Papu Gómez Considers Retirement After Failing to Secure Club Contract

Papu Gómez acknowledged that he is considering retiring from professional practice after not finding a club after leaving Sevilla (Getty Images)

Alejandro Papu Gómez, world champion with Argentina in Qatar 2022, terminated his contract with Sevilla after two and a half years in which he played very little. At 35 years old, and despite his prolific career in Europe, the footballer who emerged from Arsenal de Sarandí did not find any proposal that satisfied him and today his future is a true unknown.

The midfielder said goodbye to the Andalusian club after having played 90 games, mostly coming from the substitute bench. The former Arsenal and San Lorenzo player, from Argentina; Catania and Atalanta, from Italy; and Metalist from Ukraine, scored 10 goals and six assists as a Sevilla player.

Given this situation, Papu gave an interview to L’Eco di Bergamo, where he surprised with an unexpected statement. “I am enjoying my stay in Seville, but I am waiting for the right opportunity. If it doesn’t come, I might consider quitting. I gave everything for football and I don’t want to end up bitter,” the winner of the Copa América in Brazil 2021 and the Finalissima at Wembley in 2022 bluntly stated with the albiceleste shirt.

Gómez also acknowledged that “although Argentina will always be in my heart, Europe is where I want to live. But one thing is certain: I want to return to Bergamo to feel the love of the fans.” In the northern Italian city he left an indelible mark among fans by defending the blue and black jersey for more than six seasons, in which he led the institution to fight for the Serie A Scudetto and be a protagonist in European competitions. .

In another fragment of the interview, the footballer explained the special relationship that Sevilla has with the Europa League: “The first thing they tell you when you arrive is that you are in the team that has won the Europa League the most times in history: in the museum you see the glasses everywhere. Sevilla has it in their pedigree and in the finals they feel important: they know that this cup is a little bit theirs. People know it, there is something in the air: we felt we would win. The final against Roma was balanced: we knew we were going to celebrate on penalties, because Bono is a formidable goalkeeper.”

“Looking back and realizing that I won a World Cup is still surreal. It makes me realize that all the hard work and dedication in my career has paid off in a way that I never imagined,” said the midfielder without mentioning any of his former teammates or explaining his departure from the Albiceleste.

While defining his future, and far from the Argentine team, Papu Gómez surprised in recent days with a new hobby. After Lionel Scaloni once again left him out of the squad for the debut of the South American Qualifiers against Ecuador, an agonizing victory at the Monumental, and Bolivia, where they will face each other this Tuesday in La Paz, the 35-year-old footballer published several images on Instagram playing to golf.

2023-09-23 13:02:00
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