08/12/2020 - 11:05
- Clarín.com
- sports
Alejandro Gómez, or simply Papu, achieved something that few players achieve: that the best moment of his career coincides with the best moment in the history of the club in which he plays. The Argentine is the super hero of the Atalanta revolution and at the age of 32 he pushes his team to continue in the race in the Champions League, where this Wednesday he will face Paris Saint-Germain for the quarterfinals in Lisbon.
El Papu is captain, idol and conductor of the team that became the sensation of Europe. Although he is not a boy and these last months have been very demanding due to the combination of heat and lack of rest, Gómez is the Atalanta footballer who has played the most games this season and his performance does not decline: he was chosen the best midfielder of Series A.
But before being this commander of Atalanta, the midfielder discarded Bari and emigrated to Catania. The decision was made based on the large number of Argentine players there were at that time. During the three seasons he was there, Gómez came to share a squad with 14 Argentines at the same time.
The Papu Gómez, captain and emblem of Atalanta. Photo: ANSA / ELISABETTA BARACCHI
"It was very rare that the locker room spoke more Spanish than Italian, but for us it was spectacular. We shit with laughter. We would gather outside the court to eat barbecue, we all lived very close and some even in the same neighborhood. three spectacular years, I never had a problem and we forged a beautiful friendship between everyone, "he told journalist Cristian Gómez in an interview with Clarín two years ago.
After those three seasons, he felt the need to change league and was close to a transfer to Atlético de Madrid. However, the clubs did not agree and the Metalist of Ukraine appeared in their way. "At that time they were very strong and there were several Argentines. In addition, they had qualified for the Champions League and were fighting for the top positions," he argued.
But what was illusion turned into despair over civil war. "On the one hand, there were those who supported the country joining the European Union and on the other, those who wanted to stay closer to Russia. On a day off, since I didn't understand what the news was saying, we went for a walk with my family As if nothing. Suddenly I was left with the car in the middle of the demonstration and there were people hooded, with sticks and rubber bands. It was a quilombo and apart from that when you don't understand the language, everything becomes more difficult. The city was set on fire "There were not many police and there were many armed people in the streets. The situation could not be sustained. In addition, the club did not give us the necessary security to continue," he recalled.
After leaving Ukraine and spending three months in Argentina training on his own, in mid-2014 he received an offer from Atalanta, where he became an idol of the fans and wears the captain's belt.
Papu Gomez. At Metalist, happy to sign. Archive
A start marked by Arsenal
Papu Gómez was born in Avellaneda's party and despite the fact that he is the nephew of Hugo Villaverde, a multi-champion defender with Independiente in the 70s and 80s, he started away from Rojo. “As Independiente trained quite far from my home, I decided to start at Arsenal because it was close. I was going by bus or by bicycle ”, he said in that interview with Clarín.
His approach to professional football came prematurely. At age 14, Jorge Burruchaga - then the team's coach - took him to the Primera preseason and at 17 José María Bianco made him debut in the First Division in a 1-1 draw against Gimnasia. As in Atalanta, he lived through the most glorious period in the history of the Sarandí club: he won the Copa Sudamericana 2007 and the Suruga Bank 2008.
Papu Gómez at Arsenal. Photo: Archive
So, he made the leap to a big club. San Lorenzo opened the doors for him and he was there for two seasons. "Playing in San Lorenzo was something very important because it is not for everyone. I had to live in a period that was a bit difficult for the club economically, with many external problems related to football, but we had a good team. There was no opportunity to win a championship. , but personally it was very positive. I liked it because it helped me grow in the sense of playing in front of many more people, the pressure of a big club with a full stadium, "he said.
When he was doing the preseason with Ramón Díaz, Catania appeared and took him away. That was ten years ago. A decade that danced to the rhythm of the Papu.
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