different countries: in Spain withSporting Gijón[6] andHercules ofAlicante, inGuatemala withMunicipal,[7] inGreece withOFI,[8] inKuwait withAl Qadsia, in Mexico withIrapuato[9] and inCyprus withAPOEL[10] where he won theCypriot First Division.[11]
In the summer of 1999,GreekOFI made the decision to sign Ronald Gómez fromGuatemalan clubMunicipal, marking the Costa Rican striker's return to Europe after spells withSporting de Gijón andHércules CF. Despite some hesitation from theCretan club due to the risks involved, the transfer was completed within a matter of hours, and Gómez quickly established himself as one of the most significant players to have graced Greek football during that era.[12]
Known as a classic "number 9" of the 1990s, Gómez became a cult figure inGreece due to his exceptional goal-scoring ability. He made a lasting impact on OFI, scoring 48 goals in 105 appearances. His performance helped lead the team to theUEFA Cup in the 2000–01 season, thanks to an impressive tally of 19 goals that season.
One of his most memorable moments came with a stunning goal againstProodeftiki, considered one of the finest in Greek football history. Gómez’s tenure at OFIcemented his legacy, and he remains a beloved figure among the club’s supporters.[12]
With Saprissa, he has won 4national championship; and 1CONCACAF Champions Cup, and was part of the team that played the2005 FIFA Club World Championship Toyota Cup whereSaprissa finished third behindSão Paulo andLiverpool.[13] He scored the winning goal in the final minutes of the game thatSaprissa won in order to achieve the third place of the tournament againstAl-Ittihad. His goal was considered among the best of the cup.
In June 2009, Gómez came out of playing retirement for a final season at Santos after he was relegated to the second division as manager of Carmelita.[14] After the season, he became manager of Santos.[15]
Gómez made his debut forCosta Rica in a February 1993UNCAF Nations Cup qualification match againstNicaragua and earned a total of 93 caps, scoring 26 goals.[16] He represented his country in 27FIFA World Cup qualification matches and figured at the2002 and2006 World Cups.[13] He also played at the1993[17] and2001 UNCAF Nations Cups[18]as well as at the1993,[19]2000[20] and2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup[21] and the1997,[22]2001,[23] and2004 Copa América.[24]
His final international was a March 2008friendly match againstPeru.
He made his debut as manager ofCarmelita in January 2009.[5] In October 2010 he was dismissed bySantos de Guápiles[25] and he later managed second division sidesDeportivo Cartagena[26] andJuventud Escazuceña.[27] In September 2013, he took charge of Guatemalan sideHalcones[28] and in May 2014 he returned to Costa Rica to take charge atLimón.[29]
In August 2023, Ronald Gómez, a former OFI player, returned toGreece as the head coach ofApollon Smyrnis, a team that was preparing for the upcoming season in theGreek Football League (Gamma Ethniki). His appointment marked the return of a familiar face to Greek football, having been one of the top strikers for OFI during his playing career between 1999 and 2003.[30] Prior to joining Apollon Smyrnis, Gómez had managedSanta Lucia F.C. in Guatemala. However, his tenure with Apollon Smyrnis ended on 28 February 2024.[31]
After his departure from Apollon Smyrnis, Gómez took on the role of head coach atDeportivo Achuapa in Guatemala, where he began a new challenge, aiming to lead the team to the final phase of theTorneo Clausura 2024.[32]
He is married to Gina Soto and they have two sons, Esteban and Daniel.[33]
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